How To Connect Printer To Laptop

Connecting a printer to your PC is easier than ever, now. Thanks to the digital age and innovative technology.

In this article, we will learn the easiest way to set up a printer. And, if it is already set up, we will see how to add a printer to it. Whether it is a wired or wireless printer, we will teach you how to do it.

If you are wondering how to connect a printer to your handheld device, we are going to discuss that, as well.

Let us get started.

How To Connect A Printer Using A Wired USB Cable?

Although connecting a printer via USB cable might seem a hassle to many, it should not be. We will learn about the step-by-step process for connection that will make your task much easier than you think.

Below are the steps to follow:

Step 1: Locate Your Printer Cable

The first step you need to do is – unpack the box and sort out the accessories that come along. Now, take out the printer cable and set it apart. While most printers come with a cable, some do not. If your device does not have a cable included in the package, make sure you buy the right that perfectly fits your printer.

Another thing to remember here is that not all printer cables allow you to connect to the printer via a USB port. Certain cables use a parallel port. Check your PC carefully for the connections.

Step 2: Plug One End Of The Cable Into Your Printer

Moving on to the next step, you will have to plug the cable into the printer. Always look for that end of the cable that is square-shaped. This end perfectly fits into the USB port of the printer located at the back. If you cannot identify this port, do not worry. Refer to the user manual that illustrates the various parts of a printer in a diagram. You can use that as a reference to spot the port.

Step 3: Plug The Other End Of The Cable Into Your Laptop

After you plug in one end of the cable to your printer, the other end should go into your computer or laptop. Depending on whether it is a USB cable or a parallel port cable, plug it into the respective location of your PC. When plugging the other end into a free parallel port cable, ensure that you secure it with screws on both sides of the cable.

Step 4: Install The Required Software That Comes With The Printer

The next step in the connecting process is to install the software. A few printer models work the moment to plug them in. However, some other devices require installing software and other drivers on the PC. These come with a CD and are essential if you want your printer to work. Open the CD or DVD drive on your PC, put the CD inside it to install the required software.

Step 5: Plug Your Printer Into A Power Socket

Not all printers need an external power source to operate them. Most printers use the USB interface to draw the power. However, some will require external power. For such devices, makes sure you plug the power cord of the device into a power socket or wall outlet.

Now that you have the connections in place let us add the printer to the setup. This is what you will have to do.

Step 6: Open Windows Settings On Your PC

To add your printer to the setup, you will have to configure the connection settings.

• To open the windows settings, check for the windows icon at the bottom left of your computer screen. Click on that icon, and it will display the Start Menu.
• In the Start Menu, locate the Settings bar. You can find the icon easily at the bottom and to the extreme left column. Clicking on the Settings icon will direct you to the Window Settings page.

Step 7: Add The Printer To The PC By Accessing The Devices

The next step is to access the devices for connecting the printer.

• In the Window Settings page, you will find an icon named Devices on the first row. Click on that icon, and it will direct you to the Devices page.
• On this page, look at the left column that contains a set of options to choose from. Select the Printers & Scanners option, and it will open a new page.
• This new page will have Add Printer or Scanner as the first option. Click on that.

Step 8: Connecting Your Printer

• After you click on the Add Printer or Scanner option, Windows will automatically detect the printer connected to Your PC via USB cable.
• The moment it detects, your printer’s name pops up. Click on that to complete the installation process as instructed by your computer.

Once you follow all the steps in order, your printer will get connected and will start running. What are you waiting for!! Get the printouts of your desired pages.

After you set up the printer and connected it to the PC, you can either print or turn it off for later use. If you do not want to use it any time soon, you can simply disconnect it. When you reconnect the printer again, it will reactivate its support in Windows.

Till now, we have seen how to connect a printer using a USB cable. Let us now move on to how to connect a wireless printer.

How To Connect A Printer Via Wireless Network?

Connecting a wireless printer may seem a little daunting. Nevertheless, the transition from a wired printer to a wireless one is not only smooth but also worth it.

We will learn about the step-by-step process for connection that will make your task much easier than you think.

