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Network Printer - Why Does it Worth It?

esmein | Feb 26, 2010 |

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Network printers are the easy solution to printing questions on a small home or office network with a few networked computers connected, but do you really need to buy one?

A computer that is connected to a printer via USB easily can print whenever and whatever it wants to, but on a network the game is slightly different with all the computers sprinkled around the building. In this scenario buying a printer for every computer or every second computer would be a wrong idea financially. Network printers do just this, instead of having to have a computer turned on all day long, these printers can be hooked on the network on their own and serve as a printing hub for all the computers with proper authorization.

The network administrator can set everything up in a way they like including users' access to the printer. Some may be able to change settings on the printer, some might be able to print in black and white, it's all up to the word of the administrator, the possibilities are vast if not infinite.

Installing and setting up of such a printer is really straight forward, but even if you are a professional in computer technology and system administration, I'd suggest you read the installation manual. It saves you time and helps you avoid embarrassing mistakes that would have been easy to circumvent. The basic process involves connecting an RJ45 connector to the appropriate plug on the printer and connect it to a switch or any other point of entry on the network. Wireless network printers are even easier to set up as there are no cables to get tangled in, just enter the correct setting on the printer and it automagically does it's job.

The average network printer is equipped with rather intelligent technology that takes care of organizing the jobs in queue and makes sure there are no mixed documents or lost papers. There are network printers working in the large enterprise environment that collect and save printer jobs and start working when the person who had started the print walks up to it and enters a password or inserts a plastic card with biometrics. That way no information is vulnerable against peering eyes.

A network printer really purse friendly due to its higher level of utilization, which makes management and troubleshooting cost effective. If there is one printer for 10 computers it is a breeze to find which printer doesn't work compared to trying to guess which printer is connected to which computer if there are 5 USB printers on a same size computer network connected to 5 different computers.