What do I need to set my printer up on a home network using Ethernet or wireless instead?

Answer 1

You can share a printer on a home network in one of 2 ways:

1) Directly on the network. This requires either a printer with an ethernet capability (RJ45 or wireless built-in) or a device called a "print server" that connects between your printer and your router. This device usually has either parallel printer support or USB (sometimes both)... Also some routers have built-in print serve capabilities for USB and/or parallel.

OR

2) You can tell your OS to "share" the printer on the network. To do this you attach the printer to any computer on the network, then (in the printer proerties) tell it to "share" the printer on the network. When using this method, you must make certain that your firewall PERMITS file/printer sharing across your LAN! this requirement is in ADDITION to sharing the printer! Otherwise, even if the printer is marked as a shared resource, the firewall will BLOCK all access to it!

The advantage of the 1st method is that the printer is available to ALL computers on the LAN, regardless of whether any others are on... In method 2 above, in order to access the printer from another PC, the one that the printer is attached to must ALWAYS be left on for others to access the attached printer.

Hope this clears it up for ou!

Answer 2

You don't need anything.

When your computer connected to a printer and you are on the other computer.

You can add the printer in the Printers and Faxs via Control Panel.

Click on Add Printer and Go to the second option that allow you to choose network. You want to select the third option down and browse for your printer. The final is self-explanatory.