If you plan to use this computer to manage and share printers, configure this computer as a print server.
Note
This document explains how to use the Configure Your Server Wizard to quickly meet the most basic requirements of a print server. When you are done setting up a basic print server, you can complete additional configuration tasks, depending on how you want to use this print server.
This topic covers:
Before you configure your server as a print server, verify whether or not:
The following table lists the information that you need to know before you add a print server role.
| Before adding a print server role | Comments |
|---|---|
| Determine the operating system version of the clients that will send jobs to this printer. | You must have this information to select the correct client printer drivers for your client and server computers. After you add this role, the print server can automatically distribute these drivers to the clients. Additionally, the set of client operating systems determines which of these drivers you need to install on the server during the print server role installation. |
| At the printer, print a configuration or test page that includes manufacturer, model, language, and installed options. | You need this information to choose the correct printer driver. The manufacturer and model are usually enough to uniquely identify the printer and its language. However, some printers support multiple languages, and the configuration printout usually lists them. Also, the configuration printout often lists installed options, such as extra memory, paper trays, envelope feeders, and duplex units. |
| Determine how the print server connects to the printer. | If the printer supports Plug and Play and connects to the print server using infrared technology, a universal serial bus (USB) port, or an IEEE 1394 port, the print server will configure itself automatically. You do not need to follow the remaining steps.
Otherwise, if the printer is connected to the print server with a cable, note which server port is used. For printers, LPT1 is the most commonly used port. If the printer is located away from the print server and uses its own network adapter to receive print jobs, determine the IP address of the network adapter on the printer. |
| (Optional) Determine whether you need a new or updated printer driver. | Most printers are supported by drivers on the installation CD for the |
| Choose a printer name. | Users running Windows-based client computers choose a printer by using the printer name. The wizard that you will use to configure your print server provides a default name, consisting of the printer manufacturer and model. The printer name is usually less than 31 characters in length. |
| Choose a share name. | A user can connect to a shared printer by typing this name, or by selecting it from a list of share names. The share name is usually less than 8 characters in length for compatibility with MS-DOS and Windows 3.x clients. |
| (Optional) Choose a location description and a comment. | These can help identify the location of the printer and provide additional information. For example, the location could be "Second floor, copy room" and the comment could be "Additional toner cartridges are available in the supply room on floor 1." |
To set up a print server, start the Configure Your Server Wizard by doing either of the following:
On the Server Role page, click Print server, and then click Next.
This section covers:
Using the Add Printer Driver Wizard
Completing the Configure Your Server Wizard
Removing the print server role
On the Printers and Printer Drivers page, do one of the following:
After you finish, click Next.
On the Summary of Selections page, view and confirm the options that you have selected. If you selected Windows 2000 and
If you selected All Windows clients on the previous page, the following appears:
To apply the selections shown on the Summary of Selections page, click Next.
After you click Next, the Configure Your Server Wizard runs the Add Printer Wizard once for each printer that you want to add. If the wizard finishes and you choose to share at least one printer, your server can be used as a print server. If you cancel the Add Printer Wizard, the Print Spooler service remains installed. If you cancel the Add Printer Wizard and no printers are shared, the server does not add the print server role.
Important
This section describes the following steps in the Add Printer Wizard:
Completing the Add Printer Wizard
On the Local or Network Printer page of the Add Printer Wizard, choose one of the following options:
Note
After you finish, click Next.
After you click Next, one of the following wizard pages appears:
On the Install Printer Software page of the Add Printer Wizard, under Manufacturer, click the printer manufacturer, and then, under Printers, click the printer model.
Note
If the manufacturer or model is not listed, try each of the steps outlined in the following table, in sequence, to install the correct printer software.
| Step | Comments |
|---|---|
| Check the configuration printout to confirm the exact spelling of the name of your printer manufacturer and model. | The Manufacturer and Printers lists show the official product names, which might be different from the names that you normally use. |
| Click Have Disk, locate the driver files, and then click OK. | If you have printer driver files stored somewhere else, follow these steps. For example, the printer manufacturer might include a CD-ROM containing driver files in the packaging of the printer. |
| Click Windows Update. | If you want to look for new or updated drivers that are available from Microsoft as part of Windows Update, click this option. When you click Windows Update, the Manufacturer and Printers lists change to show only the drivers that are available from Windows Update. If the printer is not listed, return to the original list by clicking Back, and then clicking Next. |
| Select the manufacturer and model of a compatible printer, and then click Next. | To determine which printers are compatible, consult the user guide for your printer. Also, some manufacturers list compatibility information on their Web sites. |
After you finish, click Next.
If you add an additional printer that is the same manufacturer and model as one previously installed, the Use Existing Driver page appears. Decide whether to keep the same driver or replace it with a new one. If you select Replace existing driver, the wizard reinstalls the driver files.
After you finish, click Next.
On the Name Your Printer page of the Add Printer Wizard, the default name is the manufacturer and model of the printer. You can change this name so that the printer is easier to use and administer. When using applications, users often select a printer from a list that displays the names of the available printers. To help users decide which printer to select, the application might also list the location or a comment.
Under Do you want to use this printer as the default printer?, click Yes or No. Your response applies only when you print from an application that is running on this print server. Your response does not set this printer as the one that clients use by default.
