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This document describes how to connect to a network printer which is either:
When connecting to a network printer, the Windows user does not require driver file installation by an Administrator. Therefore any user of a CFS "private client" can connect to a network printer (that they are permitted to use) and the printer settings will be added to their CFS roaming profile. Please note that additional restrictions on CFS clients in open access areas limit the type of printers that may be used.
For general information on printing using Windows and CFS, please refer to the Windows and CFS Printing Overview.
For instructions on how to configure a personal printer or a TCP/IP LAN printer, refer to the document Installing Windows Printer Drivers.
Log on to CFS in the normal way as an ordinary user. From the Start menu, select the option Printers and Faxes.
Double-click on Add Printer to start the Add Printer Wizard.
Click on the Next button to display the dialog shown below. Ignore the misleading instructions in this particular dialog box provided by Microsoft.
The installation option for local printers will be disabled if you are logged on as a CFS user. Ensure that the Network printer option is selected and click on the Next button. The wizard will present several ways of locating the required network printer.
When a Local Administrator has shared a printer from a CFS client or departmental server, the printer is displayed in the Active Directory by default. In addition, important queues such as those for charged A4 printing are always included in the Directory. To view the Directory, ensure that the option Find a printer in the Directory is selected and press on the Next button. Follow the instructions in the next section to locate a Printer Published in the Active Directory.
If the Local Administrator has chosen not to publish a printer in the Active Directory, you can connect by selecting the option Type the printer name... If you know the full name of the printer, you can type this in directly. For example, \\GG-PC22\Staff Colour A4 might be a shared printer called Staff Colour A4 attached to a Windows system in Geography called GG-PC22. If you do not know the name of the printer, leave the Name field empty and press the Next button. Follow the instructions on Browsing to Locate a Shared Printer.
The Find Printers window will be displayed. To search the entire Active Directory for printers, just click on the Find Now button.
If you prefer, you can use the Feature and Advanced tabs to limit your search to printers with certain attributes.
A llist of printers in the CFS Active Directory which match your criteria will be displayed in the lower pane of the window.
If the printer you require is listed, select it and click on the OK button. Proceed to Section 4 to complete the printer connection.
If you can't find the printer in the Active Directory, click on the close box in the top right corner of the Find Printers window title bar. In the Locate Your Printer dialog box, you can now choose to type the printer name or browse for it on the network, as described at the end Section 2.
The wizard will show you all of the Microsoft Networking domains and workgroups that are visible on the part of the campus network to which your PC is attached. The layout of the campus network restricts browsing across different ethernet sub-nets and not all CFS client computers may be visible to you.
If you are located on the network close to the shared printer that you wish to use, it will probably be displayed in the list of shared printers within CFS. Scroll through the list of shared printers in the CFS domain and select the one that you require. Click on the Next button to continue.
Don't despair if browsing doesn't work for you; this function of Microsoft Networking is not noted for its reliability. If the printer is not listed, firstly check with the owner that the PC is switched on and sharing the printer. It often takes some time after a PC is switched on for the browsable list of printers to be updated. Click on the Back button to return to the Locate Your Printer dialog and type in the full name of the printer you wish to use.
(Note for Local Administrators: The Computer Centre recommends that shared printers are published in the Active Directory (AD). If, for reasons of privacy, you choose not to publish in the AD, make sure that legitimate users of a shared printer can find its name easily. Users should not rely on the Microsoft Networking browse function to locate shared network resources.)
If you have already connected to another printer, the wizard will ask whether to make this new printer your default output device. The dialog will not be displayed if you are connecting to your first printer.
The wizard's default option is to print a test page to verify that the printer and its drivers are correctly installed. The test page will be printed shortly.
The Add Printer wizard will report that it has been successfully completed. Check the settings and click on the Back button if you need to change anything. You will not be prompted to install any drivers for the printer because these are already installed on the Windows system that is acting as a print server.
Last updated: 11 December 2008 15:14
Created by: Phil Beesley
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