Debian printer server for heterogenous network

[Jose L Gomez Dans <j.l.gomez-dans@sheffield.ac.uk>]

Hi!
	I want to set up a server to control the printers we've got
scattered around here. Basically, there are a number of computers which are
now accessing the printers through some very simple parallel port hub (i.e.,
all parallel port cables go into a box in the wall, and then a cable goes
into the printer. This "box" seems to put jobs into some sort of archaic
queu). This is unsatisfactory because the cable lengths used to connect to
this printers are too long, and most of us can't print anything at all :(

	So, my question is: is there a possibility to set a computer with
the lot of printers connected to it, so the users can connect to this
computer and print from it?

	This is very simple in my case, as printing from my Linux box
through some other Linux box is fairly obvious (note the fairly :D).
However, we've got computers running Win 98, 95 and even 3.11. The problem
is that people still need the 3.11 machine, because some software runs only
on this machine. And obviously, my Windows-frenzied colleagues want to print
from Word to the printer...

	Can anyone suggest anything? I'd be most grateful :)
	
		Cheers!
		Jose

-- 
Jose L Gomez Dans			PhD student
					Radar & Communications Group
					Department of Electronic Engineering
					University of Sheffield UK