After you finish, click Next.
Important
On the Printer Sharing page of the Add Printer Wizard, Share name is selected by default so that the printer is shared. The default share name is the first 8 letters of the printer manufacturer and model, without spaces. You can change this name so that the printer is easier to use and administer.
For compatibility with clients that run MS-DOS or earlier versions of Windows, type a share name that follows these rules:
After you finish, click Next.
On the Location and Comment page of the Add Printer Wizard, in Location, type a description of the print server location, and then, in Comment, type a comment. This step is optional, but recommended because this information makes it easier to use and administer your print server. Many applications display the comment or the location when the user prints a document, so that the user can choose the most appropriate printer.
After you finish, click Next.
On the Print Test Page page of the Add Printer Wizard, choose whether to print a test page to confirm that the printer is ready to use.
Note
After you finish, click Next.
On the Completing the Add Printer Wizard page, the Restart the wizard to add another printer check box is selected by default. If you leave it selected and click Finish, the wizard restarts to add another printer. If you have finished adding all of the printers that you want to share on this server, clear this check box, and then click Finish.
When you click Finish, the wizard installs the printer driver files. Then, if you chose to print a test page, the wizard attempts to print that page. If the printer does not receive the test page, you might have selected an incorrect port. However, if the printer receives the test page and prints it incorrectly, you might have selected an incompatible manufacturer and model.
When you started the Configure Your Server Wizard to configure this server as a print server, you selected one of the following options on the Printers and Printer Drivers page:
If you selected All Windows clients, the Add Printer Driver Wizard starts after you click Finish in the Add Printer Wizard. You can use the Add Printer Driver Wizard to install client printer drivers onto the print server, which can then automatically distribute them to clients.
Note
If you selected All Windows clients on the Printers and Printer Drivers page of the Configure Your Server Wizard, the Add Printer Driver Wizard starts after the Add Printer Wizard. If you cancel the Add Printer Driver Wizard, the Print Spooler service remains installed, and any printers you have added remain, but the additional client driver files are not installed on the server, and therefore the server cannot distribute those drivers to clients.
This section describes the following steps in the Add Printer Driver Wizard:
Processor and Operating System Selection
Completing the Add Printer Driver Wizard
On the Printer Driver Selection page of the Add Printer Driver Wizard, select the manufacturer and model of a printer that is shared on this print server, and then click Next.
Important
On the Processor and Operating System Selection page of the Add Printer Driver Wizard, select the client operating systems and processors.
Drivers for your server operating system are installed automatically when you add a printer. As a result, one of the following is selected automatically and you cannot remove it: Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 for x86–based processors, or Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 for Itanium–based processors.
After you finish, click Next.
On the Completing the Add Printer Driver Wizard page, the Restart the wizard to add another printer driver check box is selected by default. If you leave it selected and click Finish, the wizard restarts to add another printer driver. If you have finished adding all of the printer drivers for all of the printers that you want to share on this server, clear this check box, and then click Finish.
After you complete the Add Printer Wizard and, if necessary, the Add Printer Driver Wizard, the Configure Your Server Wizard displays the This Server is Now a Print Server page. To review all of the changes made to your server by the Configure Your Server Wizard or to ensure that a new role was installed successfully, click Configure Your Server log. The Configure Your Server Wizard log is located at systemroot\Debug\Configure Your Server.log. To close the Configure Your Server Wizard, click Finish.
If you need to reconfigure your server for a different role, you can remove existing server roles. If you remove the print server role, each client that sent print jobs only to this print server will be unable to print until you reconfigure the client to send print jobs to a different server. Also, each printer managed only by this print server will be unable to receive print jobs until you reconfigure another print server to send print jobs to that printer.
To remove the print server role, restart the Configure Your Server Wizard by doing either of the following:
On the Server Role page, click Print server, and then click Next. On the Role Removal Confirmation page, review the items listed under Summary, select the Remove the print server role check box, and then click Next. On the Print Server Role Removed page, click Finish.
After you complete the Configure Your Server Wizard, the server is ready for use as a print server. By following the steps in this document, you have:
You can use the Add Printer Wizard and Add Printer Driver Wizard to add more printers and client printer drivers. These wizards are available through Manage Your Server.
The following table lists some of the additional tasks that you can perform on your print server.
| Task | Purpose of task | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Set the configuration to match installed options. | To provide user access to installed printer options, such as an envelope feeder or extra memory, that are available on some printers. If your printer provides additional features, you must update the configuration so that users can use these features. | To set installable options for a printer |
| Set printing defaults. | To set the default configuration for clients when they connect to the printer. For example, you can set the default layout or paper source. | To set printing defaults |
| Assign printer permissions. | To change the permissions that users have for a printer. | To set or remove permissions for a printer |
| Choose a separator page. | To define a page that appears at the beginning of each printout. | To choose a separator page |
| Configure network clients to use the printer. | To configure clients to connect to the printers that are shared on this print server. | Connect clients to a printer |
| Set advanced printer tasks. | To manage your print server more efficiently and effectively. For example, to schedule alternate printing times, to enable printer location tracking, or to set different priority for different groups. | Use advanced options |
| Publish a printer in Active Directory. | To help domain users find printers shared by this print server quickly. For this task, the print server must be a member server. | To publish a printer in Active Directory |