How To Setup Printer On A Network

Setting up a network printer is no rocket science at all. In most cases, a series of guides on the LCD will help you connect the printer wirelessly. And in some cases you will need to obtain the printer’s IP address. A wireless printer can be setup with little to no effort in both cases. 

For this, we will go through a series of steps to connect your printer to Windows or Mac and connect the Network printer to your home/office network.

Before You Set Up a Network Printer: 

There are a few things you need to keep in mind before you start to set up a network printer, Which is as follows:

• Make sure to connect your Windows and Mac devices with internet
• Make sure you linked the network printer with the network. It should be ready to connect and turned on
• Install the required software for the printer you are about to connect

1. How to Set Up a Printer on Home Network:

To set up a network printer on a home network or office, it must have a Wi-Fi adapter/Wired connection port to connect. Unless you have some really traditional printer.

Here’s how you can do it:

• Some printers have a small LCD; the interface straightaway guides through the steps to connect to the network

• Find the option “Wi-Fi Setup” or “Network setup” on the screen of the printer
• Following the next screen, you will see the Wi-Fi setup wizard. This wizard will take you through all the steps by which you can connect to Wi-Fi. However, some printers also have some additional options. E.g. a WPS button for router connection
• Following the next screen, the printer settings will display a list of Wi-Fi networks nearby. You can select your Wi-Fi SSID and password and connect the printer to the Wi-Fi

1. Setting Up a Printer Using WPS:

Most printers have a WPS connection option chiefly. A connection to the printer through WPS can be easily configured. You need to:

• Wait for the printer to display a message on the screen that it is ready for a WPS connection
• On your router, find the WPS button and press it. Also on your printer, follow the WPS procedure, and it will catch the WPS signals from the router and connect to it. 
• After a successful connection, you will see a message on the screen afterwards. Some printers print a configuration file right after a successful connection

2.  Wireless Printer Setup on Windows:

• Wireless printer setup to windows is no big task, and when the printer has been connected to a router, it should be checked whether it is discoverable among different devices.

Here is how you can set up a printer on windows 10:

• Turn on the printer and make sure it is ready to connect
• Navigate to the windows search bar and search for Control Panel

• Under Hardware and Sound, click Devices and Printers
• When you are in the Devices and Printers section, click on the “add a printer” option you see in the top left corner

• Sit back and let the Windows scan for the printer. When the printer you want to connect to is listed, you can connect to it. If the printer is not showing, click “the printer I want is not listed.”

• A new dialog box will appear, which enables you to add a printer by other options. For example, by name or TCP/IP address

• This process requires you to know the name of the printer. Choose “select a shared printer by name” and enter the complete path, which goes like this: \\name of the computer\printer-name

For the brother printer, with a network name, let’s say maverick, should be \\maverick\brother

• In case you do not know the printer’s name or its path, you can add the printer by using the option “add a printer by using TCP/IP address or hostname” which requires an IP address of the printer 
• Click next and follow the rest of the steps. If Windows asks for installing the drivers, you can choose the printer’s drivers you downloaded to ensure the process eventually goes smoothly

3.  Wireless printer setup on Mac OS:

Setting up a printer on Mac OS is not tricky. Even if you think it is, don’t worry. We have got you covered. 

Since your printer is already connected to a network, it is time to connect the printer to your Mac OS. 

Here are the calculated and easy steps:

• On your Mac, click the Apple icon, which is usually on the top left of the screen

• On the drop-down menu, click system preferences
• A box will appear with all the system settings. Locate printers and scanners under the hardware

• In the next step, there will be two sections. One on the right-hand side will show you the available printers, and the left one will give you an option to add a printer denoted by the “+” sign
• Since earlier Mac models come with a + sign, and you might be able to add a printer through there. In case you cannot click the + sign, click on the lock to make changes

• Your Mac displays the list of available printers on the default tab. Choose the printer you would like to add

• You can also choose the printer’s driver or software for printing. You can choose from the following drivers:
• AirPrint: Moreover, Apple’s built-in feature which lets you print from the printers which are compatible with AirPrint
• Printer’s own printing drivers (Installing them is necessary)
• Auto-Selection. In case you can’t figure out any drivers, you can choose this option and wait for the Mac to download the relevant drivers
• Next, click add. You will see the new printer in the list of printers added to your Mac. Printers can be seen on the left-hand side of the “Print and Scan” window 

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. I cannot see my wireless printer in the list of available printers.

Make sure you connect your printer to your home network or office network through WPS/Wi-Fi/Ethernet cable to be able to locate it on different devices.

Final Thoughts:

By following the above mentioned steps you can easily setup your printer on a network using wifi on home network or office . All the processes endorsed and well described by experts to resolve your printer issues.