When printing wireless to a printer from a TR (or any computer)... does it have to be BT based..or is there a way to use regular 802.11b wifi connection…?

when you print from your tr wirelessly it doesnt have to BT based you just have to have printer sharing enabled and set the tr to that specific printer.

You can also buy a 802.11b/g wireless print server.

http://www.linksys.com/products/product.asp?grid=33&scid=37&prid=584

If you have several computers and want to share printing then this is probably the best solution. The BT solution is best for one computer and one printer.

Oh c**p a whole new world to learn more about…wire-less printing and servers…

Thanks for telling me it’s possible though… Since it will end up being 2-3 pc’s/laptops printing to the one printer it seems as if wifi printing is the way to go (and mixed on 802.11b and g). Back to research…

Thanks!

Well I didn’t have to buy an extra print server for my house, I just hooked the printer up to my desktop and shared it.  Then my housemates just had to go to me under network places, right click on my printer and add it to their computers.  Did the same for my TR2 and it works fine.  Only thing is that my desktop has to be on to print, but it’s on nearly all day as it is anyways….

My ‘challenge’ is that we (three of us girls in one place and noone REALLY knows what we’re doing so I’m the designated techie) all have laptops - no desktops - so there will not be a pc that is hooked up to the printer.

We have a router though and some of us are on 802.11g (bastards!) and some (read: me..) are on 802.11b. We’d like to have wireless printer setup so that whenever any of us wants to print to it we can use it without hooking up cables, etc.

Asking for too much?

Sounds like you need an inexpensive print server.  This should be easy for you to find.  Or you could just get a really cheap desktop and network it if you don’t want to spend $120 for a print server.

I went down to CompUSA here in San Francisco today and a very friendly sales rep there walked me through the entire process/requirements for wireless printing.

Seems like what I really want is to get a wireless print server that does not require a PC linked up to it - i.e. it’s just connected to the printer through a USB cable.

Seems to be two options;
a) A printserver that is connected to the wifi router through a cable as well as to the printer
Upside: Cheaper - about 50 dollars.
Downside: The printer now has to be within cable distance from the wifi server.

b) A wireless printserver that does not require to be connected to the wifi router through a cable - just to the printer (so it can be placed anywhere).
Upside: Flexibility in where the printer is placed
Downside: More expensive - about 120-150 dollars

There does not seem to be any requirements on the printer side - as long as it has a USB port it can be hooked up.

Bottom line: Leaning towards option b above and to get the Canon 80i printer (they had it as well there and it is SO small!).

Imagine…3 weeks ago I was on 56K dial-up on an old Toshiba… Now I’m on a Sony TR, DSL and wifi…and looking at wireless printserver… FUN !!!

Wow!    I had three years of dialup on a 500mhz computer.  Now I’m on a 802.11g network with 1.5ghz + computers and a nice DSL pipe.  Hope you enjoy your new hardware! 
PS: Try playing networked games on your new stuff. CS and Quake come into mind!
~nox

I don’t know what your price range is, but for around $250 (less if you go the education route) you can pick up the printer that I have.  It’s a HP 5850, and it doesn’t even need to be connected to a computer.  It has built-in Wifi, or you can wire it directly to a router/hub with standard networking cable.  It can be shared between all computers on the network without any additional software, etc.  I’ve really enjoyed this printer, and the best thing is that HP has set a price limit on their print cartridges.  We were guaranteed 500 pages from a single $20 cartridge, however, we usually get 550 to 600 pages.  Here’s what HP has to say about it:

HP 5850

Also, I should mention ease of use.  It’s very easy to set up and configure (configuration is done through your web browser), and there’s a nice fold-out poster with step-by-step instructions on how to get everything up and running as quickly as possible.  HP does good things. :D Hope this helps.

—smashedapart

Hey smashed, thanks for that tip!

Does that mean that the printer doesn’t need a wireless print server?

My price range is about 400 dollars (I had calculated 150 for the printserver and 250 for a printer) so this would fit.

This printer seems a wee bit big though (footprint wise). I will look around and see if there are others out there with built in wireless but a bit smaller.

Nice option (if it doesn’t require a server). 

You got it.    It’s truly plug-and-play, no additional hardware required.  You are correct about the footprint, though - it is rather big.  However, since it’s wireless, you can put it anywhere!  On top of the fridge, in a closet, etc.  Glad I could be of some assistance.

—smashedapart