How to share a printer over a network

Having several computers in your home or office doesn't mean you have to buy several printers, too. If your PCs are connected via a network, you can easily share them.

Complete the Sharing Setup


Windows will automatically search your network for any shared printers and display its finds in the "Select a printer" window. You should see your newly shared device listed. (If you don't, then there may be a problem with you network settings. See How to Troubleshoot Your Home Network for solutions.) Select it and then click Next. For the vast majority of printers, Windows will automatically download the appropriate driver for you at this point, if it's not already on your system. Your shared printer will now appear in your Printers and Faxes (or Printers) control panel, and should also appear as an option from within the Print menus of all your applications. From here on out, the hardest part of printing over your network should be walking over to the printer to grab your documents.

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