In this video you will learn about SOHO multifunction devices/printers and their settings.
A small office/home office (SOHO) is an IT term that refers to home offices, small business offices and even remote office environments. A multifunction device is a device containing some functional combination of a scanner, printer, copier, and fax capabilities. These devices usually cost less and occupy less space than the individual elements that comprise the device, although multifunction devices cannot match the performance of a dedicated device for each individual element.
Configuring a Printer or Multifunction Device
Before you can print to a standard printer or multifunction device, you must have the appropriate print drivers installed that match the specific model of the device. In addition, you also have to ensure you have the correct print driver that works with the correct operating system and operating system version.
Standard configuration options for printers or multifunction devices include:
Device Sharing Options
Printer and multifunction devices can be shared between two or more computers by using USB, Serial (RS-232), or Ethernet. Serial and USB printer sharing involves utilizing switch boxes that can be manually or automatically switched between devices, but serial & USB are limited by relatively short cable runs and a lack of management capabilities. Most wired printer/multifunction devices share by way of Ethernet.
Integrated Ethernet Print/Multifunction Device Sharing
Configuring a modern printer/multifunction device for sharing across an Ethernet network:
To print to a network printer/multifunction device, a network printer/multifunction driver may need to be installed instead of the standard print driver.
Wireless Sharing: Bluetooth
To print via Bluetooth capabilities on a printer or multifunction device, both the computer (or mobile device) and the printer/multifunction device must have Bluetooth transceivers. After enabling Bluetooth on the printer and computer, you must configure both for pairing and pair them before print jobs can be sent. If a computer doesn’t have built-in Bluetooth capabilities, a USB dongle can be added to the device to provide Bluetooth support.
Wireless Sharing: 802.11 (a, b, g, n, ac)
Most new printer/multifunction devices support 802.11 (WiFi) standards. The configuration process is similar to that used for wired Ethernet, with the added step of identifying the SSID of the wireless network and the encryption key (if used). After the configuration is complete, all devices on the network with the proper print driver can use the multifunction device.
Wireless Sharing: Infrastructure vs. Ad Hoc
A wireless ad hoc network is a decentralized type of wireless network. The network is ad hoc because it does not rely on a preexisting infrastructure, such as routers in wired networks or access points in managed (infrastructure) wireless networks. In ad hoc mode, each device is connected directly to other devices. If you want to use WiFi printers/multifunction devices but don’t use WiFi networking with a wireless router, configure the printers/devices to work in ad hoc mode.
Infrastructure mode supports WPA2 encryption, while ad hoc mode supports only WEP encryption, making it unsuitable for secure networking.
Cloud and Remote Printing
Cloud printing allows for you to print from any web-connected device routing print jobs between your computer, smartphone or tablet and sends them to an internet connected printer.
Remote printing is a functionality in which a computer can be used with a remote printer. Remote printer lets users use their printer for printing documents saved on the remote computer they are accessing. Similarly, they can use the host computer to print to the remote printer.
Cloud and remote printing require the following:
Using Public and Shared Devices
Public cloud printing allows users to submit print jobs via email, web interfacing, mobile apps, or special print drivers. To receive the print job from the printer, the user must provide the credentials needed, such as a retrieval code or account code. Google Cloud Print is an example of such service. Google Cloud Print is a Google service that lets user print from any Cloud Print-aware application (web, desktop, mobile) on any device in the network cloud to any printer with native support for connecting to cloud print services — without Google having to create and maintain printing subsystems for all the hardware combinations of client devices and printers, and without the users having to install device drivers to the client, but with documents being fully transmitted to Google.
AirPrint is a feature in Apple’s macOS and iOS operating system for printing via WiFi, either directly to AirPrint compatible printers, or to non-compatible shared printers by way of a computer running Microsoft Windows, Linux, or macOS. AirPrint does not require printer-specific drivers. AirPrint uses software called Bonjour, which comes built into macOS and iOS systems. Bonjour finds the AirPrint printer, and the document can be sent. Bonjour is also available for Windows 8 and 10, and a user with Bonjour installed on a Windows machine can print to an AirPrint-enabled printer.
Maintaining Data Privacy
When a document is sent to a computer, a special print file is created by the print spooler. To prevent unauthorized users from opening the print file and extracting information from it, two methods can be used: user authentication and hard drive caching.
User Authentication
User authentication matches print jobs to the IP address of the computer or device requesting the print job and can be enabled at the printer itself or by security settings used on Active Directory-enabled networks. When user authentication is enabled in the printer, the user must provide the appropriate identification during the print process.
Using Hard Drive Caching
In computing, spooling is a specialized form of multi-programming for the purpose of copying data between different devices. In contemporary systems, it is usually used for mediating between a computer application and a slow peripheral, such as a printer. Spooling allows programs to “hand off” work to be done by the peripheral and then proceed to other tasks, or to not begin until input has been transcribed. A dedicated program (the spooler) maintains an orderly sequence of jobs for the peripheral and feeds it data at its own rate. The most common use of spooling is printing: documents formatted for printing are stored in a queue at the speed of the computer, then retrieved and printed at the speed of the printer. In Windows, print spool files are stored on the system hard drive at C:\Windows\system32\spool\PRINTERS.
The default location of the print spool files can be changed by selecting the printer/multifunction device in Devices and Printers, opening the Print Server properties dialog, clicking Advanced, clicking Change Advanced Settings, and specifying a different location.