Part III ✦ Working with Networked Computers
Windows 2000 Server and even some XP configurations might not allow you to change some of the printer’s properties.
Setting basic options
Basic options include setting the default printer, printing offline, and renaming a printer. Change these options in the Printers folder window.
Setting default printers
The most basic option you can set is whether or not the printer is your default printer. If you choose to make the printer your default printer, all applications on your computer automati-
cally print to the default printer unless you specify a different printer with each job.
Place a printer closest to those people who use it the most, and then make that printer the default printer for that group. This saves them the time it would take to run back and forth to
a printer in another office or on the other side of the building.
To set a printer as the default, right-click the printer’s icon. From the quick menu, choose Set as Default. A check mark appears beside the option on the menu. When you set a printer as
the default printer, that setting takes over from the last default printer you set. Figure 15-15 shows the HP LaserJet 4M Plus as the default printer, even though it’s a network
printer. Note that the default printer has a check mark within a circle beside the printer icon.
Renaming a printer
You might want to rename the printer for your own purposes. Perhaps you prefer to see a shorter name or a more descriptive name in the Printers folder window. When you change
the printer’s name, it doesn’t change on the network or the currently attached computer; the name changes only on your computer.
To rename a printer, right-click the printer and choose Rename from the quick menu. The printer name changes to a text box. Type the new name.
Using a printer offline
Using a printer offline can be done only with network printers and only through Windows 98. Windows 2000 and XP do not enable access for this feature. You print offline so that you can
initiate a print job without being physically attached to the printer. If the computer attached to the printer isn’t currently on, for example, you can set up your print jobs and send them to
the printer later, when the computer and printer are turned on.
To use the printer offline, right-click the printer and choose Use Printer Offline from the quick menu. The printer appears grayed out, and a check mark appears beside the command on the
quick menu. To use the printer online again, remove the check mark from the command by clicking Use Printer Offline on the quick menu.
Setting printer properties
Printer properties vary for each computer. Some enable you to choose graphics resolution and mode, font options, print quality, and so on. Others enable you to make choices about
the network options you want to use. Windows 2000 and XP might not enable these changes, depending on how the “owner” of the printer has set up printer sharing.
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Chapter 15 ✦ Printing on a Network
Figure 15-15: The default printer can be any printer on the network. To set printer properties, open the Printers folder window and right-click the printer. Choose
Properties from the quick menu. Each Properties dialog box will have different options. For example, a color inkjet printer might offer color management, double-sided printing, and car-
tridge services, whereas a laser printer offers none of these.
Capturing a printer port
Capturing a printer port is similar to mapping a drive. You assign a network path to an LPT port to fool an application. Many MS-DOS applications and some 16-bit Windows programs
print only to an LPT port. You can capture a port only in Windows 98; Windows 2000 and XP no longer offer this option. These programs cannot recognize a network path as written —
\\Sue\\WinHP, for example. Capturing the printer is the only way you can make the program recognize a network printer.
To capture a printer port, follow these steps:
1. In the printer’s Properties dialog box, choose the Details tab. 2. Click the Capture Printer Port button. The Capture Printer Port dialog box appears.
3. In the Device drop-down list, choose the LPT port you want to assign to the capture. 4. In the Path text box, type the network path to the printer.
Default
Part III ✦ Working with Networked Computers
5. If the program is one you use often and you want to reconnect this capture each time
you log on to the network, check the Reconnect at logon check box.
6. Click OK and then click OK again to close the printer’s Properties dialog box.
Managing Workgroup Network Printing
When you have a local printer attached to your computer, you control the printing. You can pause the printing of all documents or pause the printing of only one document. You can re-
arrange the order in which the documents print. You also can cancel the printing of a docu- ment completely.
When you print to a network printer, you cannot control any of these elements. All you can do is send your job to the printer and relinquish complete control.
To open the print queue a temporary list of documents waiting to be printed by the network printer, open the Printers folder window and double-click the print icon. The queue appears.
If you use a clientserver network with Windows as your server, you can attach the printer to the server computer for complete control over the printing process. If you use a clientserver
network operating system, you need to read the network operating system NOS documen- tation for information about controlling the printer and print queues.
Note
Print Servers
A print server can be the software included with a network operating system to control printers, printer drivers, and the print queue. Windows 2000 Server, for example, includes a print server
applet that enables you to control the printers attached to the server. A print server also can be a device that attaches to the network. This device provides shared network access to the printers.
