Sharing A Printer

Now that all files necessary to share a printer have been installed, we can begin to set it up.

1. Click on your Start Menu > Settings > Printers
2. The printer control panel will open (left image)). 2a. Right click on the name of your printer. Select Sharing from the menu. (right image)
3. Now that the printer properties has opened, navigate to the SHARING tab. Select the Shared As radio button. This will now enable you to enter information in the fields below. For Share name, enter the name of your printer or desktop. For a comment, enter a brief description of the printer and/or its location. Type in a password which will be required to access/print to your printer from other computers on your network. Click Apply then OK. (Note: you may or may not be asked for a Windows CD or your Printer installation CD. If asked, insert it and follow the instructions.)
4. Now that your printer is shared, you'll notice it has the shared hand icon underneath it.  Print sharing is now setup on YOUR computer. However, it must still be setup on other computers on your network so they may access your printer.
5. For other network users to access your printer, they will need to open the Network Neighborhood(left image), located on the Desktop. A window (right image) will open.
6. The other network user will then need to open your computer from the Network Neighborhood window. A list of folders and shared printers will appear. Double click on the printer the user wishes to access. A prompt will appear asking the user if they want to setup the printer. Click Yes.
7.  An Add Printer Wizard will pop up. Select the choice(s) most appropriate for you and click Next. If asked to keep an existing driver, click Yes. If there isn't a driver present, install one for the correct printer.
8. The Add Printer wizard will ask you to enter a Name for the shared printer. You can type whatever you want the printer to appear as on your computer here. The wizard also asks if the user would like to make the shared printer, the default Printer. A default printer is the printer that will always be printed to unless otherwise specified. If you want this on, Click Yes, if not, click No. Now click Next.
9. The add printer wizard will ask if you'd like to print a test page. Click Yes. This will ensure the shared printer is setup properly on both systems. Once the page prints, another window will pop up asking if the page printed correctly. Select either Yes or No.		If the page printed correctly, you're good to go! If the page did not print, or printed incorrectly you'll need to contact your printer manufacturer for troubleshooting or refer to your printer manual.
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