Add a Printer to Time Capsule

Time Capsule is a product made by Apple designed for wireless backup of your computer's files. The small device can also be used to broadcast an Internet connection wirelessly and share external devices wirelessly, including hard drives and printers. Adding these devices to Time Capsule (and the associated backup utility Time Machine) is a straightforward process. Follow the steps below to learn how to add a printer to Time Capsule and share it wirelessly.

Steps

Add a Printer to Time Capsule Using Mac OS X

  1. Ensure that your computer is connected to the Time Capsule drive. Open the Finder program and click on the "Time Capsule" network drive listed in the left panel. In the right panel, click the button that reads "Connect As." In the dialog box that appears, choose "Connect with Password" and enter the password you set up for your Time Capsule device. Click the "OK" button to connect.
  2. Connect your printer to the Time Capsule device. Plug the printer's USB cord into the USB port on the back of the Time Capsule device. After doing this, it may help to restart both the printer and the computer to ensure that the connection is recognized.
  3. Open the System Preferences menu. Click the Apple logo in the upper task bar to display the main menu. Scroll down to "System Preferences" and click on it to open the menu.
  4. Add the printer to your computer. In the System Preferences menu, click the "Print and Fax" icon. In the menu that appears, click the "Add" button. Select your printer from the list that appears, and then click the "Add" button. The printer will now appear as an option in any software on your computer.

Add a Printer to Time Capsule Using Windows

  1. Ensure that your computer is connected to Time Capsule. Open the My Computer window by clicking on the desktop icon or navigating to the option in the Start menu. Under the heading "Network Drives," you should see an icon reading "Time Capsule." Double-click the icon, and choose "Connect with Password" in the dialog box that appears. Enter the password associated with your Time Capsule device and click the "OK" button.
  2. Connect your printer to the Time Capsule device. Plug the printer into the USB port on the Time Capsule drive using a USB cord. If your printer does not support USB connectivity, you won't be able to share it using Time Capsule.
  3. Install Bonjour for Windows. The CD included with Time Capsule includes an installation of Bonjour, which is Apple's service for detecting wireless devices. Insert the CD into your optical drive and follow the instructions that appear in the installation wizard to install Bonjour.
  4. Add the printer when prompted. In the Bonjour installation wizard, you will be prompted to choose any detected printers you wish to add. Choose your printer from the list and continue with the installation. You are now sharing the printer wirelessly.

Tips

  • Many printers that include scanning and faxing features will need to be directly plugged into your computer to enable those features.

Things You'll Need

  • Computer
  • Time Capsule
  • USB printer

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Sources and Citations

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