Since I have a wireless network at home, between my PC and my laptop, should I be able to print from the printer that’s attached to my PC by using my laptop? Is that a standard availablility or do I need to download or purchase some type of software? Do I probably have what’s needed already?
Unless the printer itself is network/wifi-enabled, you’ll have to “share” the printer from your PC. That allows your laptop to connect to your PC and print with its printer. It’ll only work when the PC is on.
Shouldn’t be a problem. Assuming your network is configured properly you just have to go to the Printers section on your laptop and install a network printer. At the most, you may need to download a printer driver for one or both computers.
In theory, it’s that easy, but in Win7 it can be a bit of a PITA to set up permissions.
Biiiig assumption. But if it’s true, then I should be able download a network printer from somewhere (?) and then use it to tell my printer to print what’s on my laptop? Where would I find a network printer?
Control panel
Add printer
Select network printer
ideal world, it will give you a list of computers on the network and you can select the printer.
Driver install will run
Done!
Print as needed.
A “network printer” isn’t a program, it’s a category of printer – those that are designed to be accessed by any networked computer without additional help. A printer has to have an internal network card to be able to do this. These network-enabled printers are usually more expensive (but not by much, these days).
A regular printer has to rely on the PC it’s connected to to do the network communications; the PC basically says to the network “The printer connected to me doesn’t know how to talk to you directly, but give me everything you want to print and I’ll translate it and send it to the printer myself!”
Make sure both computers are in the same WORKGROUP. Open the printer on one of the desktop and go to sharing, say share this printer. On the laptop go to add printer, network printer and you should see it. There ya go
And if you have a regular, non-network-enabled printer, just Google “How to share a printer in Windows XP/7/whatever you have” for instructions on how to make that work.
I’m thinking that I’ll have to try those Googles you’re talking about, as the above suggestions didn’t work as I had hoped. But thanks, boys and girls.