Puter ?

[meatloaf]

I have two desktop computers and I need to connect them to one printer so I can print from either computer.
What is the easiest and cheapest way to accomplish this?
Thanks

 

[TizMe]

Who is your internet provider ? Can they give you some insight as to how to do it ? We have that set up here but our puters are laptops and wireless.

We have our printer hooked to our router either my wife or I can print from it ....

 

[gtm]

We have a similar situation here. Our connections to the printer both via USB ports, and I bought a USB A/B switch. It works well, but there's button you have to hit to assign the printer to one computer or the other. A little aggravating, but no divorce in sight.

I tried the router method, as TizMe suggested, but didn't have any luck with it. I'd be interested to know how that works.

 

[meatloaf]

Where did you get the A/B switch?

 

[gtm]

I was afraid you would ask that. As you'll understand from the following, I was hoping to not have to answer until tomorrow!

I got a "Gigaware" switch from Radio Shack. It works, but sometimes you have to hit the button several times to get it to switch. A little aggravating, but DW and I get by well enough.

But a 'puter guy at work got one after I told him about this one and he said it worked much better. Hold on until I get a chance to ask him about it tomorrow to see which one he got.

Actually, I'll send him an email now, but I probably won't hear back until tomorrow.

Cheers, Gary

P.S. Sorry about the garbled English in the first post; i.e., "Our connections to the printer both via USB ports." Too many balls in the air when I was writing that!

 

[meatloaf]

Thanks, I'll check out RS in the meantime.

 

[CVAL44]

Just set-up the printer as a netwrk printer and computer on the network will be able to print from it.

Each computer will have to be set-up to find the printer. It really pretty easy and should be able to do a search and find out how

Here you go:

http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1596

 

[patf11]

Assuming the two computers share a common network such as common access to the Internet, another way to allow computers network access to a common printer is via a dedicated print server device. This would not require any PC to be designated as the print server. Only the dedicated print server device needs to be powered up at all times.

The print servers are not very expensive; here is link to Netgear print server!. This one is for a USB printer; there are parallel capable devices as well. Many other manufactures make such a device as well.

 

[gtm]

Meatloaf,

The guy at work didn't reply today so I went to his office and found out that he's on a ski vacation. I'll send along the info about the switch he bought when I hear back, but it might be a week or so. Sorry.

Concerning the later responses, these folks clearly know more about 'puters than I do. Wish they were here! But I tried a couple of these options, and others, without success. The hangup seemed to be that I run our two computers via a router since I only have a single line from my ISP, and there's no way I can figure to determine IP numbers to do the setups properly. There's likely a way to do it, but I couldn't figure it out.

In the meantime, the switch is a bit of a pain, but it works.

Cheers, Gary

 

[meatloaf]

Thanks guys for all the responses. My Wife is starting a new job working from home and I'm just trying to get it all setup for her.
Thanks again :-D

 

[Ohm_Boy]

If both computers have the same workgroup name, you can just share the printer from one workstation.

Generally, you can set up a printer on one computer, and allow it to be shared. You can right-click on a printer in "control panel/printers and faxes", and select sharing, then allow the printer to be shared.

From the second computer, open 'control panel/Printers and Faxes' amd either click "add a printer", or right-click in the folder and select "add printer". Whichever works - I tend to forget. Next select "network printer or printer attached to another computer", and you should be able to browse for the printer. If the other computer doesn't appear under the workgroup name in the printer browser, click 'back' and type in the name of the computer in the "connect to a printer/browse for a printer..." box and try that. Computers name are specified with a pair of backslashes first, like: \\[computername]

To find a computer name, click start, then right-click on "my computer" and select properties. There is a "Computer Name" tab that will give you all the info.

 

[TizMe]

Could they not print a test page and get the IP from the paper and set up the other printer using that ?

 

[glrfti]

If you go the route of attaching the printer to a computer than the computer that it is attached to must always be working for anyone to use the printer. Get a print server device and set up the printer as a network device. It is easy and it always works.

http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory ... nt-Servers

 

[EskimoPie]

the method that Ohm_Boy described is the cheapest and quickest... no IP address necessary, you just need to know the computer name and he described how to locate that. The downsides to this method are that the computer which the printer is physically connected to must be turned on for the other computer to be able to print. Also, firewalls (if not configured correctly) can sometimes make it difficult to connect and print to the share computer.

The more fool-proof method is to buy a print server as others have described... the printer plugs into the print server (small cheap box) which then plugs directly into the router. This way each computer can access it directly without being dependent on the other.

 

[meatloaf]

EskimoPie
Would this plug into my Internet Router?
Also where do I get one of these?
Thanks

 

[SMWill42]

We have 4 computers routed to two printers which are hooked up to 1 computer. Two are laptops which have a wireless connection and 2 are desktops which 1 is wireless. The main desktop is connected to a wireless router via our internet service which is AT&t. The main computer has to be on at all times for the rest of the computers to print or use the fax or copy machine but I can be sitting outside by the pool and tell the computer to print and it will. First you have to set up your main computer so that it will allow other computers to access the internet and any printers or fax machines then you need to install software for the printer to your wireless or other computer to recognize the printer then you should be able to print.

Susan

P.S. All of this is accessible through your control panel on each computer.

 

[gtm]

meatloaf,

I finally heard back from my co-worker about the USB switch he bought, which seems to work better than the GigaWare one I got from Radio Shack. The link he gave me is:

http://www.govconnection.com/IPA/Shop/P ... ku=5385923

I imagine this is too late to help, but just wanted to pass it on just in case.

Cheers, Gary

 

[meatloaf]

gtm, thanks for the info. I'll try to find the switch locally.