It’s easy to print from the office. But, if you’re in Timbuktu and you need to print to the printer in your office in Milwaukee… well, that’s not so easy. Unless you set up an office printer to accept print requests over the Internet. Then it’s a snap.

There are many ways to implement an office Internet printing solution. Not all printers, however, can handle network printing. In particular, low-end Graphics Design Interface (GDI) printers, which depend on the computer’s processor to rasterize the print job, are unlikely to work with any network printing technique. These printers, also known as host-based printers, are designed specifically to work with Windows PCs. You shouldn’t even bother to try to use them as Internet printers even if your clients are all running Windows.

However, beyond GDI printers you have three good choices: Internet Printing Protocol, Jetdirect, and e-mail-based printers.

3 Ways to Print Over the Internet. More >