Connecting the Printer on a LAN

Solving the problem related to how to connect a printer via a local network is not such a problematic matter and almost any home user of such office equipment can cope with it. In general, installing a network printer on a computer running windows 10 or some other version of this system is an excellent solution if there are several PCs at home or at work, but only one MFP. Instead of constantly approaching and printing documents from one computer, many users prefer to combine their home or office computers into one local network or simply “local area”.

Preparing the basis for a local printing device

To answer the question of how to connect a printer via a network, first of all, you will need a cable for organizing the connection and a CD with a driver and utility specially designed for your device. If there is no CD in one set with the device, then download its latest version from our website or from the official website of the manufacturer. It is also worth noting that almost all modern printing devices are equipped with USB ports for connecting to a PC. For this reason, motherboards of most system units are no longer equipped with COM and LPT ports. But if you decide to connect old equipment together with a new computer, then for this you need to find the appropriate adapter.

To connect a network printer, first, establish a reliable connection between the physical device and the PC using a USB cable. Then place the driver disc into your computer’s floppy drive and run the software installer. After the drivers are installed, you just need to restart your PC and print a few test pages. Having thus prepared the basis for installing a network printer on windows 7, also perform the following sequence of steps:

• Open the control panel of your Windows operating system and find a section called “Devices and Printers” among the list. You can also go there through the right panel of the Start menu.
• Find among the installed the device that will connect and configure as a network device. Look at the list carefully, because this window displays not only physical, but also virtual devices.
• Go to the properties of the desired device and check all the settings specified in it.

How to install a network device

In order for the printer to connect via a local network to be available to all local users, you need to open shared access to this device for all network participants. In addition, to make the printer networked, you need to include all computers in one dedicated workgroup. This step is especially necessary if the local network also has PCs with earlier versions of Windows, for example, XP.

To share your printer with windows 7 or later and create a workgroup, carefully read the following instructions:

• First, open the drop-down list by right-clicking on the My Computer icon. Then select Properties.
• Next, go to the item where additional parameters are displayed – for this, pay attention to the left side of the window that opens.
• Click on the tab under the name “Computer Name” and click on “Change” at the very bottom. Then a new window will open in front of you, where you have to create a name for the new group and save the change by clicking on “OK”.

In order for the network printer to be configured successfully, you must also grant access permission. Otherwise, setting up a windows 7 network printer can be a waste of time. other PCs connected to your local network will not be able to use this device. To set up your network printer properly, follow the steps below:

• Open the “Network and Sharing Center” and on the left side of the window, find the item that implies changing advanced settings. Click on it to make the necessary changes to the configured device.
• Go to Network Neighborhood through the section called Home or Work.
• There you need to check the box that allows you to turn on the sharing of printers. After making changes, do not forget to save them by clicking on the corresponding button.

In general, with the installation of a network printer in windows 7, with a competent and serious attitude, there should not be any problems, because the procedure is not a complicated process. Next, you can learn how to properly connect an already installed device.

How to properly connect a network MFP?

This action consists of two stages. The first is carried out directly on the PC to which the printing device is physically connected.

• In the control panel, you need to find the section with the list of printers and faxes, and go to it.
• Next, determine the desired device to which you want to provide access over the network and click on it.
• In the new window, double-click on the device settings, then open the “Access” tab.
• Find and check the box for sharing.
• It is also advisable to check the box next to “Drawing print jobs on client computers”.

The second stage of such a process as installing and configuring the printer over the network must be performed on all other PCs connected to the current local network.

• Open the folder called “Network”. Find Install Printers on the top menu bar and click on it.
• Open the section for adding a network device.
• After the system searches for printers that are currently available for connection on the network, it will display a list of them in the same window. Select the desired device among them and click on “Next”.
• After the connection is made, the system will definitely inform you about it. After that, the selected printer will be permanently displayed in the section with devices and printers.

But sometimes the question arises about how to install and how to set up a printer if the system cannot find any network device. Such a problem can appear even in the case of open sharing and correctly configured LAN settings. To answer the question of how to make this printing device visible, you will have to register the path to it manually.

1. Open the Add Printer window after Windows cannot find any device available for printing over the network and click on the item that implies that the printer you want is not listed.
2. Next, you will be asked to find the device by its network address or its name. Check the box next to “Select printer by name”.
3. Enter the computer name after the double backslash, then write in one backslash and write down the name of the printing device. You can find out the current network name by opening the “Access” section in its properties.

In general, an MFP made networked and connected via a local network will save on the purchase of several such devices. As you can see, setting it up is a snap. This is especially true for using the device at home or in an organization with a large number of PCs, where buying dozens of printing devices is an inexpedient purchase.