Follow the below steps:

Step 1: Locate The Wi-Fi settings On Your Printer

As the first step, you will have to locate the Wi-Fi settings on your printer. This is how you can do:

• Switch on both the Wi-Fi router and the laptop.
• Now, switch on your printer.
• Now that you have turned on all the devices and are ready for configuration, start connecting your printer to your home Wi-Fi.
• Open the printer control panel tab and select the option named Wireless Setup Settings.
• The installation steps here differ for every manufacturer. However, the recent and advanced printers come with an LCD screen that shows the available Wi-Fi networks in proximity.
• Click on the required Wi-Fi network on this screen. It will direct you to the setup page where you can adjust the Wireless LAN Settings

Here is a tip for you:

If you are using an Epson printer, try these navigation steps. Setup à Wireless LAN Settings.

If you are using an HP printer, you can simply go to Network.

Step 2: Link The Printer To Your Wi-Fi network

The next step is to link the printer to your home Wi-Fi network.

• After locating the LAN settings, you should now spot the Service Set Identifier (SSID) of your home network.
• Go to the taskbar and look for the W-Fi icon over there. Now hover your mouse over this icon, and you will be able to locate your SSID.
• On your router, you can locate the SSID either on the bottom or to the side.

Step 3: Complete The Connection Process

After locating the SSID, you can proceed with completing the connectivity process.

• Select the SSID and enter the Wi-Fi password of your network.
• After you enter the password, your printer connects to the Wi-Fi. You can see a light turned near the wireless option of your device.
• Once the light turns on it is an indication that your printer is all set for the printing activity.

Step 4: Locate The Printer Settings On Your PC

The next step in the process is to locate the printer settings on your PC.

• To open the windows settings, check for the windows icon at the bottom left of your computer screen. Click on that icon, and it will display the Start Menu.
• In the Start Menu, locate the Settings bar. You can find the icon easily at the bottom and to the extreme left column. Clicking on the Settings icon will direct you to the Window Settings page.
• In the Window Settings page, you will find an icon named Devices on the first row. Click on that icon, and it will direct you to the Devices page.

Step 5: Connect Your Printer To The PC

• On the Devices page, look at the left column that contains a set of options to choose from. Select the Printers & Scanners option, and it will open a new page.
• This new page will have Add Printer or Scanner as the first option. Click on that.
• After you click on the Add Printer or Scanner option, Windows will automatically detect the printer.
• The moment it detects, your printer’s name pops up along with the model number. Click on that to complete the installation process as instructed by your computer.
• For that, you will have to select the Add Device option on your PC. You can now relax, as your device will do the rest and completes the wireless configuration.
• While the windows will be setting up the necessary drivers you may wait. It will automatically add the printer as well to your computer.
• You may require installing additional software. In such a case, your windows will prompt the same. After you receive a Get app prompt, click on it, and the download will begin. After downloading, it will install the software too from the Microsoft Store.
• Once the installation is done, the setup is complete. Your PC is now connected to the wireless printer. You can print the required documents from your laptop without the USB cable connection.
• What if your Windows does not recognize the printer? Do not worry. Simply go back to the Printers & Scanners option on the Devices page.
• It will redirect you to the new page that will have Add Printer or Scanner as the first option.
• Click on the Add Printer or Scanner option.
• Now, select the option named “The printer that I want is not listed”.
• Upon selecting, you will get an option that says the “Add Printer box”.
• Select that and you will another tab appearing. It is Add a Bluetooth, wireless, or network discoverable printer. Select that option and choose Next.
• Now select the wireless printer and choose Next.
• After you finish all the processes, close the Settings.

How To Troubleshoot The Connection Problems?

Sometimes, you may face a problem when connecting your printer to your home Wi-Fi network. Here is how you can troubleshoot it.

