Chapter 5: Printer and Fax Administration

Overview

Windows XP Professional provides robust support for print and fax services. Print support includes the ability to install a local print device and to share it over a network as well as the ability to connect to and submit print jobs to a network printer. Fax support includes the ability to set up a computer running Windows XP Professional with fax management capabilities, including the ability to create, send, receive, monitor, and archive faxes.

Both printer and fax support are configured and managed from the Printers and Faxes folder. Faxes are managed in much the same way as printers and are displayed as icons within the Printers and Faxes folder. Once configured, you can create and send faxes from the Windows XP Fax Console or from any application that supports printing.

Administrators need to know how to install and configure local printers as well as how to connect to shared network printers in order to assist their users and to help in troubleshooting problems. In addition, administrators may be called upon to set up and manage fax services.