printer on network

[johnad]

i have recently set up a home network using a linksys adsl router wired to my desktop and wireless to my laptop,
i have the printer attached to my desktop and switch my desktop on when i wish to print from the laptop is there a way to connect the printer to the router so i can print from any computer without having the others on
any advice will be appreciated.

 

[nstreet]

Does the router have a built in hub, with a spare port or two?

Does the router act as a dhcp server?

Does your printer have an ethernet port or built in wireless?

If the answer to all of these is yes, then yes you can probably do it.

What OS are you using?

What model of printer and hub do you have. You will need to give more detail before you get an accurate answer.

 

[Igorian]

As nstreet says, to be sure, we would need to know the printer model. However, I know which router you have from a previous post, so can probably help here.

If your printer has an ethernet interface, you can connect it directly to your router and then configure TCP ports on your PCs.

If no ethernet, then you will need a print server. If your printer (and PC) has USB, then have a look at this , or if parallel, then this.

You can get cheaper servers, and if the printer is to be located near the router, a wired one would be fine. I simply chose these because you already have a wireless Linksys router.

 

[johnad]

thanks for the info
i intend to buy a new printer as the one i have at the moment is only a cheap one that came with my desktop package i would like an all in one will this work (what printer should i look for,)
how do i configure my TCP ports and what do they do
sorry if i sound stupid as this is all new to me.
so if i get the right printer i can plug this into my router and away i go, ?
thanks for the help.

 

[Igorian]

Most home printers come with a USB interface (or less commonly, parallel). To directly connect it to your router, the printer should have a network interface. You can then assign it a unique IP address on your network and configure a TCP port on each PC to access it.

As an alternative, just buy a USB printer and use a server, as in my previous post.