How to: Setup your WP for printing

Yesterday, I filled you in on a suite of Printing Apps for your WP. As promised, below are instructions for setting up your router and PC to print from your Windows Phone using applications from Two Dollar Apps.

1. Go to the Two Dollar Apps website at: http://www.twodollarapps.com/. When the screen opens, click on Free Downloads (left side of screen.

 

2. Click on WP7 Print Helper Installer 1.2, assuming you just purchased, or at least have updated, one of TDAs printing apps.

 

3. You can Run or Save the file to your PC.

 

4. Click the file to open, or if you selected Run, you will see the below dialog. Click Install to continue.

 

5. The next dialog will confirm installation. Click Close

 

6. Under Two Dollar Apps in your Start Menu, click “Print helper service management” to launch Print Helper setup

 

7. When the following dialog appears, Click the first box; “Install the WP7 Print Helper….”

 

8. Enter your PC login information so that Print Helper can access Port 8000 on your PC. Click OK when finished.

 

9. You will see the below dialog, indicating that Print Helper service will now installed. Click OK. This will only take a few seconds.

 

10. Another confirmation dialog. Click OK.

 

11. Click the second box (from step 7 above) to Configure the WP7 Print Helper Service. If you plan to use Port 8000 (the default) nothing to do here. If you are connecting through multiple PCs on the same wireless network, you will need to use a different Port for each PC. Can’t assign the same Port number to two different machines. So, you can use; 8001, 8002, 8003, etc. Click Save when done.

 

12. Finally. Service PrintService has started.

 

13. Open Windows Firewall on your PC, select Exceptions, and check to see if WP7 Print Helper Service added a Port to your Exceptions list. If not, click Add Port

 

14. You can give the new Port any name you like. Enter 8000 (or the Port number you entered in Step 11). Click Change scope and select “My network intranet only” to keep access local. Click OK to save.

 

15. Your new Port will now appear on your Exceptions list. Make sure it’s selected. Almost done.

 

16. The last couple of steps will be different, based on the type of Wireless Router you are using. On my Linksys E4200, the option is labeled DHCP Reservation. This is where you can set a fixed IP address for your PC, so that DHCP does not assign a different address each time you connect. You may need to check your router documentation for instructions. Doing this is not only good for printing from your phone. I have a couple apps on my Windows Phones that connect to my PC, like Share Folder for example. Having a fixed IP makes those apps easier to use. Set a fixed IP for any PCs you plan to use for printing.

 

 

17. The final step is to open Port 8000 on your router, so your phone can communicate with your PC. You will generally find this option in the Gaming section on your router. Assign the appropriate Port number to each fixed IP address assigned in step 16 above. That’s it. Your done. 

When you open one of the Two Dollar Printing Apps, after setting the IP and Port, click Test Connection to make sure that all of the above was setup properly. If it was you will get an OK message for your IP. Assuming your printer can be found by the app, you are good to go.