How to connect one printer to two computers

If you are planning to find an answer to the question of how to connect a printer to two computers, then first of all you will have to synchronize both PCs with each other. But keep in mind that this procedure is only possible if these 2 computers have network cards. Today they equip any motherboard, but if suddenly your PC is quite old, and therefore it lacks a network card, then be sure to buy it and install it in the right place.

In order to connect the printer to personal computers, you need to purchase a network cable called a patch cord. By itself, it is an analogue of a standard Internet cable, but the difference between them is that the patch cord has connectors on both sides for connecting to network cards. But if all this seems rather complicated to you, then contact any retail outlet specializing in the implementation of computer technology for help and ask them to give you a twisted pair. Further, the store employees will independently select what you need.

Connecting a printer via a USB adapter

If you decide to connect two computers to one printer via USB, then you will need a USB switch for the printer or a special splitter for the printer. It should be noted that a usb switch for a printer allows you to connect, on the one hand, any USB office equipment, and on the other, two computers. In general, everything is very simple and practical.

We organize printing through the network

We create a working group

After you have connected 2 PCs with each other, using the appropriate cable for this purpose, you can start setting up the necessary software. To do this, you need to create a LAN home group.

• Open the start menu and go to the section called “Connection”.
• Click on the item that is responsible for displaying all connections, and select the option that implies organizing a local connection.
• Call the context menu of this element and open its properties.
• In the new window that opens, you should go to the “Internet Protocol TCP / IP” tab.
• Find the button with properties and click on it, after which you will see a field for editing network parameters.
• On one PC, write “192.168.0.1” in the IP address field, and “255.255.255.0” in the subnet mask field. On another PC, you have to enter “192.168.0.2” and “255.255.255.0” respectively. Be sure to remember to save your changes.

Now, to further solve the problem of how to connect several computers to 1 office equipment, in particular two, you have to create the so-called. working group from the available units of electronic equipment.

• Open the context menu “My Computer”, then select the item that opens the system properties.
• Go to the “Computer Name” tab and click on “Change”.
• Now an empty field should appear in front of you, where you must enter any name for the PC. Save the made change by clicking “OK”.
• Restart your computer and do the same with other computer hardware. However, he will need to give a different name.
• After the next reboot, you will receive a LAN, consisting of two devices connected to each other.

Setting up the printer

To find the answer to the question of how to connect two computers to one printer, it now remains only to configure the printing office equipment itself. By default, its installation must be done on one of the PCs. He, in turn, will be the main one in the previously created LAN. Therefore, first you will need to work with him.

• Open the list of Control Panel from the Start menu.
• Go to the section containing the list of printers, where you need to find the icon for your device.
• Open the device menu by right-clicking on its icon and click on its properties.
• Go to the “Access” tab and check the box that denotes the provision of general access to this office equipment. If necessary, you can change its name.
• Now you need to configure the second PC unit. In this case, you need to do the same as with the first computer equipment, but only up to the “Printers and Faxes” category.
• Call up the additional menu in this section and immediately click on the item that implies the installation of the printer.
• Click “Next” and open the section with the network printer.
• There you need to click on the browse button and find the device installed on the main PC of the local network. Thanks to this action, the installation of its drivers on the second computer will be carried out automatically from the selected location.

Thanks to the above steps, you can make one printer available to two personal computers connected to each other by a single local network. But keep in mind that although the installed office equipment will work, processing tasks coming from both computers, it is better not to send documents for printing from all devices at the same time. Otherwise, with thoughtless use, this office equipment may start to slow down or even freeze.