Printing over a Wired or Wireless Network from Windows CECESD|200116Applies To
OverviewThis article describes the steps involved in printing to a remote printer share over a Local Area Network (LAN). The article assumes that you have already successfully established a working LAN connection. More InfoWindows CE devices by default are limited in functionality when it comes to accessing printer resources. When using a local or remote printer, the printer logic must support the Hewlett Packard Printer Command Language 3.0 (PCL 3.0) specification. The limitation of PCL 3 printers exists within the Windows CE platform as PCL is a widely used printing standard which allowed the Handheld PC to send data to a printer without the need for device specific drivers. For more information on compatible printers visit the HPC:Factor Hardware Compatibility List. How-to GuideThe first step in being able to print to a Windows CE compatible printer over a network is to share the printer.
Obtaining the Printers Network PathAccessing the network printer requires knowing the full network path to the computer which you are sharing the printer from. Network paths are formatted using Universal Naming Convention (UNC). UNC uses a two level structure to access available resources. The first level of a Network UNC path specifies the Machine Name or the 'Server Name' of the computer on the remote network. To discover the machine name of the computer which is sharing the printer with the network:
You now need to combine the Machine Name and Printer Name to obtain the full network path. Do so using the following format: For example if the machine name was Inspiron and the Printer Name Deskjet750 the full network path would be: Printing from the Handheld PCThere are two methods to print to a Network share from a Handheld PC. The first is to print directly from a Print capable application such as Pocket Word.
In the event that the network share resource requires authentication, you will be presented with a log-in dialogue box. This may take upwards of two minutes to appear. After which the document should print.
The second option is to either drag and drop or copy / paste the documents that you wish to print directly onto the printer share. The method will only work successfully with a registered file type that Windows CE can translate to the printer. It is recommended that you only use this method for documents which contain text.
Limitations of Printing from Windows CEThe PCL 3.0 drivers do not offer any advanced control, nor advanced font configuration. Using standard application printing you are not offered any document control. Print queue's cannot be purged or paused from the Windows CE device Windows CE devices are unable to make use of print shares served by non-'Client for Microsoft Network' print servers. This includes hardware print servers running other network Client technologies (such as Novell Netware) and hardware based Network print servers. |