I’ve recently moved off a PC onto a new laptop just like everybody else in our household. The one problem I have is that now my computer isn’t always plugged in at home and sharing the printer has become a hassle. Is there a better way they continually plugging it into each laptop that needs to print?

Unfortunately it#s easy for a small change in your network to affect everyone on it. Shifting to a laptop was a great move in my opinion. It gives you the flexibility to use your computer anywhere in the house, take it around with you and spend more time online. Unfortunately if your printer was tethered to your old PC, this could be an inconvenience to anyone who shared your printer connection.

One option would be to get a new printer that’s designed specifically for this sort of situation. It’s a class of printer called a network printer which connects directly to the network. You can even get them with wireless network connections so that you can place them anywhere in the house. But what is you don’t want to buy a new printer?

The solution to your problem is a little device called a print server. This device connects up your printer directly to your network router and lets different computers on the network print without having to be directly connected to it. One such device is the D-Link Express EtherNetwork DP-301U which retails for as little as $20 from Buy.com, or at least that is the sale price this week. If you decide to go down that route, make sure you read the comments to learn what the strengths and weaknesses of the device are. But if you’re looking for a cheap way to share your ptiner, this might be just the gadget you need.