Printer Problem on Home Network - Not Printing from One Computer

Hi all,

I'm going to do my best to describe what's wrong here - I usually find myself a competent computer user but this problem has me completely stumped and I'm hoping someone can help!

Background info: I have a desktop computer and a laptop at home. The desktop is connected via CAT5 to the modem. The laptop is connected to the same modem and the same network, but via a wireless signal. Both desktop and laptop are Windows 7 Home Premium x64. Both desktop and laptop belong to the same homegroup/workgroup. It is possible to see shared files between the computers no problem. File sharing is enabled on both computers and works normally.

So far, so good. However, I am unable to print from my laptop in a very peculiar way. I'll simply say what goes on (rather than attempt to analyse) so you can judge for yourself:

When I print from the desktop: Print job goes into print queue. I am able to see the document in the print queue, on both the desktop and laptop (i.e. Laptop detects the correct printer and sees there's a document queued). Document prints as expected, and disappears from queue.

When I print from the laptop: Print job goes into print queue on laptop only - Only the laptop sees the document in the print queue, desktop does not see it at all. After some time (usually ~10 seconds per page) the document disappears from the queue, as if it was printed normally. However, the desktop never registers the document in the print queue, and most importantly the printer never prints.

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Questions I've already answered from talking to friends:
- Is this a software issue with Office 2003 (what I use)? Not as far as I can tell, printing PDFs and from websites also don't work on the laptop.
- Could it be that the printer you added to your laptop isn't recognised as being the same printer? I doubt this, because when I print a document on my desktop but check the print queue on my laptop, the document is present.
- What kind printer do you have? HP Deskjet F2180.
- Is your network preventing the two computers from connecting to each other? I don't think so, because file sharing is on for both, works normally on both machines, and I can see the desktop's print queue from the laptop.

Thank you in advance for any help! I'd love to be able to print from my laptop, and not have to transfer files over to my desktop whenever I want to print.

This problem has now been solved - through an option I don't recall seeing on any other version of Windows before!

Right click on printer and go to printer properties on the computer the printer is hosted on...go to SHARING tab...uncheck "Render print jobs on client computers". It turned out to be that simple.

Very strange, that!

Thanks for reporting your fix for this problem Brakes. I'll mark as solved.

My problem is similar - have a networked printer (HP OfficeJet Pro 8500) - the host computer is a desktop running Windows XP. There are several laptops on this network

- two runs on Windows 7
- another is a MAC

all those above print perfectly fine. However, recently purchased another desktop PC and added it to the network. It runs on Windows 7 as well. It finds all the machines on the network including the shared printer. However, on this desktop PC, when one prints, it spools on the desktop itself and after a few seconds it just disappears. No printer errors and no other message. The host desk top PC cannot see the print job though. The printer error wizard tells me there is no problem with the printer. I have uninstalled the printer and reinstalled it. Still nothing works.

Any other suggestions other than buying and connecting another printer directly to this new desktop PC?