After purchasing a printer or mfp (multifunctional device), some laptop owners start looking for an answer to the question of how to connect a printer to a laptop. In general, connecting a printer to a laptop is a relatively simple process, the main thing in this case is the sequence of actions that allow you to ensure truly reliable operation of the connected office equipment.
detailed instructions
To solve a problem like “how to connect a printer to a laptop” you will need a reliable and efficient USB cable and an up-to-date version of the driver. You cannot do without the latter, otherwise the laptop will not see the device connected to it. Therefore, to resolve the issue related to how to install the printer, you need to search for the latest driver version, which fully matches the model of your device.
- So, at the first stage, install the driver on the laptop, which will allow you to see your printing device. Usually, the corresponding software is recorded on a CD, which comes in one set with office equipment. If it was not in the set or you are an adherent of the current versions, then you can find the latest version of the optimal driver on our website or on the official website of your printer manufacturer.
- If everything is ready for you, then start installing special software. After completing this process, you can restart your laptop just in case. As for the device, it is imperative that you disconnect it before connecting it to your laptop.
- Next, you have to connect the disconnected printer to the laptop using a high-quality USB cable. In this case, select the port on the laptop in advance, to which it is most convenient to “cut” this cord. Otherwise, the installed cable can interfere with your work, for example, especially when flash drives are connected to the laptop. If you are uncomfortable, then use a special USB hub.
- After connecting the USB cable and connecting the installed device to the power source, turn it on. The operating system of the laptop will have to notify you about the connection of new equipment with the help of a characteristic sound and a message that will appear in a special system window. If this did not happen, then you can find out about this by going to “Devices and Printers” through the “Start” menu, and paying attention to the list of connected devices. If you notice there an icon-picture of your device with its name, then the problem like “how to connect a printer to a laptop” is completely solved. If there is no corresponding device, then try reinstalling the drivers or changing the USB cable, as well as connecting it to a different port on the laptop.
- Also, if the laptop does not recognize your hardware, try turning both devices off and then back on again after a few minutes. If this and the above recommendations do not help you, then you will have to take the previously turned off printer to any reliable service center – perhaps the source of the problem is the device itself, which does not connect to the PC due to some mechanical internal damage.
Print setup
After completing the installation, you still have to solve the following problem: how to set up the printer? To learn how to properly set up your printing office equipment, read the following instructions:
- Open the document that you are planning to send for printing using the interface of the program through which you opened it or by using the shortcut keys “Ctrl + P”. For example, in Microsoft Office Word, you just need to click on the corresponding printer icon located on the top tab. But in the software “Notepad” you need to open the “File” menu and select “Print” from the drop-down list.
- In the window that opens, you can start setting up printing documents. For example, to print a multi-page file (an entire book), use the option to print only odd / even pages.
- The Include line is always All Pages in the Range by default. To change this value and select the desired option, you just need to click on the arrow located to the right of this item. If from the whole document you need to print only one sheet, then open the required page and put the pointer to the value “Current”.
- If you are interested in the answer to the question of how to properly adjust the page orientation, then you can find the corresponding function in the “General” tab of the “Properties” window. Usually the default is “Portrait” there, but if you want the text and image to be placed horizontally, then click on “Landscape”.
- Also make all the settings in the “Graphics” tab. There you can mark the mode of operation of the device, which allows you to save the dye of the device. By default, toner / ink consumption is controlled by the office equipment itself.
- After that, do not forget to save all the settings made by clicking “Apply” and “Ok”. Finally, you can make a test print to be satisfied with the quality of the printed texts and / and images.
Thus, it is very easy to connect a printer to a laptop and configure it with a competent approach. If you have a question about whether it is possible to connect a printer to a laptop via a wireless connection, then I can suggest reading more about this in this article: connecting a printer through a router.