You attach the latter kind of print server usually a small box with ports for plugging in printers to the network and then attach multiple printers to the device. When a user sends a print job to
the printer, the job stops first at the print server, which manages the printers attached to it so that no one printer becomes overwhelmed or overworked.
Most of the advantages to using a print server are to businesses and corporations. If you have a small business that you expect to grow, however, you might consider attaching one to your net-
work. If you have a home network, you might use a print server to enable your Macintosh com- puters to print to printers attached to Windows or Linux computers. See the section “Printing
between Windows and Mac computers” later in this chapter for more information.
Generally, printers attached to a print server are in a central location for easy retrieval of print jobs. Printers attached to a print server can process jobs on many different operating systems or
networks. Also, print servers are easier to administer than the print server software in a network operating system.
Chapter 15 ✦ Printing on a Network
Understanding the print queue
The print queue is an area in which all print jobs for a specific printer wait to be printed. The print queue holds the jobs so that you can get on with your work in Windows. As the printer
becomes available to print a job, the queue sends them along, one by one. Usually, the print queue passes documents quickly to the printer. If several jobs are waiting in
the queue, or if there’s a problem with the printer out of paper, paper jam, or such, the jobs wait in the queue until they can print. You also can pause the print queue to hold jobs, such
as when you want to load special paper in the printer.
The print queue is the list of jobs waiting to be printed, but it is the print spooler simultane- ous peripheral operations online that receives, processes, and schedules the jobs in the
queue. Each print job is saved in a separate file and printed in turn when the printer becomes free.
Figure 15-16 illustrates a print queue that is paused so that you can see the jobs waiting to be printed. Note that two print jobs belong to one user and two jobs belong to a second user.
Figure 15-16: Print jobs wait in queue until the printer is ready. It’s important to put responsible people in charge of the computer attached to the network
printers. That person should be available for checking the printer when there’s an error, keeping the printer filled with paper, and periodically checking the print queue for problems.
Controlling your own print queue
You have complete control over your own local printer’s queue. You, as the printer owner, are the only one who can control the queue. You can pause all printing, for example, or pause the
printing of just one document. You can change the order of the printed documents in the queue or completely purge all documents from the queue. You have control over the entire
printer. You also have control over each document sent to the print queue.
Even though you have these controls over the print queue, you must remember that print jobs often go through so quickly that you don’t have much time to pause, cancel, or re-arrange
them.
You are the only person who can control the print queue of your local printer. Anyone sitting at your computer, however, can control the print queue too. In reality, whoever is sitting at
the computer is the one who controls the queue of the local printer. Note
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Part III ✦ Working with Networked Computers
Controlling the printer
There are many reasons you might want to pause or delete jobs from the queue. You might want to change a toner cartridge to give the printed jobs a darker, crisper look. You might
want to insert special paper. You might want to cancel all the jobs in the queue to reset the printer. You have the control over your own local printer to do the following:
✦ Pause all printing of print jobs
✦ Purge all print jobs
Pausing all jobs
To pause all print jobs, open the queue and choose Printer ➪ Pause Printing. A check mark appears beside the command, and the print jobs are held in the queue until you release them,
as shown in Figure 15-16. Note the word Paused in the title bar of the print queue. To release the paused print jobs, choose Printer ➪ Pause Printing again to remove the check mark.
Purging all jobs
To purge or delete all the print jobs from the queue, open the queue. Choose Printer ➪ Purge Print Documents. All jobs are erased from the queue.
Controlling a print job
Suppose that you sent a job to the printer and another network user sent a job. The other user has an emergency meeting and needs her job immediately, but your job is first on the
list. What can you do? You can rearrange the two jobs, promoting the other job in front of yours so that it will print first.
What if you want to cancel just one print job but let the others continue to print? You can do that too. You can also pause one job in the queue, if you want.
Pausing one document
To pause the printing of one document, open the queue and select the job you want to pause. Choose Document ➪ Pause Printing. A check mark appears beside that command, for just that
job, and the word Paused appears in the Status area of the queue, as shown in Figure 15-17.
Figure 15-17: Pause printing for just one document. You can continue printing that document at any time by selecting the document in the Print
queue and choosing Document ➪ Pause Printing to remove the check mark from the command.
Canceling one document
You can select and cancel any print job in your queue. Open the queue and select the print document you want to cancel. Choose Document ➪ Cancel Printing.
Chapter 15 ✦ Printing on a Network
Rearranging print jobs
You also can rearrange the documents in the list of print jobs. All you have to do is select the print job you want to move and then drag it up or down. Compare Figure 15-17 with Figure
15-18. Figure 15-18 illustrates the print queue with the jobs reversed.
