2. Press the Windows keyboard key and on the menu that pops up click "Printers and Faxes." Note: Windows operating systems after Windows XP will say "Devices and Printers" instead. I use the two interchangeably, initially because the screenshot immediately below is from a computer running Windows XP.
4. Your computer will "discover" any networked printers. Chose the printer you want to set up. See the screenshot above.
5. You'll be asked to provide installation software. Either use the installation disc that came with your printer, or download the appropriate software from the manufacturer's website: make sure you chose the right model of printer and then select the correct software for the operating system your computer is using.
6. Your printer is now added. You should see a prompt asking you if you want to print a test page, do so.
7. Now your computer is connected to only one computer on your network. You want to share this printer with all other computers on the network. Doing this serves many purposes, but primarily 1. you don't need to buy a printer for each computer in your network or for each of your business computers and 2. you don't need to install the printer software on each computer that will subsequently use the printer that you will now share.
8. On the computer you've just installed the software on and set the printer up on, click the Windows key on your keyboard again and select "Printers and Devices." You'll see a dialog box like the dialog box on the screen shot above (the dialog box on the left is the one which you'll see a "share printer" selectable text. Click on that). You'll then see a dialog box pop up that will look like the dialog box in the same screenshot above. Give the printer you're going to "share" a name.
9. Click the Window key again. Right click on "Computer," and select "Properties." You'll see a dialog box like that above.
10. Write down your computers name.
11. Go over to another network computer that will also use the printer we're installing.
12. Follow steps 1 through 3. You'll then see a dialog box appear like the one above. Chose the middle option. Now, type two slashes (\\) followed by the computer name you wrote down, followed by a single slash (\) then the "share" name you gave to the printer we're adding. For example, the line would look like this in general: \\computer-name\share-name
13. Click next. You'll be prompter by a dialog box now that will ask if you want to install the driver. Click yes. Refer to the screenshot above. You'll then be asked if you want to print a test page: click yes.
14. Repeat steps 11 through 13 on each additional computer you want to share the printer in question with.
15. You're done.
