Do Dell Printers Share across a Network?

[cubby1223]

Is Dell just so wacked for low prices that they don't write their drivers so their printers can be shared from one computer to another?

Had two people in the past week wanting this done, and in both cases I could not share out the printer successfully. For one, wanted the printer to work through remote desktop software from gotomypc.com, but tech support said most Dell printers are incompatible.

Then today at another guys house tried to share the printer, and the other computer just would not print to it. There, atleast this printer had an ethernet port so I could plug it into the switch & all was well.

But still, is Dell really this cheap? Or am I overlooking something?

 

[blodhi74]

I dont know about their consumer models but we use dell 1500, 1700 and 1710 at work and have up to 25+ workstations printing to the server where the printer is hooked up.

 

[pikachu656]

I don't know about sharing the printer but I have a dell 3000cn and a 1600n printer and I've got them connected on my network thru the print server port and everything works just fine.

 

[cubby1223]

Originally posted by: pikachu656
I don't know about sharing the printer but I have a dell 3000cn and a 1600n printer and I've got them connected on my network thru the print server port and everything works just fine.

Yeah, they work when using the ethernet port on the printer. But when the printer is connected into a computer & shared out from there...

It was a 1600n, if it's possible, than Dell must have an alternate driver release available on their website somewhere, because it wasn't allowing anything besides a local usb connection or the direct computer to switch to printer connection.

 

[Mutilator]

From personal experience sharing a USB printer or AIO USB printer and remote desktops of any kind being RDP or GTMPC is always a PITA if you're ever able to get it working in the first place. Typically I'll just say if it's a USB printer (especially HP AIOs it seems) then it can't be done. Just saves a lot of headaches trying to make it work.
If the customer wants it bad enough, they'll upgrade to a more cooperative printer... typically network capable.