• Connect your printer to the PC using a USB cable. Plugin one end of the cable to your printer, the other end should go into your computer or laptop. Make sure the connections are intact.
• Since your laptop uses the cable to print to the printer, it may be that the printer is not connected to the Wi-Fi. Check for the Wi-Fi connections.
• To allow your printer to get the required Wi-Fi network connectivity, move it to a place where you can get a better signal.
• If something is blocking the network access to the printer, try to find out the Wi-Fi signal strength by checking the printer display. Although most printers come with this feature, some do not.
• If any print jobs are pending, clear all of them immediately. Sometimes, the document you are trying to print may block the ability of the printer to connect to the Wi-Fi.
• In such a case, restart the printer.
• See to it that the firmware of the printer is always up-to-date.
• Sometimes, the Windows may not detect the printer. In such an instance, ensure that you are using the same Wi-Fi network for both the laptop and printer. If you use a Wi-Fi Range Extender, the extended area is a second network.

How to Add Wireless Printer in Windows 8 and Windows 7?

You may say that you have a Windows 7 or 8 PC at home and want to connect your printer to it. Although it is a little difficult than the others, it is not impossible, altogether. The good news is that we have an instruction process listed for that, as well. Below are the points to follow to access the setting and add a wireless printer to your laptop.

• Open the windows settings, check for the windows icon at the bottom left of your computer screen. Click on that icon, and it will display the Start Menu.
• In the Start Menu, locate the Settings bar. You can find the icon easily at the bottom and to the extreme left column. Clicking on the Settings icon will direct you to the Window Settings page.
• In the Window Settings page, you will find an icon named Devices on the first row. Click on that icon, and it will direct you to the Devices page.
• On this page, look at the left column that contains a set of devices options to choose from. Select the Devices & Printers option, and it will open a new page.
• This new page will have Add Printer as the option. Click on that.
• After you click on the Add Printer option, the Windows will show Add a network, wireless or Bluetooth printer on the screen.
• After you select the option, Windows will automatically display the list of printers available. Select the required printer from the list.
• After selecting, hit Next.
• You may require installing the necessary drivers. In such a case, your windows will prompt the same. After you receive an Install Driver prompt, click on it, and the installation will begin.
• Complete the other steps as mentioned in the wizard.
• Once the installation is done, select Finish. The printer setup is complete. Your PC is now connected to the wireless printer. You can print the required documents from your laptop without the USB cable connection.

How to Print From Your Wireless Printer When Away From Wi-Fi?

Did you know that you can use your wireless printer even when you are away from the Wi-Fi connection? Some printers allow you to do that. These printer manufacturers included a special feature called email print service. This feature allows the user to sign up on their website. The moment you do, they will assign an email address for your printer. You can use this email address to print from your printer by sending the required documents to it. This feature allows you to access your printing device when you are away from your home or office.

You may ask where to find this email address. It is very simple. You can search it through your printer menu to find it.

Below are the steps to access your wireless printer to print documents when your PC and printer are not on the same Wi-Fi network:

• Firstly, ensure that you switched on your Wi-Fi router. Make sure you have your printer also turned on and connected to the Wi-Fi. And, lastly, there should be enough papers in the paper tray of your printer.
• Login to any of your email accounts.
• Open compose message and create a new email.
• In the box where you enter the recipients, add the email address given to your printer by the manufacturer.
• In the Subject box, you can add any description related to the document. For some email print services, it is mandatory to give the subject. Otherwise, they will cancel the print job. Now, it is time for attaching the documents. Make sure you look for the document size and format before you do it.
• You can include some messages if you want to have a separate print for the information of the document. You can also add your instructions.
• After you finish entering the message, click on Send.
• The file will be sent to the wireless printer situated at your home or office, which will print the document.

How To Add A Shared Printer?

Windows allows you to add a shared printer. However, you need to have a home networking feature called HomeGroup on your computer. The significance of this HomeGrroup feature is that it lets you share your printers and other files with other PCs that are connected to the same home network.

Let us see how to set up a HomeGroup, first. After setting it up, we will learn how to connect it to the shared printer.

Setting up a HomeGroup

You can skip this step if your Windows home network already has the setup. If you are not sure whether there is a HomeGroup setup or not, you can follow the first two steps mentioned below for checking.

