As we have numerous private forums, I disable sharelinks from these forums so that people don't mistakenly expose them.

Unfortunately, though, this prevents people from using the download and print links.

It would be nice if download and print were not part of the sharelinks option so that we can disable sharelinks, but still enjoy the ability to download and print.

System -> Tools & Settings -> Share Links

you can specify there which share link you want to activate or not.

I want Print and Download links as part of another function other than share links. Ultimately, I want to be able to disable sharelinks for private forums, but still have my members who access those forums to have the print and download buttons.

In other words, print and download are a basic forum functionality that should be visible in every topic. Why marry them to social media links? An easy workaround might be having the download and print icons remain visible, even if the social media "shared" links are not enabled.

Yup, that's the point I was trying to get across.