Chapter 8 - Installing and Managing Printers

Chapter 8

Back in the early, heady days of desktop personal computers, people talked a lot about the coming "paperless office." Alas, that day not only hasn't arrived, but in most companies, the paper recycling box is the biggest receptacle in the building!

The cost of basic printers has declined over the years, but increasingly, companies have invested in sophisticated high-speed color printers that enable users to handle jobs that once required an outside print shop. These are expensive both to buy and to use. Therefore, printer sharing remains an important function of enterprise networks. Setting up multiple users to share printers reduces cost and can increase printing output. Routine work can be directed to less expensive printers, long print jobs can be scheduled for off hours, and access to high-end printers can be limited.

All printer administration is done from the Printers And Faxes folder, which appears in Control Panel among other places. To administer a remote print server, connect to the print server in Windows Explorer or My Network Places and open the Printers And Faxes folder (if using a Microsoft Windows XP system) or the Printers folder (if using another version of Windows).