Configuring Ethernet receipt printers

Some receipt printers are available with an Ethernet (network) interface. An Ethernet interface works well for a remote kitchen printer because it can be located up to 300 feet away from a network switch. Even though these printers connect to a network, they do not contain a print server to manage multiple simultaneous incoming print jobs. If two or more computers send print jobs at the same time to an unmanaged Ethernet printer, one or more of the print jobs may not print.

You can resolve this problem by installing the Windows printer driver on one computer on the network, sharing the printer on that computer, then connecting to the shared printer from other computers on the network. Following are instructions for sharing and connecting to a printer on a Windows network:

Printers are shared on a network for use by Point of Success using Windows printer sharing. Before following these instructions, be sure you have enabled file and printer sharing on all the computers on the network. The easiest way to do this is to run the Windows Network Setup Wizard. This program is found in the Control Panel by clicking Start > Control Panel > Network Setup Wizard. If you are using the Category view for the Control Panel, select Network and Internet Connections instead.

Assumptions

• The printer to be shared has a parallel, serial or USB connection to a computer
• The printer to be shared is plugged into Computer1
• The printer driver supported by Point of Success for the printer is installed on Computer1
• You can print a test page on the printer on Computer1
• Computer2 needs to use the printer connected to Computer1
• You are using Windows XP (Home or Professional) on both Computer1 and Computer2

Background

You can find a computer name by following these steps in Windows XP:

1. Click Start > My Computer
2. Click View System Information in the upper-left corner of the My Computer window
3. Click the Computer Name tab
4. The name of the computer is listed under Full computer name
5. Note that the period following the name of the computer is not part of the computer name

Share the Printer on Computer1

1. On Computer1, click Start > Control Panel > Printers and Faxes
2. Right-click on the printer to be shared and select Sharing… on the context menu
3. On the Sharing tab, click Share this printer
4. Click OK to close the printer properties window

Connect to the Shared Printer from Computer 2

1. On Computer 2, click Start > Run
2. In the Open field, type \computer1, replacing computer1 with the name of the computer to which the printer is connected
3. A window will open that displays all the shared resources on Computer1
4. Right-click on the printer you want to connect to and select Connect from the context menu
5. The printer driver will be installed on Computer2 with a connection to the printer on Computer1

Test the Printer on Computer 2

1. On Computer 2, click Start > Control Panel > Printers and Faxes
2. Right-click the shared printer and select Properties from the context menu
3. On the General tab, click the Print Test Page button
4. If the printer is shared and connected correctly, a Windows test page will print on the printer connected to Computer1

Repeat this procedure for each additional shared printer and/or computer on your network.