To connect to the printer from another computer on the network in Windows 7, follow these steps:
Step 1. Choose Start > Devices and Printers > Add a Printer.
Step 2. The Add Printer wizard appears.
Step 3. Select Add a network, wireless or Bluetooth printer.
Step 4. A list of shared printers will appear. If the printer is not listed, select The printer that I wanted is not listed.
Step 5. After selecting the printer, click Next.
Step 6. A virtual printer port is created and displayed in the Add a Printer window. The required print drivers are downloaded from the print server and installed on the computer. The wizard then finishes the installation.
To connect to the printer from another computer on the network in Windows Vista, follow these steps:
Step 1. Choose Start > Control Panel > Printers > Add a Printer.
Step 2. The Add Printer wizard appears.
Step 3. Select Add a network, wireless or Bluetooth printer.
Step 4. A list of shared printers will appear. If the printer is not listed, select The printer that I wanted is not listed.
Step 5. After selecting the printer, click Next.
Step 6. A virtual printer port is created and displayed in the Add a Printer window. The required print drivers are downloaded from the print server and installed on the computer. The wizard then finishes the installation.
To connect to the printer from another computer on the network in Windows XP, follow these steps:
Step 1. Choose Start > Control Panel > Printers and Faxes > Add a Printer.
Step 2. The Add Printer wizard appears. Click Next.
Step 3. Select A network printer, or a printer attached to another computer.
Step 4. The Specify a Printer wizard appears. To search for a printer, choose Browse for a printer. To specify a printer by name, choose Connect to this printer (or to browse for a printer, select this option and click Next): and type the name of the printer in the Name: box. To specify a printer by location, choose Connect to a printer on the Internet or on a home or office network: and type the location of the printer in the URL: box.
Step 5. After selecting the printer, click Next.
Step 6. A virtual printer port is created and displayed in the Add a Printer window. The required print drivers are downloaded from the print server and installed on the computer. The wizard then finishes the installation.
Windows allows computer users to share their printers with other users on the network.
In Windows 7, to configure the computer with the printer attached to accept print jobs from other network users, as shown in Figure 1, follow these steps:
Step 1. Select Start > Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change advanced sharing settings.
Step 2. Expand the network listing to view the network profile.
Step 3. If printer sharing is off, under File and printer sharing, select Turn on file and printer sharing, and then click Save changes.
In Windows Vista, to configure the computer with the printer attached to accept print jobs from other network users, follow these steps:
Step 1. Select Start > Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Printers.
Step 2. Right-click the printer to share and choose Sharing. The Printer Properties dialog box opens.
Step 3. Select Share this printer and enter the desired shared printer name. This name is displayed to other users.
Step 4. Verify that sharing has been successful. In the Printers window, check whether the printer has a share icon under it, indicating that it is a shared resource.
In Windows XP, to configure the computer with the printer attached to accept print jobs from other network users, as shown in Figure 2, follow these steps:
Step 1. Select Start > Control Panel > Printers and Other Hardware > Printers and Faxes.
Step 2. Select the printer to share. The Printer Tasks box appears on the left.
Step 3. Select Share this printer. The Printer Properties dialog box opens.
Step 4. In the Sharing tab, select Share this printer and enter the printer name. This name is displayed to other users.
Step 5. Verify that sharing has been successful. In the Printers and Faxes folder, check whether the printer icon has a hand under it, indicating that it is a shared resource.
Users who can now connect to the shared printer might not have the required drivers installed. They might also be using different operating systems than the computer that is hosting the shared printer. Windows can automatically download the correct drivers to these users. Click the Additional Drivers button to select operating systems that the other users are using. When you close that dialog box by clicking OK, Windows will ask to obtain those additional drivers. If the other users are also using the same Windows OS, you do not need to click the Additional Drivers button.