Connect a Printer to Your Computer

Connecting a printer to a computer used to be a mess. You had to connect to a special port, make sure all of your drivers were configured correctly, and pray that your operating system was feeling cooperative. These days, things are a lot simpler. Whether you’re connecting a printer directly to your computer, setting up a network printer, or trying to print from your smartphone or tablet, you can be printing in just a few minutes.

Steps

Connecting a Printer to a Windows Computer

  1. Set your printer near your computer. Make sure that it is close enough that the cable can reach your computer without tension.
  2. Install any software that came with your printer. To make the connection process easier, install any software that came packaged with the printer before connecting it.
    • If you don't have any software, don't worry too much. Windows will usually be able to automatically detect the printer when it is plugged in.
  3. Plug the printer into your computer using a USB cable. Make sure to plug it into a USB port directly on your computer, and not a USB hub.
    • Ensure the the printer has been plugged into a power source and is turned on.
  4. Follow the prompts Windows provides to install the printer. Windows should automatically find your new printer and install any additional software required.
  5. Confirm that your printer was installed correctly.
    • Open the Control Panel.
    • Select "Devices and Printers".
    • Find your newly-installed printer on the list.
  6. Download updated drivers from the manufacturer if your printer doesn't install. If your printer still isn't showing up, installing new drivers from the manufacturer may solve your problem. Visit the manufacturer's support site and download the drivers for your printer model.

Connecting a Printer to a Mac Computer

  1. Set your printer near your computer. Make sure that it is close enough that the cable can reach your computer without tension.
  2. Install any software that came with your printer. To make the connection process easier, install any software that came packaged with the printer before connecting it.
    • If you don't have any software, OS X will usually be able to automatically detect the printer when it is plugged in.
  3. Plug the printer into your computer using a USB cable. Make sure to plug it into a USB port directly on your computer, and not a USB hub.
    • Ensure the the printer has been plugged into a power source and is turned on.
  4. Follow the prompts OS X provides to install the printer. OS X should automatically find your new printer and install any additional software required.
  5. Confirm that your printer was installed correctly.
    • Click the Apple menu.
    • Select Print & Scan.
    • Find your printer in the list on the left.
  6. Download updated drivers from the manufacturer if your printer doesn't install. If your printer still isn't showing up, installing new drivers from the manufacturer may solve your problem. Visit the manufacturer's support site and download the drivers for your printer model.

Setting Up a Network Printer

To set up a printer that any computer on your network can access, click here. To share a printer that is connected to a Windows computer, click here. To share a printer that is connected to a Mac computer, click here.

Setting Up a Wireless Network Printer

  1. Check your printer’s possible network connections. Many newer printers are capable of connecting to wireless networks, and a fair amount have Ethernet ports as well. If your printer has neither of these, you will need to either connect it to your computer and share it on the network or connect it to a print server, which is a small box that connects to the network that you plug the printer’s USB cable into.[1]
  2. Set your computer in a location that can get your wireless signal. Your printer will need to be able to communicate with your wireless router, so you can't place it too far away from the router.
    • If you are connecting the printer via Ethernet, it will need to be connected to your router. This means you will want it in a location that allows for easy connecting with the Ethernet cable.
  3. Power on your printer. Complete the prompts that the printer may display to connect to the network.
  4. Check the manual that came with your printer for specific network setup instructions. If you don't have your manual, you can find it on the manufacturer's support site.
    • Some printers need to be connected directly to a computer before they can be used wirelessly, while others allow you to complete the wireless setup process entirely on the printer itself.
    • If your printer supports wireless networks, then you will usually need to use the menu interface on the printer to search for your wireless network. Once you connect, you will need to enter in your wireless password.
  5. Connect your Windows PC to the network printer. Once your printer is connected to the network, you will need to add it in Windows. If you are using a Mac, see the next step.
    • Open the Control Panel and select "Devices and Printers".
    • Click the Add a printer button at the top of the window.
    • Select "Add a network, wireless, or Bluetooth printer".
    • Windows will search for available printers. Select the new network printer from the list and click Next.
    • Print a test page. After connecting to the printer, Windows will automatically install the necessary drivers. You will be taken to a final page, where you will have the option to set the printer as the default printer. You will also be able to print a test page to make sure that the installation worked.
  6. Connect your OS X computer to the network printer. In many cases, your network printer will already be available in OS X. If it is not, you may need to add it manually. Click the Apple menu and select System Preferences.
    • Click the "Print & Scan" button in the Hardware section. This will open a list of your connected printers.
    • Click the button at the bottom of the printer list. From this new window, you can search for printers connected over the network. If the printer is being shared by a Windows computer, use the Windows option to look for it.
    • Click the Add button. The printer will be added to your list of available printers.[2]

