Printer Sharing

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• interfaces on a print device determine how it is connected to the network
• printer sharing model describes how multiple client devices access the printer
• Some printers come with integrated or embedded print server hardware and firmware
  • allowing client computers to connect to them directly over the network without having to go via a server computer
• public printer is configured with no access controls so any guest client may use it

Windows Print Server Configuration

• alternative to allowing clients to connect directly to the print device
  • any computer with a print device installed can share that printer object for use by other client computers
  • print server could be connected to the print device via a local USB port or over the network
  • allows more administrative control over which clients are allowed to connect
  • printer object can be configured with permissions that allow only authenticated users to submit print jobs
• In Windows, a share is configured using the Sharing tab in the printer’s Properties dialog
  • can download additional drivers different OS
  • if network has a mix of client OS, need to consider how to make a printer driver available for each supported client
  • If the printer supports a “Type 3” driver
    • need only add x86 (32-bit Windows) and/or x64 (64-bit Windows) support
  • for “Type 2” drivers, each specific Windows version requires its own driver

Info

Windows 10 adds support for Type 4 drivers.

• designed to move toward a print class driver framework
  • where a single driver will work with multiple devices
  • Where a specific print device driver is required, the client obtains it from Windows Update rather than the print server

Shared Printer Connections

• Ordinary users can connect to a network printer if the print server administrator has given them permissions to use it
  • One way of doing this is to
    • browse through the network resources using the Network object in File Explorer
    • Open the server computer hosting the printer
    • right-click the required printer and select Connect