Sharing a printer on a Peer to Peer Network

  • Thread starter Thread starter Edward W. Thompson
  • Start date Start date
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Edward W. Thompson

Can anyone advise whether it is necessary to to 'share' a printer on a
peer to peer network? My understanding is that when a printer is
setup on such a network it is essentially standalone and is accessible
by all machines on the network, each machine having the appropriate
drivers installed, and therefore is not 'shared'.

I ask the question simply to better understand the subject. All posts
I read when I 'Google' the subject seem to suggest it is necessary to
'share' a printer regardless of how the network is configured.
 
qn said:
If the printer is connected via the network, it shouldn't require "sharing" -
the concept is meaningless to a network printer.

If it is connected to a networked machine's port (parallel/USB/whatever) then it
will require sharing for other machines to access it.
Click to expand...

And cheap print servers are so cheap and the performance gains so great
its not worth NOT fully networking it.

"share" is Microsfts way of saying 'lets make the computer this printer
is connected to, a print server'

But no one in their right mind would use a microsoft operating system as
a print server anyway.

Get a printserver off ebay or whatever..a second hand HP jetDirect is
usually a good bet. Though I had to upgrade the firmware on the one I got..
 
Can anyone advise whether it is necessary to to 'share' a printer on a
peer to peer network? My understanding is that when a printer is
setup on such a network it is essentially standalone and is accessible
by all machines on the network, each machine having the appropriate
drivers installed, and therefore is not 'shared'.

I ask the question simply to better understand the subject. All posts
I read when I 'Google' the subject seem to suggest it is necessary to
'share' a printer regardless of how the network is configured.
Click to expand...

If the printer is connected via the network, it shouldn't require "sharing" -
the concept is meaningless to a network printer.

If it is connected to a networked machine's port (parallel/USB/whatever) then it
will require sharing for other machines to access it.
 
If the printer is connected via the network, it shouldn't require "sharing" -
the concept is meaningless to a network printer.

If it is connected to a networked machine's port (parallel/USB/whatever) then it
will require sharing for other machines to access it
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply, exactly as I thought. My printer is the
Businessjet 2280tn, so is fully 'networkable'.
 
qn said:
If the printer is connected via the network, it shouldn't require "sharing" -
the concept is meaningless to a network printer.

If it is connected to a networked machine's port (parallel/USB/whatever) then it
will require sharing for other machines to access it.
Click to expand...

Where is the printer plugged in?
If the printer is plugged into a router - the router can behave as a print
server
 
Where is the printer plugged in?
Click to expand...

Not sure why you're asking me. Maybe you should take more care when posting.
If the printer is plugged into a router - the router can behave as a print
server
Click to expand...

For a printer to function properly plugged directly into a router, that printer
will need to have the server function integrated e.g. HP JetDirect.. Routers do
not intrinsically have the capability of acting as a print server.
 
qn said:
Not sure why you're asking me. Maybe you should take more care when
Click to expand...
posting.


Sorry, did not have the message of the OP on my PC.
Thought posting in the thread, below the OP message, would be the same ....
For a printer to function properly plugged directly into a router, that printer
will need to have the server function integrated e.g. HP JetDirect.. Routers do
not intrinsically have the capability of acting as a print server.
Click to expand...

agree - the router has to be configured ....
 
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