For many home computer users sharing a printer between two or more computers is a common request that often leads to user frustration. It is a hassle to swap a cable between two different machines in order to allow one or the other to print.
At the same time it is also inconvenient to share a printer with Windows printer sharing as it requires the master computer to be on at all times even when it is not being used if the other computers in the home need to print.
A more functional and easier to use piece of hardware is a print server. These small, simple boxes allow two or more computers to share a single USB printer either through multiple USB cable connections, via Ethernet, or wirelessly over a home network. These three types of print servers function best in specific situations and will be described in detail below.
Sharing A Printer Via A USB Print Server
The most basic kind of print server is one that connects two PC's to one printer. A USB cable is run from each computer to the printer server box and then one USB cable is run from the box to the printer itself.
While the printer software must be loaded onto both computers, this configuration does not require both of the computers to be turned on while the other one attempts to print. Some newer computers and printers come equipped with a feature known as wireless USB however in most cases these devices do not support sharing a printer between multiple computers without using Windows Printer Sharing.
Sharing A Printer Via An Ethernet Based Print Server
Another variation on print servers is one that connects multiple computers to a single printer via Ethernet cables. The computers connect to the server with an Ethernet cable and the data is passed out to the printer via USB. Ethernet print servers can handle dozens or even hundreds of users and spool the print jobs to the printer in the order that they are received.
Ethernet based print servers are also able to be created from an old computer. Special software is loaded onto the computer and it is used to store (spool) and distribute the print jobs to one or more printers on the network. This is often overkill for most home installations however, and requires the print server to be left turned on all of the time.
Sharing A Printer Via A Wireless Print Server
Perhaps the most useful and cost effective way to share a printer (without using Windows Printer Sharing), is to use a wireless print server such as the highly rated Netgear FWG114P. Devices such as this combine several of the most useful networking technologies into one unit.
In the case of the Netgear the device includes an 802.11g wireless networking interface, a wireless print server, and a wired broadband router all in one device. This means that a user can connect to a home network from behind the safety of the router's Internet firewall while also being able to place their local printer on the network and make it accessible by both wired and wireless computers throughout the home.
