best way to set external ip by ip forwarding / routing

[microsoft]

So,

what we want to do is set a printer out on the internet (external IP) so
that a company can send print jobs directly to it.

we have 3 ways to deal with this....

Option 1) Run a cable from our floor where the computer room is ...
outside switch up to the phone closet on the printer floor, and connect it
to a hub. Then run a wire from punch down to the hub. This would allow us
to enable the printer to use an external address.

Option 2) Run a cable from our secondary DSL connection down to the printer
floor, and connect it to a hub. Then run a wire from punch down to the hub.
This would allow us to enable the printer to use one of the DSL external IP
addresses

Option 3) Create a route statement using a firewall (I am not sure if
Watchguard can do this)...that would route 12.147.198.24 to an internal IP
address that would be hard coded into the printer.

Option 4) Set up a standalone pc as a print server and route external
requests, internally to print.

 

[Steven Umbach]

If your firewall is a nat firewall, then you could try to port forward to your
internal printer. However that would leave file and print sharing ports open to
that computer/printer from the internet which is not safe, though if you
restrict access from only authorized IP address the risk will be greatly
reduced. Also a lot of ISP will not allow file and print traffic over their
network and that traffic probably is clear text which could be intercepted if
that is a concern. You might also look into creating a vpn or ipsec tunnel
between your two networks, possibly just to that printer. Ipsec endpoint devices
are very affordable these days with Netgear selling the FVS318 being around
$120. --- Steve