Objectives of this Tutorial

Generally: The objective of this section is to show you how to print files. It also teaches you how to handle print jobs and share printers with colleagues.

Specifically: On completion of this section you will be able to:

• Understand the Printers folder
• Print an open document
• Print a non-open document
• View the print queue
• Pause and resume printing
• Share a printer with other users
• Use a shared printer
• Perform drag-and-drop printing

Windows 98 provides many printing facilities. This section explores the Printers folder via which many printing actions can be carried out. It shows you different ways to print and how to share a printer across a network.

Printers Folder

The Printers folder provides a way of adding new printers, configuring existing printers and managing print jobs.

Printing Documents

To print a document

• If the document is open, click the File menu, and then click Print

OR

• If the document is not open, drag the document from My Computer to your printer in the Printers folder

Tip: While a document is printing, a printer icon appears next to the clock on the Taskbar. When this icon disappears, your document has finished printing. For easy access to your printer, you can create a shortcut to it on the desktop.

To view documents waiting to be printed

• Click the Start button
• Select Settings
• Click Printers
• Double-click the icon for the printer you want to look at

The print queue with all of the print jobs listed appears.

Tip: In the printer window, you can find information such as the status of print jobs and the owner of a document. If you want to cancel or pause the printing of any of the documents you have sent, click the document, and then use the commands on the Document menu.

To change printer settings

• From the Start menu, select Settings
• Select Printers
• Click the icon for the printer you are using
• From the File menu, select Properties...

The default printer's Properties dialogue box is displayed.

The settings you can change depend on the type of printer you have. Click the different tabs to see all of the options you can set.

Tip: Changing the printer properties will change them for all documents you print on this printer. To change these settings for one document, use the Page Setup or Print Setup command in the application you are using.

Managing the Print Queue

When you print a document, a printer icon appears on the Taskbar. Double-click it to see the list of documents waiting to print.

You can reorder documents in a printer window by dragging their icons.

To view printing status

• Use the right mouse button to click the printer icon next to the clock on the Taskbar

When your document is finished printing, the printer icon disappears.

Pausing and Resuming a Printer

To pause or restart your printer

• Open the Printers folder
• Double-click the icon for the printer you want to pause or restart
• From the Printer menu, select Pause Printing

A check mark is placed next to the command.

To restart the printer

• Click the Pause Printing command again

Note: You can pause a printer only if it is attached to the computer you are using. For example, you cannot pause a network printer from your own computer. The Pause Printing command is unavailable if you have turned off spooling in your printer properties.

Printing over a Network

To use a shared network printer

• In the Network Neighbourhood locate and double-click the computer where the printer you want to use is located

Tip: To see which computers have shared printers attached, click the View menu, click Details, and look for printer names or descriptions in the Comment column of the Network Neighbourhood window.

• Double-click the printer icon in the window that appears
• To set up the printer, follow the instructions on the screen

Tip: After you have set up a network printer, you can use it as if it were attached to your computer.

To share your printer with other people

• From the Start menu, select Settings
• Select Printers
• Click the icon for the printer you want to share
• From the File menu, select Properties
• Click the Sharing tab, and then click Shared As

If the Sharing tab is not visible, you need to enable file and print sharing services (See below).

Note: You can only share a printer that is connected to your computer.

To enable file and printer sharing on your computer

• Display Network properties.
• Click File And Print Sharing
• Click the sharing options you want (A check mark means the feature is activated)

Drag-and-Drop Printing

If you put a shortcut to your printer(s) on your desktop, instead of using menu commands, you can use drag-and-drop to print a document.

To perform drag-and-drop printing

• Click the mouse button on the document to be printed and continue to hold down the mouse key
• Drag its icon onto a printer icon

The application used to create the file will automatically be started and the file sent to print.