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How To / Using the Printer Driver

Setting up Your Printer on a Network

For Windows Me, 98 and 95 users
For Windows 2000 and NT 4.0 users

For Windows Me, 98 and 95 users

This section tells you how to set up your printer so that other computers on a network can use it.

First, you need to set up the printer as a shared printer on the computer to which the printer is connected. Then, you must specify the network path to the printer from each computer that will use it and install the printer software on those computers.

Note:

This section describes how to use your printer as a shared printer on a network. To connect your printer directly to a network without setting it up as a shared printer, consult your network administrator.

When the IPX/SPX compatible protocol setting is turned on in Windows 95/98/Me, you may have a communication error. To avoid this error, disable IPX/SPX compatible protocol.

Setting up your printer as a shared printer

To share a printer with other computers on a network, follow the steps below to configure to computer to which the printer is connected.

Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Control Panel.

Double-click the Network icon.

Click the File and Print Sharing button.

Select the I want to be able to allow others to print to my printer(s) check box and click OK.

In the Network dialog box, click OK.

In the Control Panel, double-click the Printers icon.

Note:

If a dialog box requesting the insertion of the Windows Me, 98 or 95 CD-ROM appears, insert the CD in the CD-ROM drive and follow the on-screen instructions.

If a dialog box requesting that you restart your computer appears, do so. Then, open the Printers folder, and continue from step 7.

Select the icon for your printer in the Printers folder, then click Sharing on the File menu.

Select Shared As, then type the printer information as required and click OK.

Accessing the printer through a network

To access your printer from other computers on a network, follow the steps below for each computer that will access the printer.

Note:

Your printer must be set up as a shared resource on the computer to which it is directly connected before you can access it from another computer. For instructions, see Setting up your printer as a shared printer.

Click the Start button, point to Settings, and click Printers.

Double-click the Add Printer icon. The Add Printer Wizard screen opens.

Click Next.

Select Network printer, then click Next.

Click Browse.

Double-click the icon of the computer that is directly connected to the printer. Then, click the icon for the appropriate printer.

Click OK and follow the on-screen instructions.

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For Windows 2000 and NT 4.0 users

This section tells you how to set up your printer so that other computers on the network can use it.

Note:

This section is written for small network users only. If you are on a large network and would like to share your printer, consult your network administrator.

The screens shown in this section are from Windows NT 4.0.

Setting up Your Printer as a Shared Printer

To share a printer with other computers on a network, follow the steps below to configure the computer to which the printer is connected.

Click the Start button, point to Settings, and click Printers.

Select the icon for your printer, then click Sharing on the File menu.

Click Shared (for Windows 2000 users, select Shared as), then type the Share Name.

Click OK.

Note:

For Windows NT 4.0 users, do not select a driver from the Alternate Drivers list. For Windows 2000 users, do not select a driver from Additional Drivers list in the Additional Drivers dialog box.

Accessing the printer through a network

To access your printer from other computers on the network, follow the steps in this section for each computer that will access the printer.

Install the printer driver from the software CD-ROM.

Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

Double-click the Printers icon.

Right-click the icon for your printer, then click Properties on the menu that appears. The printer driver opens.

Click the Ports tab, then click Add Port.

In the Printer Ports dialog box, select Local Port, then click New Port.

In the Port Name dialog box, enter the path information for your printer using the format below:
\\name of computer that is connected to the printer\name of the shared printer.

Click OK to return to the Printer Ports dialog box.

Click Close to return to the Ports menu.

On the Ports menu, make sure that the new port is included in the list and that the corresponding check box is selected. Click OK to close the printer driver.

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