printing over the internet
 

Hi

I work from a Laptop and sometimes I am away from the office working remotely. There is a large printer in the office. Is it possible for me to print from my laptop, via the internet and have the document come out of the printer in the office? The printer is on a LAN which has internet access.

Regards

So long as you are connected to your office via VPN, then yes, you can print a document directly to any of your shared printers in your office. HTH

The answer is a guarded "yes" depending on the printer, the nature of the network, how you connect into it, and how the network security is set up.
You'd have to either VPN into the network, or set up port forwarding, or give the printer an external IP address. And it would be better if the printer was capable of acting as a web services printer.
How best to go about it depends on what you have - and how its all set up. Best to speak to your network admin first - assuming you have one

Thanks for the quick replies,

I use a vodafone mobile internet device to connect to the internet.

The printer is on a network in the office. I cant ask the IT guys at work without ringing up and going on hold for 20 minutes to log a request etc. etc. I was hoping it would be something I could just do through my windows add a printer utility.

I have managed to get the printer to print a big list of various address and numbers but to be honest I dont understand any of it.:\

What is VPN?

VPN = Virtual Private Network

Its a way of logging into a network remotely, securely via the internet.
You are probably using one, but don't know it. However you really need to speak to your IT guys as they're the only ones who know how your network is set up

felixflyer,

There are 101 ways to skin the remote printing cat.

Best to ask the IT crowd at your company as they will have preferences and policies.

Theoretically yes, if you've got the right sort of VPN.

However technically, there may be more efficient ways to spool the files to print. Your IT guys may already have the relevant software licenses for you.

A word of caution. I was in BKK working away from my office and late in the afternoon I printed a document expecting it to print locally at the desk I was sitting at. It printed 5000 miles away on my 'home' printer' and of course it was the middle of the night.

Murphy's law, it was a cv and a letter of application for another job! Frantic middle of night 'phone call to a colleague/friend to go into the office a sparrow-fart to remove document from the printer before others saw. Also of course it contained the usual degree of elasticity concerning some of my achievements at said company!

He got to the office about 7 and texted me to say the document wasn't on the printer. I'm ****ting bricks until his second text arrived 5 minutes later telling me that had been his revenge for me spoiling his night!