Sharing a Printer with Other Computers (Windows)

  1. Install the printer on the computer you want to share from. See the Connect-a-Printer-to-Your-Computer for detailed instructions.
  2. Open the Control Panel on the computer connected to the printer.
  3. Select "Network and Sharing Center".
  4. Click the "Change advanced share settings" link.
  5. Expand the Private network profile. This is usually the profile used on home networks.
  6. Select "Turn on file and printer sharing". Click Save changes.
  7. Connect to the shared printer from other Windows computers on the network. The computer that is sharing the printer must be turned on.
    • Open the Control Panel and select "Devices and Printers".
    • Click the Add a printer button at the top of the window.
    • Select "Add a network, wireless, or Bluetooth printer".
    • Windows will search for available printers. Select the new network printer from the list and click Next.
  8. Connect to the shared printer from other Mac computers on the network. The computer that is sharing the printer must be turned on.
    • Click the Apple menu and select System Preferences.
    • Select Print & Scan in the Hardware section. This will open a list of your connected printers.
    • Click the button at the bottom of the printer list.
    • Click the "Windows" tab at the top of the new window.
    • Select the Windows printer from the list.
    • Click the Add button. The printer will be added to your list of available printers.

Sharing a Printer with Other Computers (Mac)

  1. Install the printer on the Mac you want to share from. See the Connect-a-Printer-to-Your-Computer for detailed instructions.
  2. Click the Apple menu and select System Preferences.
  3. Click the Sharing option.
  4. Check the "Printer Sharing" box.
  5. Check the box next to the printer you want to share.
  6. Connect to the shared printer from other Macs on the network. The computer that is sharing the printer must be turned on.
    • Click the Apple menu and select System Preferences.
    • Select Print & Scan in the Hardware section. This will open a list of your connected printers.
    • Click the button at the bottom of the printer list.
    • Select the shared printer you want to connect to.
    • Click
  7. Connect to the shared printer from other Windows computers on the network. The Mac that is sharing the printer must be turned on.
    • Download and install the "Bonjour Print Services for Windows" utility from Apple.
    • Download and install the drivers for the printer from the manufacturer's support site.
    • Run the "Bonjour Print Wizard" after installation.
    • Select the shared printer you want to connect to.
    • Select the correct drivers from the list. You will only be prompted to do so if you didn't previously install the drivers.
    • Click . You can now select the printer when printing a document or image.[3]

Printing From Your Smartphone

  1. Use AirPrint to print from an iOS device to a compatible network printer. If you have a printer on your network that is AirPrint compatible, you can print to it using the built-in AirPrint function in most iOS apps. Your iOS device must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
    • The printer must support AirPrint functionality in order to work. Check your printer's documentation or support site for details.
    • If your printer supports AirPrint, install it as a network printer. As long as it is turned on and connected to the network, you should be able to select it when you go to Print a document on your iOS device.
    • You can access the Print option in iOS by opening the Share menu on a document or image.
    • If your AirPrint printer is not appearing on your iOS device, try turning it off and then on again, and ensure that it is properly connected to the network.
  2. Use Google Cloud Print to print from Android and iOS devices. You can set up most network printers as Google Cloud Printers, which will allow you to print from anywhere as long as you are logged in with your Google account.
    • Open Chrome on a computer that can access the network printer.
    • Click the Chrome Menu button (☰) and select Settings.
    • Click the "Show advanced settings" link and then click the Manage button in the "Google Cloud Print" section.
    • Click Add printers. Your computer will be scanned for available printers.
    • Check the printers you want to share. Click "Add printer(s)" to confirm.
    • Print from Google apps. Once you have added your Google Cloud Printer, you can print to it from your Google apps such as Chrome and Drive.
  3. Use printer-specific apps to print from your iOS or Android device. If you have a network printer that doesn't work with AirPrint or you want more flexibility than Google Cloud Print offers, most manufacturers have apps that allow you to connect with their brand of network printers. An example of this is HP' ePrint app.
    • Your printer will need to be setup as a network printer in order for these apps to work.



Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.laptopmag.com/advice/tips/how-to-make-your-printer-wireless.aspx
  2. ↑ http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3771
  3. ↑ http://www.7tutorials.com/printing-shared-macintosh-os-x-printer-windows-7
Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Connect_a_Printer_to_Your_Computer&oldid=353243"