How to Install a Network Printer

Sharing a Windows Printer

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   Use HomeGroups to share a printer between Windows 7 and Windows 8 computers on your local network. If your home network only has Windows 7 and 8 computers, the easiest way to share your printer with other computers on the network is by using a HomeGroup. Click here for detailed instructions, or read on if HomeGroups don't apply to your situation.
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   Install the printer on the Windows computer that will be sharing it. Since the computer will need to be on in order to print, you should install the printer on the computer that is powered on the most.

   1. Most printers will install automatically when you connect the USB cable to the computer. Click here for instructions on installing a USB printer if the printer doesn't install on its own.
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   Enable printer sharing in Windows. You'll need to enable printer sharing to allow other computers on the network to connect to your installed printer.

   1. Open the Control Panel and select "Network and Sharing Center" or "Network and Internet".
   2. Click the "Change advanced sharing settings" link.
   3. Expand the "Private" network settings. These are the settings for your Home network.
   4. Select the "Turn on file and printer sharing" option. Click Save changes.
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   Share the installed printer. Now that printer sharing is enabled, you can set the printer to be shared.

   1. Open the Control Panel.
   2. Select "Devices and Printers" or "View devices and printers".
   3. Right-click on the printer you are sharing and select "Printer properties". Do not select the "Properties" option.
   4. Click the Sharing tab, check the "Share this printer" box, and click Apply.
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   Connect to the shared printer (Windows). If you are trying to connect to the shared printer on a Mac, skip down to the next step.

   1. Ensure that the computer sharing the printer is turned on and logged in.
   2. Open the Control Panel on the computer connecting to the shared printer.
   3. Select "Devices and Printers" or "View devices and printers".
   4. Click Add a printer at the top of the window.
   5. Select "Add a network, wireless or Bluetooth printer".
   6. Select your network printer from the list and click Next.
   7. Install the necessary drivers if prompted. Windows should be able to find and install the correct drivers for most printers.
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   Connect to the shared printer (Mac). If you're using a Mac computer, you can connect to a printer shared by a Windows PC.

   1. Ensure both computers are in the same workgroup. Click here for detailed instructions.
   2. Try to download Mac drivers for the printer before proceeding. Check the manufacturer's support page to see if OS X drivers are available for the printer you are connecting to. Download them if they are available, but don't worry if you can't find any.
   3. Click the Apple menu and select "System Preferences".
   4. Click the "Print & Scan" option.
   5. Click the "+" button to add a new printer.
   6. Select the "Windows" tab.
   7. Select your workgroup, the name of the computer sharing the printer, and then the printer you want to add.
   8. Click the "Use" menu and select "Other..." if you were able to download an OS X driver, then select the driver you downloaded. If you weren't able to find a driver, click "Select Printer Software..." and look through the list to see if compatible software is available. If you can't find a match, select "Generic PostScript Printer".
   9. Set any configuration options. After loading the driver, you will be able to set any configuration options allowed by the printer.
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   Print to the shared printer. Once you've installed the printer on your operating system (either Windows or Mac), you can print to it just as if it was connected directly to the computer. Just select it in the Print dialog box in any program.

   1. If the printer is not appearing, make sure that it is turned on, and that the computer it is connected to is turned on and logged in.

Troubleshooting

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   My printer works but then disappears after a little while. This can be caused by problems with the Windows print sharing settings. If you are encountering this problem often, try connecting to your printer via its IP address. Click here for detailed instructions.

Sharing a Mac Printer

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   Install the printer on the Mac that will be sharing it. Since the computer will need to be on in order to print, you should install the printer on the computer that is powered on the most.

   1. Note that it is easier for a Mac to connect to a shared Windows computer than vice versa . if you have a mix of computer types, consider installing the printer on your Windows computer and use the previous method.
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   Enable printer sharing on the Mac that the printer is installed on. In order for other Mac computers to connect to the printer, you'll need to enable printer sharing.

   1. Click the Apple menu and select "System Preferences".
   2. Select the "Sharing" option.
   3. Check the "Printer Sharing" box.
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   Share the printer. Once you've enabled Printer Sharing, you can select which printers you want to share. From the "Sharing" window, check the box next to the printer you want to share. If you have multiple printers installed, check all the ones you want to make available.
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   Change your permissions (optional). After sharing a printer, you can select who has access to it. By default, everyone connected to your network can print to the printer. You can limit access based on usernames if you prefer.
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   Connect to the shared printer (Mac). Now that the printer is shared, you can connect to it from your other Mac computers. If you are connecting a Windows computer to the shared printer, skip down to the next step.

