Connecting Printers in a new print shop

[Copy Cats]

Hello, Im new to the forum, and new to the print shop business. I am in the process of opening a new shop.

I would like some suggestions on best ways to connect all of the printers i have in the shop. I have a small shop and no printers will have customer access. All print jobs will be sent from employees(just me now). I have a computer in the front and two in the back, I also have 2 laptops i may move around or take with me. All of my printers/copiers are ip network printers and are connected now.

1- I have heard of using a computer as a print server and send all jobs thru this computer, or
2- I could install all printers on one desktop computer and share it with all other printers, or
3- should i just setup and install all of the printers on each computer and send all jobs directly to the printers?

or any other suggestions would be helpful. Thanks

 

[Mark Flanders]

Copy Cat,

Wow. Not sure where to begin here. It doesn't sound like a good business plan, at least at first glance. Dare I ask what "printers" you plan on having in the back? It sounds like you want to hook up a handful of deskjets and a laser printer and then plug them together and call it a print shop. Maybe it's just the newbie habit of calling presses and copy machines "printers" that is throwing me off. Either way, there is just a snidge more involved, in a print shop. Howver, i will humor you. What you are asking about is a server and a network. Yes, based on what you've said, you will want to set up a network. Type into Google: "how do I set a print server and network for multiple printers?" and see what you get. Good luck!

 

[Copy Cats]

Thanks Mark for the input, My current goal is not to be a huge commercial press print shop. I will be outsourcing all large jobs to a commercial shop that i currently work with. What I have is probably more of a copy shop. I have an Epson 7600 for posters and larger inkjet projects. I have a couple of ricoh 3245 multifunction machines in the front now and i plan on adding a couple of other copiers, I will not be having any machines in the back LOL, i have a couple of computers in the back that i plan on making my office. I just want the most efficient way of linking all my printers together to be able to access all machines from any computer i may be on. Im not sure of the amount of load on a computer it is to send jobs and whether that should be centralized on one computer or shared by each individual computer sending the job.

 

[Craig]

Invest in a router and some network switches and it/they will control network communication between the workstations and the printers.

Mark, don't get your panties in a wad about the whole "digital press" term. That in my opinion is the worst description, ever. They way I see it, I have about $400,000.00 in printers.