How to connect printers to a network?

 Having a network printer has great advantages. The main one is the possibility of using the same physical station from different computers both at home and at work. In this way, for those people who have several work teams, but a single printer, the option of connecting it to a network solves many problems. In general terms, printers can become network equipment, so that it can be accessed wherever you are, without having to worry about having a printer for each of your computers.

As we said, many users already enjoy this option that offers so many advantages, especially the fact of not having to move the printer from one computer to another, or vice versa. Nor will it be necessary for you to use peripherals such as USB cables, memories or CDs. 

To begin with, you must have a network installed at home or at work ; If you do not have this network, you will not be able to carry out the connection. In this way, in today's article we are going to explain, in an affordable, complete and step-by-step way, what you must do to connect and configure a network printer.

How to install and configure a network printer

 

To start working on the network, you must know how to install and configure your network printer from your home or from work correctly, so that you can enjoy the enormous advantages of not having to physically move the information to print. So, below, we offer you the steps you must take to achieve it. It is important that you take into account that you must have an Internet network installed, since it will be in charge of allowing the link between each of the computers that you want to connect to your printer. If you do not have an Internet network, we will not be able to carry out the network connection. 

Step 1. Installing and connecting the printer

 

The first step is to install and connect the printer; Well, for this we must make sure that the equipment can be connected to the network, that is, we must verify that it can be connected to an Internet network, either through an Ethernet cable or through a wireless device. You should keep in mind at this point that the process we are describing may be subject to various variations taking into account the specific model of your printer. 

• Steps to follow if you have an Internet connection via Ethernet cable:

• Place the printer near the Internet router.

• Then connect the printer to the router using the cable.

• It is recommended to turn off the router when making the connection, although it is not mandatory.

• As soon as the two computers are connected, turn them on; the computer should recognize the printer automatically.

• Steps to follow if you have an Internet connection through a wireless network:

• Keep in mind that it depends specifically on the brand of the equipment.

• The first step is to turn on the equipment and select “Wireless LAN Connection”.

• Next, connect the printer to the network.

• The last step is to enter the “ Password ” that is requested.

Step 2. Setting up the printer on the network

 This step must be carried out from your computer. Once you have started it, you have to start the configuration of the two equipment (computer and printer). To do this, you have to follow the following instructions: 

• The first step is to open “Settings”  from your computer. 

• Next, select “Control Panel”.

• Access "Hardware and Sound" from the control panel.

• Click on “View devices and printers”.

• Finally, select "Add a new printer", so that the computer begins to search the network -either by cable or wirelessly- for the existence of new devices. 

• After a few minutes, the new devices found will appear on the computer screen, we select our printer and click on "Next" .

Step 3. Share the printer on the network

At the moment in which the equipment is installed and configured correctly, we must share the printer on the network so that other computers have the possibility of connecting to it and being able to print via a wireless network. With this end in mind, we must search for this new device from our computer. The steps to follow are similar to those carried out in the previous section: 

• The first step will be to access " Settings " of our team.

• Then we select “ Hardware and sound ”.

• Then “Devices and Printers ”.

• And, finally, “Add a new printer ”.

When our printer model appears, we select it and carry out these new steps: 

• We click, with the right button of our mouse, on the icon of the printer that we wish to configure.

• Next, a menu will be displayed in which we will select the "Share" option; once selected, we choose the option “Share this printer”  and, next, “Submit print jobs on client computer”.

• To finish, click on “Apply”  and  “OK” . In this way, your printer is already shared and you will be able to access it in an agile and simple way in order to make your impressions no matter where you are, be it home or work.