1. Go to the wireless icon in the taskbar. You will find it at the bottom right. Right-click on the icon, and you will see a couple of options. Select the Open Network and Sharing Centeroption.
2. After selecting, you will be directed to a new page containing a few options. Select the “Ready to create”optionthat is next to the HomeGroup. If the HomeGroup is already set up on the network it says “Joined.” If not, follow the below steps.
3. Select the option named Create a homegroup button.   
4. After selecting, click Next.
5. Now selection that option that you want to be shared. Remember that you will always have Printers & Devices as a default option.
6. After selecting that option, Windows will create a HomeGroup passwordfor you. Note it down, as you may need it to provide access to other computers that you want to join the HomeGroup.
7. Now, click on the Finish option.

Let us now move on to how you can connect your PCs to a shared printer on the HomeGroup.

Connect to a shared printer on the HomeGroup

Go to the other PCs connected to your home network and join the HomeGroup.

1. Click on the Homegroup option. After you click, you will be asked to join. Select the Join now button and proceedin the Windows Explorer.
2. After that Click Next.
3. Next step is to verify what you are planning to share. After that, again click Next.
4. Now, enter the HomeGroup password and click Next.
5. After that, click Finish.
6. After you finish, Click Networkin Windows Explorer. You should now be able to see the shared printer installed on your PC.

How To Troubleshoot Common Printer Connection Problems?

Often, we may encounter some connection problems with the printer. Here we are with the common problem you face and how to troubleshoot them successfully.

1. My computer is not able to detect my printer. What can I do about this?

This is a common phenomenon with most older models of printers. Because of the not-so-advanced technology, these printing devices are not compatible with the operating systems of the computer you are using. In such a case, your PC may not identify the printer. This is what you can do:

• Go to the Windows Setting and open the Devices tab.
• Select the Printers & Scanners option on the Devices page.
• It will redirect you to the new page that will have Add Printer or Scanner as the first option.
• Click on the Add Printer or Scanner option.
• Now, select the option named “The printer that I want is not listed”.
• Upon selecting, you will get an option that says the “Add Printer box”.
• After you click on the Add Printer option, the Windows will show Add a network, wireless or Bluetooth printer on the screen.
• After you select the option, Windows will automatically display the list of printers available. Select the required printer from the list.
• After selecting hit Next.
• You may require installing necessary drivers. In such a case, your windows will prompt the same. After you receive an Install Driver prompt, click on it, and the installation will begin.
• Complete the other steps as mentioned in the wizard.
• Once the installation is done, select Finish. The printer setup is complete.

Despite trying all these, if your computer is still unable to detect the printer, go to the manufacturer’s website. It will help you give complete information on all you need.

2. My computer is unable to install the printer software. What can I do about this?

Sometimes, you may find the installation process, a hassle. However, following these easy steps would be a relief. Your printer comes with a USB cable. Plug one end of it in the printer and the other end in the right port of your PC. Make sure the connections are intact.

This direct linking will allow your computer to detect the printer easily and start the software installation. If your PC is still not responding, check whether you have enabled the automatic device installations. Below are some steps that will help to verify or update the settings.

Step 1: Access the control panel on your computer.

Step 2: On the control panel page, look for the “change device installation settings” option. You can use the search bar to find it. After you do, you will see a pop with having a printer icon. Click on that option. It will allow you to modify the installation settings on your PC.

Step 3: Lastly, update the settings. After clicking on the printer icon, you will see a new window opened that will ask if you want to download driver software. Click on the Yes button.

After updating, save the necessary changes made.

3. My printer is unable to print over a network. What can I do about this?

Firstly, make sure you plugged the printer and switched it on. Now, let us take a look at a few pointers in the checklist that you need to look into.

Make sure that you connected your printer properly.

Check for the USB cables and see that they are plugged in correctly. If it is a wireless device, check for the Wi-fi network.

Make sure your printer is connected to the correct WiFi network?

