Wireless Printing

[Elton]

I currently have a couple of Lexmark E232 laser printers. Is there a cheap way of making them wireless?

 

If not, is there such a thing as a cheap wireless laser printer?

[Newt]

The printer lacks an ethernet port and at the age of these (2004 I think), its not worth putting out the money it would cost to do it wireless in any fashion I know of.

 

Brother HL 2170W looks interesting and this one is about $145. Not sure what you could find one for over on your side of the pond.

[Elton]

Just had a look on our Amazon and they're knocking those out for £145-ish.

 

I think I may have to wait until these two die - I bought high-capacity toners for them ages ago and only use one of them these days. I print on it all the time and it's just going on and on......

 

Now that I have my wireless laptop (which is quite funny, as I plug a mouse and keyboard into it, which gives everyone something to laugh at!), it would be handy to print from that. The wife also has a work laptop now and it would be nice to enable her to print from it.

[corydoras]

Just had a look on our Amazon and they're knocking those out for £145-ish.

 

I think I may have to wait until these two die - I bought high-capacity toners for them ages ago and only use one of them these days. I print on it all the time and it's just going on and on......

 

Now that I have my wireless laptop (which is quite funny, as I plug a mouse and keyboard into it, which gives everyone something to laugh at!), it would be handy to print from that. The wife also has a work laptop now and it would be nice to enable her to print from it.

You could get a Wireless Print Server Elton. Belkin and Linksys both do them, but a bit pricey between £45-60. Some DSL routers have a USB port on them so that you can attach and share a USB Printer to them. I've never tried any of these toys so no idea how good they are.

[Newt]

I thought about a print server but as you note, quite a bit of money to operate a fairly old printer so didn't seem worthwhile.

 

The USB connection would be wired so again, not quite what he was asking for.

[Leon Roskilly]

I thought about a print server but as you note, quite a bit of money to operate a fairly old printer so didn't seem worthwhile.

 

The USB connection would be wired so again, not quite what he was asking for.

 

 

My printer is connected to my desktop.

 

My laptop is wirelessly connected to the desktop via the wireless network.

 

I can print from my laptop on the printer connected to the desktop (but not when the desktop is switched off).

[chesters1]

I currently have a couple of Lexmark E232 laser printers. Is there a cheap way of making them wireless?

 

If not, is there such a thing as a cheap wireless laser printer?

i hve a lexmark wireless (inkjet)printer ,works fine but when it goes to sleep you have to press the button to wake it up to print (going to sleep is good saves a bit of leccy) but ofcourse when it goes to sleep for some reason windows forgets it and also breaks the wireless connection to it (despite telling it to connect always) so not only do you have to wake up the printer you have to tell windows to reconect and its protracted whatsit finding.

although my printer is wireless i connect to the wireless router by ethernet (because the damn wireless signal wont penetrate two wall and ten feet!) perhaps if i was completely wireless then just pushing the printer button may connect immediatly?

i got mine for a tenner sealed and brand new at a bootfair it was in a package deal but unwanted.

lexmark carts though come with print heads (like HP) so are more expensive to buy.

 

like HD tv gear i think the technology isnt here yet to make it worthwhile ,2 bt home hubs ,2 different netgear hubs and one other (forget its make) cannot go the ten feet i want them to and ofcourse its insecure(it may work on wireless looking out the window and no way of switching the wireless bit off as far as i can see on the bt home hub.).it may work further in Newts stick houses but for some reason breeze blocks are a barrier to it.

my printer is 4ft from my pc whether it could be used further away is unknown in our small house "further" is in the garden.

if i bring the hub closer then the point of wireless is lost and the phoneline probs with extensions come to the fore so its still on ethernet as was the old router.i especially bought a mobo with built in wireless thinking my USB wireless dongle wasent up to it but its exactly the same.

 

but anyway perhaps a wireless print server? connected to the printers? ,i now use an USB to parallel converter on my elderly HP 6mp so there must be a wireless gixmo to connect one as well? will sticking a usb wireless dongle in the printer do anything probably not but worth a try ,has it (the printer) got a infra red link? thats a possibility but ofcourse only line of sight but a sky type video sender may do something or wireless using the wires in your house via your mains sockets?

Edited December 12, 2008 by chesters1

[corydoras]

but anyway perhaps a wireless print server? connected to the printers? ,i now use an USB to parallel converter on my elderly HP 6mp so there must be a wireless gixmo to connect one as well? will sticking a usb wireless dongle in the printer do anything probably not but worth a try ,has it (the printer) got a infra red link? thats a possibility but ofcourse only line of sight but a sky type video sender may do something or wireless using the wires in your house via your mains sockets?

I used to have a 6MP attached to an Axis (good make, but expensive) print server but that was 10Base-T. You can get a parallel to wireless adapter but not really cost effective for an 6MP. Good old printers the 6MP. Made back in the days when HP made kit that was built to last. The problem for HP was that they lasted too long!

[Elton]

My printer is connected to my desktop.

 

My laptop is wirelessly connected to the desktop via the wireless network.

 

I can print from my laptop on the printer connected to the desktop (but not when the desktop is switched off).

 

Is that easy to set up?

[corydoras]

Is that easy to set up?

Yes Elton. Go to the machine that has the printer attached. Go to Printer and Faxes in the Control Panel. Right-click and go to Sharing. It's pretty self evident what to do from then on in.

 

Now go to the PC you want to print from. Same Procedure, but this time double-click on add printer and tell it you want to add a network printer. I'm sure youll be able to manage. If not just google.