printer problems

[CAROLINE at lib.uttyl.edu]

Hello group!

Our situation:

We are running three (soon to be six) 486 PC patron workstations.
We provide Netscape, Telnet, and a z39.50 client on these machines.
We use Windows 3.1, NOT Win for Workgroups <sigh>.  Though they are 
connected to the campus backbone, they don't talk to the Novell
Server.  They do talk to our Domain Name Server, I think.

Until this time we have forced the students to download to floppy.
The choice was their's as to taking a personal disk home or borrowing
a disk and printing at a dedicated print station (an old clunker w/a
new laser printer attached) at $.10 a page.

Frankly, this laser "Print Station" is driving me mad  (maintenance
and virus protection and , yes, it needs a RAM upgrade too).  I want 
to be able to provide printing to our students on the laser printer we
have, BUT I don't want to buy & set up a LAN when there is no other reason
than printing for these PC's to be on one.  Other than setting up a
connection to a 6 user switchbox <gasp! they DO exist!>....is 
there any other way?

Awaiting at least a dozen brilliant ideas,
Caroline Allen
Caroline at lib.uttyl.edu
U of Texas at Tyler