Setup network printing from windows to mac comp

[bigben2wardpitt]

So i was reading an article on lifehacker on how to set up sharing your printer with other computers. My desktop computer is connected to the printer, and i was able to get my laptop to print from that computer wirelessly through sharing.

However, I have a macbook in the house as well, and was wondering if it was possible to set it up so that that computer could do the same.

I used this to configure network printing: http://lifehacker.com/software...ome-network-309015.php

and also read this article:
http://lifehacker.com/software...thout-samba-310554.php

However, I need it kind of the other way around as you can see from my above explanation. Any help?

I went to this:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301397

and tried manually adding it but may have screwed up on the SAMBA... easier way?

Thanks

 

[bigben2wardpitt]

any help

 

[bigben2wardpitt]

anyone?

 

[bigben2wardpitt]

any help here?

 

[bigben2wardpitt]

Please?

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I never had an apple; I never had a MAC.

But I can network your printer -- without usin' my hardware knack.


For years I had a PC to share files and my printer too.

But I wanted to conserve household power, so let me tell you what to do.


I bought this:

DLink Parallel + USB network print-server DP-300U

I've been through the web-accessible firmware setup screens, and its all ready to configure for any mix of PCs and MACs. And . . . . A-A-NNNDD! You don't need to leave a computer running to make it available to all PCs on the network.

 

[bigben2wardpitt]

yea but i have a computer that is always connected to it so that really isnt a problem... but anyways, this will work on a mac?

 

[BonzaiDuck]

As far as I can tell. there are separate sections of the configuration pages for multiple network protocols, including "appletalk." Directions are fairly straightforward. I shopped around for awhile before I picked the DLINK product; the customer reviews were encouraging.

The worst trouble I had occurred when printing web-pages: since the unit has its own print-buffer, you need to disable workstation print-spooling. After that, it's behaved as though the printer were directly connected -- to each and every computer on my network -- upstairs, and downstairs -- all over the house.

See, I can see your point -- that "a computer is always connected to your printer," but wouldn't there be situations where you want to share the printer but don't need to leave that particular computer turned on?

I've used workstations on my network to double as print-servers since around 1995 (time sure flies). But our utility rates went up; there may be rolling black-outs in So-Cal in a few years that aren't just occasional, summertime episodes. This way, I can leave all the machines on Standby until I need to use them, and the printer is always available.

Did you ever have any luck with bringing remote machines out of standby through a "LAN event?"

 

[mikeford]

Last time I did this was a while back, but seems like it worked out best to put a PC friendly printer directly on the network, and it worked fine for everybody. If you really want to tie the printer to a PC, my guess is that as long as other PCs can use it, the Mac should be able to as well as long as you don't isolate on its own network segment or something where it just can't see it.

 

[bigben2wardpitt]

so when i'm on the mac, any idea what i need to go into/look for on configuration?

 

[bigben2wardpitt]

yea i dunno i don't feel like I need hardware for three computers to print wirelessly. We are printing maybe once a day, if that.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I guess I'd need more details about your network. Your hardware is unique to your choices, and you have notebooks, including a MAC.

I've set up a couple wireless LANs, but don't feel comfortable with it as an everyday routine.

I might guess that you have a wireless-enabled router-switch to share internet access. (But my guess could be wrong.) If you do, it would also include twisted-pair RJ-45 ethernet LAN ports, with a WAN port for your DSL or cable modem. Another configuration might have a broadband wireless internet access, and if the hardware is connected to a PC, you'd be sharing internet access off that PC -- probably with MS "INternet connectiion sharing."

It's easy for me to visualize the cable/DSL/modem and router-switch setup. If the latter provides wireless LAN access, you'd just hook up the DLINK device to the router via CAT-5/RJ-45. If a notebook is part of a LAN "workgroup" with wireless access, it would be on the same subnet as all wired and wireless computers in the house. To access the DLINK, you'd just open your internet browser, type in the IP address to which the DLINK defaults, change the IP address of the DLINK so that it's on the same subnet as everything else, and then configure the various screens for PC TCP/IP access and -- if you need to -- the "AppleTalk" protocol. But it would seem to me that the MACBook would also be configurable through TCP/IP. Once configured, the DLINK and any of up to three printers would show up among the printers in your notebook operating system.

Once the printer-port is configured on each workstation and notebook, the printer would be available whether or not you have a desktop system turned on -- unless you use the desktop system as a gateway for the notebooks to access your LAN. That adds a different scenario that negates the advantage of the DLINK device.

Here in this household, I have no notebooks. They're all desktop systems, and they're all connected through gigabit switches to an internet-router-switch -- in turn, connected to a cable-modem. If I wanted to go wireless here for purpose of using a notebook (or even a wirelessly connected desktop), I'd just buy a wireless access-point device and connect it to the router-switch -- or either of the two cascaded switches I use here. [I have a switch upstairs connecting various rooms, and a cable-drop to another switch downstairs.] Then I'd set up the notebook and configure it to the access-point. I'd use the same access-point to connect any number of additional wireless notebooks, as far as I can tell or remember.