Ensure that the printer has a Wi-Fi connection and is connected to the right network. If it is not connected, check for the Wireless LAN Settings on the printer to confirm the same. Look at the router and verify your SSID. Re-enter the Wi-Fi password of your network.

After you enter the password, your printer connects to the Wi-Fi. You can see a light turned near the wireless option of your device. Once the light turns on it is an indication that your printer is all set for the printing activity.

Make sure that your printer is not too far away from the Wi-Fi network connectivity.

To allow your printer to get the required Wi-Fi network connectivity, move it to a place where you can get a better signal.

Make sure that the installed driver on your PC is working properly. 

Sometimes, the downloaded driver may get corrupted. In such an instance, uninstall it and visit the website of the manufacturer. Check and download the most updated driver on your PC.

You will have to answer four questions after installation. If all the answers are yes and you still face the same problem, refer to the user manual to troubleshoot the issue. You will find the required solution and also the contact number for technical support.

How To Connect A Printer To Your Handheld Devices?

You can easily connect a printer to your handheld devices like smartphones or tablets. With advanced technology, it is possible to connect wirelessly. Let us learn how to do it for both apple and android devices. 

Connecting A Printer To Your iPhone Or Ipad

If you want to connect your iPhone or iPad to a wireless printer, the printing device should be AirPrint-enabled. Such printers are exclusively for apple devices, and you would not need to install or download any specific drivers or software. Many printer models offer this AirPrint enablement feature.

Below are the steps to follow:

Step 1: Connect your apple products to your Wi-Fi network

• Make sure your iPhone or iPad is connected to the Wi-Fi. If it is not, open the Settings and select the Wi-Fi option to see the available networks.
• Ensure that you are using the same Wi-Fi network for both iPhone or iPad and printer for seamless processing.

Step 2: Locate the printer on your handheld device

• You will have the application on your mobile phone from which you want to print. Select any photo or document that you want to print.
• Upon selecting, you will have a share option appearing in the top right corner of the file. Tap on that to select Print.
• After selecting, choose the corresponding printer option available.

Step 3: Complete the job

• When you select the printer, it will show you a preview page of how your print is going to look. It will further have the information on it, like whether you want to customize it or the number of copies you may need.
• Enter the required information and tap the Print option, and you will get the print of the file you want.

Connecting A Printer To Your Android Device

It is pretty much possible to connect your printer to your android mobile phone or tablet. All you need is the Google Cloud Print app. You can find it on your Android app store. Download the app if you want to connect a wireless printer to your android handheld device.

Below are the steps to connect:

Step 1: Add your printer to Google Cloud Print

• Open Google Chrome on your device.
• To the top right corner of the browser window, you will find three stacked dots. Click on that.
• After clicking, choose Settings.
• It will open a page with several options. Scroll it down to find the Advanced Settings option and click on it.
• On the new page opened, you will have the printing option. Scroll down the page to find it and click on that option. Now, select the Google Cloud Print option here.
• Next, select the Manage Cloud Print Devices option.
• It will open a new window with the option named Add Printers. Click on that.
• You will have a list of printers displayed. Choose your device name. However, make sure, you turned on your printer before doing this.

Step 2: Download the Google Cloud Print app to your Android device

• To download, open the play store on your mobile.
• In the search bar, type Cloud Print.
• Select the Cloud Print application by Google Inc. and install it.

Step 3: Print from your device

• After downloading, you will have the application on your mobile phone. Select any photo or document that you want to print.
• Upon selecting, you will have three stacked dots appearing in the top right corner of the file. Tap on that to select Print.
• After selecting, choose the corresponding printer option available. Tap on the printer icon, and you can get the print of the file that you want.

Conclusion:

I hope this article provided you with all the information related to connecting a printer to a computer. We have also provided some troubleshooting hacks to help you with a smooth connection process. You can use this guide as a reference to connect a wired or wireless printer to a laptop. You can further share this information with your friends if you find it helpful.

Let us know if you have any questions or need more information on printer connections. We will answer all your queries with relevant info. Please feel free to share your inputs on this article with us. We welcome your suggestions.

Stay healthy and stay safe!!!