   1. Click the Apple menu and select "System Preferences".
   2. Click the "Print & Scan" option.
   3. Click and hold the "+" button at the bottom of the printer list.
   4. Select the printer you want to add from the menu that appears.
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   Connect to the shared printer (Windows). If you're trying to connect to a printer shared from a Mac on a Windows computer, you'll need to download some special software from Apple on the Windows computer.

   1. Download the Bonjour Print Services software. You can download this directly from Apple here.^[3]
   2. Run the installer to install the Bonjour software.
   3. Run the "Bonjour Printer Wizard". This will appear after you finish installing the Bonjour software.
   4. Select the printer that you want to connect to. Make sure that the Mac is connected to the same network as the Windows PC for the printer to appear.
   5. Install the printer software if prompted. You may be prompted to select the software for your new printer. If the printer you want isn't on the list, you'll need to download the correct drivers from the printer manufacturer's support page.
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   Print to the shared printer. Once you've installed the printer on your operating system (either Windows or Mac), you can print to it just as if it was connected directly to the computer. Just select it in the Print dialog box in any program.

   1. If the printer is not appearing, make sure that it is turned on, and that the computer it is connected to is turned on and logged in.

Troubleshooting

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   I've installed Bonjour but my Windows computer cannot connect to the Mac printer. This problem may be caused by your firewall blocking a necessary port. Open your software firewall (either Windows Firewall or your antivirus firewall settings) and open UDP port 5353.

Installing a Network Printer via IP Address

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   Understand when you would need to use this method. Oftentimes older equipment will not cooperate well with newer printer-networking setups. Connecting via the printer's IP address has the most compatibility, but also means you won't have access to any of the printers extra features. Some typical cases include:

   1. If you're trying to connect an older printer to your network, it may not support being added automatically by your operating system.
   2. If your printer is connected to a print server, you'll need to connect to that server instead of the printer.
   3. If you're using an older version of Windows or OS X, such as XP or Snow Leopard, you may not be able to automatically add new printers.
   4. If you're connecting to your school's printers, you will likely need to use the IP address.
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   Connect the printer to your network. You can plug it directly into your network switch using an Ethernet cable, connect it to a print server connected to your network, or connect it to your network using the printer's built-in wireless adapter.
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   Get the printer's IP address. There are a couple of different ways you can get the IP address of your printer.

   1. If your printer has a display, you may be able to see the IP address in the printer's Networking or Settings menu.
   2. Most printers will print the IP address on the configuration page. You can print this from the printer's Settings menu.
   3. If you're using an older printer, you may have to access your router to determine the IP address of the printer.
   4. If you're connecting to a print server, you'll need the server's IP address. If you are connecting to a school's printer, the IT department will be able to provide you with the IP addresses.
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   Connect to the printer (Windows). If you are using a Mac, skip down to the next step.^[4]

   1. Open the Control Panel and select "Devices and Printers" or "View devices and printers".
   2. Click the Add a printer button and then select "Add a local printer".
   3. Select "Create a new port" and then select "Standard TCP/IP Port" from the menu. Click Next.
   4. Enter the printer's IP address into the "Hostname or IP address" field. Click Next.
   5. Select your printer make and model. If its not listed, click Windows Update to check online or Have Disk if you have the printer's software.
   6. If prompted to use the current driver or replace it, choose to use the driver that is currently installed.
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   Connect to the printer (Mac OS X).^[5]

   1. Click the Apple menu and select "System Preferences".
   2. Click the "Print & Scan" option.
   3. Click the "+" button at the bottom of the printer list.
   4. Click the "IP" tab at the top of the Add Printer window.
   5. Enter the printer's IP address into the "Address" field.
   6. Select the correct Protocol. Many systems will use the default "Line Printer Daemon", but check with your network administrator if you're unsure.
   7. Click Add. If you are prompted to install software, follow the prompts to download it or install it from a disk.
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   Print to the network printer. Once you've added the printer to your operating system, you'll be able to select it from any Print dialog.