OCTOBER TUTOR ■

INTERNET PRINTING

internet
printing
If you’ve been able to print over the Internet using the new Internet Printing Protocol (IPP), then
you’re one of the lucky few. Fortunately, Windows 95 and 98 users need not wait for future OSs
that promise IPP support thanks to an upgrade that Microsoft has made freely available. Here’s
what you need to do to be able to print to any printer—anywhere.

ne of the hot topics relating to

O printers today is the Intern e t

Printing Protocol (IPP), a new
s t a n d a rd that makes network
setup for printers potentially much eas-
ier and, not so incidentally, lets you print
over the Intern e t .
M o re and more network-ready print-
ers include IPP. Alas, most computers
don’t. More precisely, their operating
systems don’t. Future versions of all ma-
jor operating systems and network op-
erating systems promise IPP support,
and support is already built into Wi n-
dows 2000. But right now, lots more sys-
tems come with Windows 95 and 98,
which pre-date IPP. And that’s a pro b-
lem if you want to take advantage of the
p ro t o c o l .
The good news is that Microsoft has an
upgrade for Windows 95 and 98 (though
not Windows NT 4.0) that adds IPP sup-
port. The bad news is that the inform a-
tion on Microsoft’s site concerning how
to use IPP with the upgrade is wro n g
(as of this writing, at least), and Micro-
soft does not offer technical support for
Figure 1: To Download the IPP upgrade, look for the Internet Print Service choice on the Windows
the upgrade. In this article, we’ll fill in Upgrade page.
the details about how you set up IPP.

88 October 2000 www.DITnet.co.ae ■ www.pcmag-mideast.com


We’ll assume you’re already familiar with
issues such as determining your printer’s
IP a d d ress and whether a given system
can see the printer over the network. All
comments here apply to both Wi n d o w s
95 and 98.
First, you need to download and install
the upgrade. Note that Mic rosoft re-
arranges its Web site occasionally, so the
spec if ics for downloading ma y have
changed by the time you read this.
Open your browser and go to the Micro-
soft Windows Update page (http://win-
dowsupdate.microsoft.com), then choose
Product Updates. The Web site will analyse
your installation automatically and then
show you a list of updates that you haven’t
yet installed. Scroll through the list; you’re
looking for the Communications section.
Under Communications, look for Inter-
net Print Service, as shown in Figure 1.
(If you don’t see this choice, IPP may al-
ready be installed. To check, go to the top
of the list, click on Show Installed Updates,
and scroll down to Communications. If
the Internet Print Service is installed, you
should see it marked with the designa-
tion Already Installed, as in Figure 1.)
At this writing, the comment following
the Internet Print Service choice will re-
liably misinform you: ‘This component
only works if you can connect to a Wi n-
dows 2000 machine to print.’ If you choose
the Read this first link, you’ll go to a page
with a similar statement. Ignore both
statements. they are wrong.
If Internet Print Service isn’t already in-
stalled, check the box next to the name
and then choose the Download button.
The file will download, install and give
you the option to reboot. Allow the re-
boot.
The next step is to make sure you have
the printer driver. If you don’t alre a d y
have it, you should be able to download
it from the vendor’s site, or you may be
able to get it directly from the printer.
Most newer network printers have built
in Web pages. Assuming your system can
see the printer (over your network or
over the Internet), you can load the We b
page by entering the printer’s IP a d d re s s
in your browser—in the form
http://nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn, where each n
re p resents a number. If you can load the
Web page, and if you have appro p r i a t e
p e rmissions, you’ll often find a choice
to install or download the printer driver.
In the case of some printers, including
the Lexmark Optra C710dn, the install
choice will take you to the appro p r i a t e
page for downloading the driver on the
vendor Web site—a convenience that can
save a lot of time over searching the site
www.DITnet.co.ae ■ www.pcmag-mideast.com
■ OCTOBER TUTOR
INTERNET PRINTING
yourself. In other cases (the Te k t ro n i x
Phaser 750D X by Xerox, for example),
IPP
you’ll find a choice to actually install
the driver from the Web (one of sever-
al choices for the 750D X). Be aware that
installing over the Web may not let you
install and set up IPP in a single step.
You may have to install for LPT1, t h e n
change the port afterwards.
Once you have the driver files in hand, A s y o u m a y k n o w,
choose Start | Settings | Printers, then I P P’s ability to let you
Add Printer to start the Add Printer Wi z- print over the Internet
a rd. Choose Next, then Network Print- is t he e y e - c at ch i n g
e r, then Next again and type the print- part of the st o r y. But
er URL in the text box labelled Network the real importance of
Path Or Queue Name. Note that the de- IPP is that it’s a new
fault URL will depend on the printer. In st a n d a rd for printing.
many cases, the URL will read Think of it as an up-
h t t p : / / n n n . n n n . n n n . n n n / I P P, where the d ate to the venera b l e
string of n’s re p resents the IP a d d re s s . L i ne P R ri n te r ( L P R )
In other cases, the address may not need printing st a n d a rd. It’s
the /IPP. In still others, the URL m a y meant to provide eas-
start with IPP instead of http. Also note ier setup for network
that the printer may be assigned a name printers, and it also al-
using a DNS s e r v e r. If someone else set l ows IP printing ov e r
up the printer, you’ll want to find out the the Internet, so you
URL. can print to any print-
After you type the URL in the text box, er yo ur sy st em ca n
choose Next. If your system can see the ping.
p r i n t e r, it will simply move to the next Also note that IPP
s c reen. If not, you should get a message makes setting up peer-
telling you the printer is off-line, and to-peer printing on a
that you won’t be able to print until it network simple. This
comes back online. If you see this mes- can be useful in set-
sage, check to make sure you entere d tings ranging from a
the URL c o r rectly. If you did, you may small office that does-
have a networking problem that you n’ t hav e a ne t wo rk
need to resolve so your system can see server to a WAN t h at
the printer. Also, though it may seem spans the country. In
elementary, make sure the printer is ac- a small office, IPP lets
tually online. you connect the print-
Assuming your system finds the print- er dire c t ly to your hub
e r, the Wi z a rd will take you to the next i n stead of hooking it
step, which installs the driver. Simply up through an LPT port
choose Have Disk and complete the in- on a given system. You
stallation the way you would with any can then print dire c t-
other printer. If you downloaded the ly to the printer fro m
files to your local hard drive, point to e a ch computer, with-
the appropriate directory. When the in- out a particular com-
stallation finishes, you should be able to puter being pow e re d
print. on just to let you print
As mentioned earlier, you can install f rom other sy st e m s .
the driver to an LPT port first and then On a WA N, IPP will let
change the port. If you took that ro u t e , you print dire c t ly to
choose Start | Settings | Printers after a ny p ri n t e r, i n a n y
installing the driver, right click on the building, anywhere on
printer and choose Properties, then De- the WA N. Indeed, you
tails. Choose Add Port, then Network, and coul d prin t to any
type the URL in the text box labelled p r i n t e r, in any build-
Specify the Network Path to the Print- ing, i n a ny c o un tr y
e r. Then choose OK and click on O K connected to the WAN.
again to close the Properties dialog box
and save the settings. You should now
be able to print.
October 2000 89