How can I share one printer between two PC's in my home office?

I have a home PC with a printer and my new employer sent me a laptop. I'm sure they would be willing to send me a printer, but I don't need the extra clutter. The laptop is able to connect to the Internet over my wireless network, but it cannot see my local workgroup, I assume because my employer has the laptop locked down in that regard. Which means I can't tell it to just "print to the printer on that other computer over there."

Is there a USB switch or some other kind of hardware that would allow me to share the printer between these two computers?

You have a couple options. First, make sure the printer is shared on the desktop and that the printer and computer are turned on.

Then, open up 'network places' on the laptop, and simply type the IP address of the desktop computer into the address bar (you can check this on the desktop by opening up a DOS prompt and typing 'ipconfig'). That should make the printer appear on your notebook and you can just right click it and go to 'install'.

The second option is to buy a network print server for your printer - this is a little box with an ethernet connection on one end and a USB jack on the other that lets your printer connect to your network without being attached to a specific computer. Then you just need to go to the printer settings on your laptop and add a network printer.

Go into the "printer properties" (from the computer that is currently connected to it), and then to "sharing". If it allows sharing, you should be able to share it to your network, and then install it on the laptop from the network.

Check the printer manual as well to see about printer sharing.

You can also open up Windows Help and Support Center and search for Printer Sharing.

There is no way your employer could have "locked" your laptop so you can't see your home network. You probably just don't have it set up properly.

If your employer has it locked down through group policy then you should be able to call them up and ask them to help you install it. Without admin rights, you won't be able to install the new hardware.

If the printer has a USB port, you should be able to plug into the lap top and the printer...

Sounds like you already have a wireless router at your home. you can buy a wireless printer adapter for your home printer and then use that to share the printer between the PCs at your home.

Suggestion: go to BestBuy, CompUSA, Office Depot or Staples and discuss your needs with someone there.