Figure 15-18: Change the order of the jobs in the queue.
Controlling the network print queue
The print queue for a local printer on your computer is completely under your control. You have much less control over your documents when you send them across the network to
another printer, and you have no control over other users’ documents on a network printer that isn’t attached to your computer.
Things you cannot control
In a network printer queue that is not your local printer, you cannot control any of the following:
✦ You cannot change the order of the jobs in the print queue. You cannot even change
the order of your print jobs in the queue. ✦
You cannot take a printer off pause. ✦
You cannot pause a printer see Figure 15-19. ✦
You cannot purge a printer of the jobs in the queue.
Things you can control
When you print on a network printer that is not locally attached to your computer, you can control your print jobs in a network queue — to a point. You can cancel your print job.
You might be allowed to pause your print job, depending on the operating system and the permissions.
Pausing your job
To pause one of your print jobs, select the job in the queue and then choose Document ➪ Pause Printing. A check mark appears beside the command.
To start printing the job again, select it in the queue and then choose Document ➪ Pause Printing to remove the check mark from the command.
Canceling printing
To cancel one of your print jobs, select the job in the queue and then choose Document ➪ Cancel Printing.
Part III ✦ Working with Networked Computers
Figure 15-19: This message appears when you try to pause a network printer when you try to purge the printer of its jobs.
Optimizing Print Resources
You can do several things to optimize your printers and print services, whether the printer is a local or a network printer. Following are some things to think about:
✦ Consider the speed of the printer before you purchase it. For a home network, speed
may not be a big concern; a network printer is used more, however, and a slow printer slows down the network.
✦ Make sure that you have the correct printer driver for your printer. Using a substitute
driver or a similar driver may slow down your printer. Use the manufacturer’s driver if you can’t find the right one in Windows. Also, if you have a new printer, consider download-
ing an updated version of the printer driver off of the Internet.
✦ Network connections affect printing over the network. If your network is slow — 1 Mbps
or slower, for example — printing over the network will be slow too. ✦
Parallel port speeds are two to four times faster than serial ports. If possible, use parallel ports to attach printers to your computers.
✦ Similarly, USB ports are faster than serial ports.
Chapter 15 ✦ Printing on a Network
Managing ClientServer Network Printing
If you’re using a clientserver operating system, such as Windows 2000, any printer you con- nect to the server can be made available to all computers on the network. You can also con-
nect printers to individual computers on a clientserver network. You can share all printers on the network. You can also use a print server if you want.
✦ Installing a printer to a server is similar to installing one to any computer. You go
through the same steps of adding printer, using the appropriate driver, and then shar- ing the printer. You then must install that printer to the client computers, using the
appropriate driver for the printer.
For example, say you install a color inkjet printer to the server and share it. First, you install it to the server, say, a Windows 2000 server, using the Windows 2000 driver. If
you want to use that printer from an XP computer, then you must install that printer with an XP printer driver to the XP machine. Similarly, if you want to install that printer
on a Windows 98 computer, you must use a Windows 98 printer driver. Various drivers are normally available on the CD that comes with the printers, or you can download
drivers from the manufacturer’s site.
✦ In addition to attaching a printer to the server for all to share, you can attach any
printer to an individual computer and share it with others as well. For this situation, use the same techniques as described earlier in the chapter for workgroup printing.
✦ Finally, you can use a print server to share one or all of your printers on a clientserver
network. For less than 100, you can buy a print server that automatically senses the speed of the network, supports multiple protocols, and enables printers from anywhere,
from any computer or application, to print.
JetLan, D-Link, Hewlett-Packard, Brother, and many more manufacturers make print servers for various needs. Make sure you purchase a print server with the appropriate
technology, such as wireless, Ethernet, and so on. If you’re planning on using various operating systems, such as Windows 2000, XP, Mac OS X, and Linux, make sure the
print server can print from all of the OSs you plan to use.
Printing between Operating Systems
As previously noted, print servers are the easiest and most efficient methods of sharing print- ers between operating systems. Windows operating systems nearly always share printers
with each other. Sometimes you might have to break down security and permissions; how- ever, it can be done.
✦ Keep your printer clean. Be careful when cleaning inside of the printer: Some parts are
delicate. Maintain a cool and consistent temperature around the printers as well, because some printer components are sensitive to environmental changes.
✦ Watch how you store your printer paper: Damp or wrinkled paper, for example, can dam-
age your printer as well as cause frequent paper jams. Old paper, heavier paper than your printer can manage, and cheap paper or envelopes also can cause printer problems.
