Printer Installation and Connections
Regardless of the physical connection, the drivers must be installed on the PC from which the print job is sent. Drivers must be compatible with both the version of Windows (XP, Vista, 7) and the platform (32-bit or 64-bit). Some vendors publish separate drivers for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows, whereas others include support for both platforms in a single driver pack.
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You can find drivers on the installation CD or on the manufacturer’s website. Generally, you should use the most up-to-date drivers and printer firmware available.
The four primary methods to connect to a printer are as follows
Directly connected to a PC via USB, parallel, FireWire, serial, or infrared (IR) port. Connected to a remote networked PC that acts as a print server for the network.
Connected to a print server device on the network that is connected to a printer.
A networked printer that has a NIC and is a fully capable network device. The printer can connect to the network via Ethernet, 802.11x (Wi-Fi), or Bluetooth.
USB is the most common method to connect a printer because of the autoconfiguring nature of the USB interface. When you install a local printer, you should install the printer driver software first, and then connect (and turn on) the printer. This enables the driver program to properly identify the printer.
When you connect to a network printer, you need to supply the uniform (or universal) naming convention (UNC) path to the printer, preferably by having the driver locate the printer on the network. If you are unable to locate the printer, it might indicate that the network configuration on your system is incorrect (nonmatching workgroup or not part of a Windows 7 homegroup) or that the printer is not being shared.
Network Printing
TCP/IP printers are controlled by a print server. Print jobs are sent to the print server, which are forwarded to the printer. A formal print server is a networked PC with a locally connected printer. Many print servers are integrated into the printer, which eliminates the need for the addi-tional computer and simplifies user management. Print jobs are directed to either a UNC or an IP address. A UNC is always formatted with backslashes, such as \\hostname\sharedfolder\sharedre-source.
To make a printer available for sharing on a network, use the Sharing tab on the printer properties sheet (see Figure 4-8).
If the computer is part of a Windows 7 homegroup, you can use the HomeGroup Setup dialog to specify what to share (printers, document, photos, videos, music).
Some printers include an RJ-45 Ethernet port or a Wi-Fi wireless adapter for direct network con-nections. Printers with a built-in network connection are assigned their own unique IP address and name on a network.
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Figure 4-8 Sharing a printer over a network.
Printer Maintenance
To improve longevity and reliability, it is important to keep printers clean, supplied, and updated. Remember to always turn off and unplug the printer before cleaning it. Table 4-2 outlines printer maintenance.