Pixel2Life

Welcome to another Vista based tutorial!  Today I am going to teach you just how easy it is to share a locally attached printer with other computers on your network.  By locally attached, I mean a printer that is connected locally to a PC via a USB or parallel adapter, and is not connected to a HUB or Router.  We're going to create the share with Vista, but you will be able to link to the share from any Windows machine.

This tutorial is split into 2 sections... first we will look at how to create the share, then we will look at how to add the shared printer to your other computers.

Shall we dance?

Creating the Shared Printer

Step 1 - Click on Start > Printers to load the Printers configuration menu:




This is what the Printers Configuration Menu looks like once it's opened.  It will list any Online or Offline printers you currently have installed:



Step 2 - Right-Click on the printer you want to share on your network and click on Sharing:



Step 3 - The Config menu for the printer you want to share will pop up with the Sharing Tab already selected.  Check on the "Share this printer" check-box and then click the OK button.






Step 4 - Once you click OK, it will process the Share request for a second or two and then go back to the main Printer menu.  You will notice that your printer now has the Shared icon attached to it:



You're done!  Your printer is now shared and ready for use by other computers on your network.  Let's look at page two to learn how to add this shared network printer on your other computers!