TimeCapsule and Bonjour Rocks

We have 2 computers, an iMac and an Inspiron 9300 running XP. When we moved over here, we didn't have any room in our suitcases for a printer, so we did without. But Ann really needs one for our homeschool, so we finally bought a Canon Pixma MP145, the Asia counterpart to the MP140. This little all-in-one printer/scanner/copier is not particularly amazing or featured, but it's sufficient for our needs.

Problem: We want to be able to print to our printer from both computers, and we don't want to have to leave one computer on all the time just to be a print-server. Soluntion: TimeCapsule. We originally bought TimeCapsule to be a wireless backup solution for our data, but it also just happens to be print-server as well. (It's also a wireless router.) So here's what I did:

1) I went to Canon's website and downloaded the drivers for both PC and Mac.
2) I connected the printer to the Mac and installed the drivers, then did the same for the PC. This verified the printer was working and that I had the right drivers. And if I ever need to connect the printer directly to a computer, I'm ready.
3) I installed the latest version of Bonjour on the PC. Bonjour allows computers to automatically discover resources on a network.
4) I connected the printer to the USB port on the TimeCapsule.
5) On my iMac, I looked at the list of available printers, and there it was. I set it as the default printer and was done.
6) On the PC, I ran the printer wizard that comes with Bonjour. It found the printer on the network, so I selected it and made it the default printer. Done.

Couldn't have been easier!

2 comments:

James Garriss said...

1 TB TimeCapsule now $300, 2 TB $500. Look here: http://arstechnica.com/apple/

James Garriss said...

Correct URL: http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2009/07/double-your-pleasure-double-your-fun-with-2tb-time-capsule.ars