D-Link Express EtherNetwork DP-300U Print Server
D-Link DP-300U Multi-Port Print Server

Had trouble setting it up but D-Link was very helpful. So finally got set up but would not work with a Dell Laser printer on the USB. So be sure your printers are compatible before purchasing.
 
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Performance is outstanding! When the Laser Jet 5 was connected to an old, busy desktop, print jobs took5-15 minutes to reach the printer, particularly .pdf jobs. The D-Link DP-300U shoots 'em through like grass through a goose! Note carefully: Unless you use TCP/IP print servers on Windows on a regular basis, READ THE MANUAL!!!! Anyone can set up this device by simply following the well-written manual, but the D-Link DP-300U is versatile and has all the bells and whistles a network geek wants to see, so just take your time. Once you've got it working, it just works and you'll be glad you followed the instructions. Disclaimer: I use only one parallel-port interface. I haven't used the USB port and networked USB devices are a bit dicey in my experience. Look for a review that includes the USB experience.
 
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Product installation was fairly straight forward. Godd solution to share two printers on a local area network.
 
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I bought the DP 300U for use with a Samsung printer connected via parallel port. Worked beautifully the first time. But when that printer died, I replaced it with an HP 1020 with only a single USB port. I could never get the DP 300U to recognize that the printer was connected. I tried multiple resets, even returning to factory settings and reconfiguring the entire printserver to no avail. I'm wondering if it was a USB incompatibility between the printserver (USB 1.1) and the printer (USB 2.0). Also, I noticed that the windows psadmin software is not written to handle usb printers. It refers to parallel ports 1 and 2, and a COM port which hardly anyone uses anymore. I will continue to play with it, but I may have to buy another printserver that is specifically designed to work with USB 2.0.
 
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I wanted to be able to put my printer on the home network so I could share it between a laptop and desktop computer. I was not sure if the DP-300U would work since I'm using an older model printer (HP Deskjet 712C). The installation was a breeze with the help of the quick-install guide that came with the unit. The biggest problem I had was learning how to configure my network to complete this task. This was my first home network setup, so I learned as I went along and read both the install guide and the help menus in Windows XP Pro. After learning that I had to "add a new printer" for each pc (under Windows control panel for 'printers & faxes' menu), I followed the quick install guide in configuring the TCP/IP port to the default printer IP address on the network. One thing that threw me off that I learned was that you have to name the "Queue Name" in the setup whatever the default print server's name is. This is listed on the bottom label of the unit. In my case, the server was named "ps-11afed," so I had to put "ps-11afed-p1" as the queue name, otherwise the setup would not work. This fact was not clearly noted as I learned about it from the tech support at Dlink (who are helpful and will not rush you if you get the right person...ask for Kevin Koehler. He worked with me over 2 hours on another issue.). Other setups might work as I do not profess to be a 'pro' in this area. An obvious fact (to those experienced in setting up networks)I learned is that you can not print without having the router on since the pcs & print server (DP-300U) are now on and go through the network router (DI-624). I opted to buy all Dlink products just to make sure all items on the network were compatable. One item I wish Dlink offered was a longer warranty on the DP-300U. It only comes with a 1 year warranty while their router (DI-624) and wireless adapter (DWL-G650) come with 3 year warranties. Just the same, it's nice that the DP-300U has 2 parallel ports and a USB port in case you ever want to add more printers (not sure if the USB port supports the newer/faster 2.0 or just the older 1.0 USB transfer rate). The unit was a little more expensive than I had imagined, but still a good deal (rebated included with free shipping & no sales tax in TX) and so far has been totally reliable with no problems noted. This unit may not be suitable for the newer printers that may have advanced features and transfer capabilites, but for legacy printers it's an ideal match in my opinion. It definitely provides you the freedom to place your pcs wherever you want on your network while they all print to a central location where the DP-300U print server is located (in my case right next to the DI-624 router). I would also note that while it's a simple matter, it's nice that the Dlink units have these built in "tabs" so you can stack the units on top of eachother. It's nothing fancy nor rock solid, but it works if you plan on just stacking the units on a desktop. All in all I'd say this was a very good purchase. Hope this review helps. Michael mtbmunoz@earthlink.net
 
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This was my first print server, and I've had no problems with it. I'm using it with my D-Link wireless router and an older DeskJet color printer. Never a hiccup, begins printing immediately. The setup with Windows XP is a little weird, but the installation guide talks you through it step by step. After setting it up, the printer acts like it is directly hooked up to my computer. Pretty neat! May I suggest before purchasing this item, go to the D-Link website and see if your printer is supported. I know that this print server will not support multifunction printers unless the printer has 2 ports - one for printing ONLY (plug this into the server), and one for scanning/faxing/etc(plug this directly into your computer). If your multifunction printer only has one USB port that handles everything, you are outta luck. Also I've heard of people having problems with Lexmark printers more than any other brand. All in all, I chose this model print server because it had the most features and fewest complaints of any other print server I researched for under $100.
 
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I tried to save a few bucks and bought a Hawking print server ($55.00). That was a mistake! My first clue should have been the returned Hawking products I saw stacked on Micro Center's shelves. The Hawking took hours to configure (and re-configure) and never worked properly. Sometimes it would work, other times nothing but jiberish coming out of the printer. I didn't even bother with Tech Support. I returned it the next day. After doing my homework and reading the reviews, I opted for the D-Link DP-300U ($75.86). That was $20.00 well spent! Plus it has 2 additional ports. Set up was easy, with a little help from their Tech Support. They had me up and running in 10 minutes! Don't bother with the others. This one has been working flawlessly every time I hit the print button.
 
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After struggling with the instalation with my Canon F50 printer I called D Link Tech service. They advised me that the wireless server would not support any multi-function printers. Buy.com was great with the return but would suggest mentioning in the Tech Specs that the server does lack compatability with some printers...........
 
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I ordered this to replace an aging computer that I was using for a printer server. It arrived 2 days early! It was very easy to set up espicially on my XP computers. Instructions are included for all versions of Windows as well as Mac and Linux. The browser interface for admin is simple andeasy to use and looks amazingly a lot like my D-Link routers (surprise).
 
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This is a great product at a great price. Very easy to set-up and get printing within minutes out of the box. I purchased this mainly because I wanted the other computers on our home network to be be able to print if my Laptop(configured as the print server) was turned off, or I was away on business. I have two printers, 1 USB and 1 parallel, and this supports both of them, with room to add one more printer in the future!
 
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This is my 3rd print server. My first was a linksys, and worked great, but didn't support USB. My second was Hawking, and I never could get it to work properly. This one works great. It is completely glitch free, even though they don't specifically support my printers. I had some problems installing (under Windows XP) because their instructions only work for one printer. They tell you to accept the default name when creating the printer port - basically the TCP/IP address with an extension. If you do this, when you try to add another printer port for the second printer, you will run into problems creating the port. If you give them different names, it works fine. The tech support tried, but wasn't able to help me with this problem. I still really like this because the pain was temporary, and the efficiency goes on and on.
 
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