User manual

Sharing a USB Printer
109
16.6 Sharing a USB Printer
You can connect a USB printer to the USB port of the
FRITZ!Box to make it available to all participants in your home
network. You can either release the printer for sharing as a
network printer or use the FRITZ!Box USB remote connection
software to connect it with a computer. Which option is pref-
erable depends on how you intend to use the printer.
Using a USB Printer as a Network Printer
Configure the USB printer as a network printer on the
FRITZ!Box if
• the participants in the home network are to be able to
use the printer jointly and simultaneously.
• the printer is to be used by computers that use an oper-
ating system other than Windows (e.g. Mac OS X or
Linux).
For information about how to configure a USB printer as a net-
work printer, see the section Setting Up a USB Printer as a
Network Printer on page 110.
Using a USB Printer with FRITZ!Box USB Remote Connection
Configure the USB printer on the FRITZ!Box with the FRITZ!Box
USB remote connection if
• the USB printer is an all-in-one device (fax/printer/scan-
ner) and the entire range of functions is to be used.
• the USB printer is equipped with convenience features
like ink level display and you would like to use these.
• the USB printer uses bidirectional data exchange. In oth-
er words: Not only does the computer send data to the
printer, the printer also sends status messages to the
computer. This communication in both directions is typi-
cal of the “Windows printers” or “GDI printers” that work
only with special Windows device drivers.
For information about how to configure a USB printer with the
USB remote connection, continue reading from the section
Configuring a USB Printer with FRITZ!Box USB Remote Con-
nection on page 112.
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