How to Share a Printer
By Stephen Bucaro
Network printers, Printers that are directly connected to a network through a network port or wireless
connection, are available to anyone on that same network. If you have a printer connected directly
to your PC rather than the network, and your PC is on network, you can also share that printer with
anyone on the same network.
To share a printer attached to your computer:
1. In Control Panel click on Network and Internet and then Network and Sharing Center.
2. Click the down-arrow button next to Printer sharing to expand the section. Then click
Turn on printer sharing , and then click on the [Apply] button. If you are prompted for an
administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation. Your printer is
now shared on the network.
3. If you're using a computer connected to a workgroup, click the down-arrow button next to
Password protected sharing to expand the section. Then check to see if password-protected
sharing is turned on or off. If it's turned on, only people with a user account and password for this
computer will be able to access the printer. Turn this off if you want anyone on the network to be
able to access the printer.
To use a shared printer:
To connect to a shared printer over the network, you must know the name of the computer that
the printer is attached to. If you don't know the computer's name, go to the computer and in
Control Panel click on System and Maintenance, then click System.
Under Computer name, domain, and workgroup settings, you can find your computer's name.
1. In the Start button search box type ⁄⁄ followed by the name of the computer with
the shared printer you want to use (for example, ⁄⁄joespc). Press the [Enter] key.
2. A folder will open for the computer. Double-click Printers. Double-click the printer. Windows
will automatically add the printer to your computer and install the printer driver. When the process is
complete, click on the [Next] button.
If you don't see the shared printer in the Printers folder, make sure the printer is connected
properly, turned on, and shared properly. If you run into problems, you might need to install a driver
for the printer on your PC. In some cases you'll need to install the driver using a CD or DVD
provided by the printer manufacturer.
3. The printer should appear in the Printers folder on your printer. Select the printer to
print on the shared printer.
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