What do you get when you mix four computers, two operating systems, one printer and a wireless home network? If you are lucky, a convenient way to share the printer among all computers.
If you are like many people, however, you get computers that can’t print.
Sharing a printer is one of the most basic appeals of wireless networking, and it can be pretty simple if your computers run the Windows operating system. Add a Mac to the mix, which is becoming more common, and the process can get complicated, pronto.
I set out to find the easiest way to share a printer, using my own home equipment: two laptops, a Dell Windows 7 desktop and an Asus Windows 7 netbook. My printers, a Hewlett-Packard LaserJet P1006 and a Samsung ML-1740, are both elderly, low-end lasers. (No printers with built-in Wi-Fi here.)
The basic problem with setting up a shared printer is that the U.S.B. connection on home printers was not designed to carry networking information. Sharing a printer via U.S.B. requires a tricky translation from U.S.B.-based protocols to Ethernet or Wi-Fi protocols. (Feeling a little befuddled yet? That’s what is happening to the printer.)
Click the Download button and launch the Samsung Printer Installer. Connect a printer to your PC to install the printer software. Follow the instructions in installer. * Note: If your printer supports wireless printing, you can configure the wireless settings during installation. This might be a very stupid question but I am new to Macs. Is it possible to use my Dell A920 Inkjet printer with my Mac? I have gone to Dell's website.
The squabble between Windows and Mac devices has its roots in the use of different printer software (typically referred to as drivers) and networking protocols, two under-the-hood technologies that are inscrutably complicated. And, as is the case with most Americans, computers and networking devices tend to be fluent in only one operating language: either Windows or Mac.
Dec 10, 2009 Is it possible to use my Dell A920 Inkjet printer with my Mac? I have gone to Dell's website. MacRumors Forums. Forums Macs Mac Accessories. Dell Printer with Mac? Discussion in 'Mac Accessories' started by elhobbo. It was easy enough adding the networked 300cn using a Gutenprint driver for PCL, but wi]ould only print in grayscale.
Continue reading the main story“This can be the crux of a lot of challenges,” said Chris Mesa, program manager for transactional printing solutions, mobility and Web services at Hewlett-Packard. “Whenever you put a U.S.B. solution in the middle of a network solution, you will end up with limitations.”
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These limitations, which can include an inability to connect and incompatibility with the scanning functions of all-in-one printers, can be easily avoided by purchasing a new printer with integrated Wi-Fi or Ethernet networking. The Hewlett-Packard OfficeJet 6000 Wireless ($120), the Epson WorkForce 610 ($200) and the MG6120 ($199) are three of the more popular models.
But if you are not ready to throw out your older printer, there are a handful of ways to share it on a home network. Even if you don’t have a Mac in the mix, these methods can help you get connected.
In my tests, I did not pursue two methods known for balky setup and intractable incompatibilities with printers: use of a stand-alone print server (a device that sits between the printer’s U.S.B. port and the router’s Ethernet port to bridge the networking gap) and a Wi-Fi router with an integrated print server.
Each of the following approaches has its advantages and drawbacks, and not one is completely bulletproof for mixed Windows/Mac networks. But with some tweaking, at least one should work for you.
The Cheapest
What you need: A U.S.B. printer and a networked computer.
Pros: No new equipment to buy; it’s easy and reliable.
Con: The computer must be left on to use the printer.
In Windows, this is an easy setup that requires no additional equipment. I connected a U.S.B. printer to my desktop, which is hard-wired to my router, then enabled printer sharing in Windows and ran the Add printer wizard and selected Add a local printer. I installed the driver, right-clicked the printer icon, clicked Printer properties and selected the Share tab to enable sharing.
To access the printer on my wireless Windows netbook, I started the Add printer wizard, but this time selected Add a network, wireless or Bluetooth printer. The wizard identified available printers by computer name/printer name. I selected the right printer, installed the drivers and was set to print.
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It wasn’t so direct with my Mac, which couldn’t “see” the Dell computer on the Windows network. To adjust, I enabled LDP Print Service on the Windows desktop. (Control Panel>Programs>Turn Windows Features On or Off, >Enable LPD Print Service.)
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Back at the Mac, I navigated to Add Printer, held the Control key and right-clicked on the toolbar, then selected Customize the toolbar and dragged the Advanced icon onto the bar. Next, I clicked Advanced, and in the Type field selected LPD/LDR Host or Printer. Here it gets a little complicated: In the URL, you will need to input your printer as //PC name/Printer name. On my network, the address was lpd://rik-dell/LaserjetP1006. I clicked Add, installed the printer driver, and printed a test page. Success! But needlessly complicated.
The Easiest
What you need: A new router with a U.S.B. port and a printer-sharing app.
Pros: Easy setup; almost instant printer sharing; works well with Windows and Macs.
Cons: You probably need to buy a new router; only one printer at a time can access the printer.
I installed a Belkin Play Max Wireless Router ($99 at Amazon) on my home network, then connected my printer to the router’s U.S.B. port. I installed the Belkin Print Genie app, and a dialog box immediately popped up and asked if I wanted to connect to my printer. I clicked Yes, installed the drivers, and printing was enabled immediately. You’ll need to install the Print Genie app (and drivers) on every computer. Installation was fast and easy on both Windows and Mac machines.
The Most Lauded
What you need: An Express router.
Pros: Flexible, many uses; can be very easy to set up.
Cons: Can also be very complicated to set up.
I thought the $99 AirPort Express, which can also share music among computers, would be a better investment than buying a dedicated print server, which can cost almost as much yet does only one (unexciting) thing.
I was expecting an almost magical ease of use, given the user reviews I had read. Yet my first attempt at installing the AirPort Express was astonishingly frustrating. It didn’t work with the H.P printer, even after an hour and 20 minutes on the phone with tech support. When I plugged in my Samsung printer, the AirPort Express immediately recognized it.
I figured this must be a fluke, because the device consistently gets raves from users. So a few days later I installed the AirPort Express on another home network, and I was printing within two minutes. The explanation? None. I learned researching in this story that there is no singular outcome when you’re working with so many variables.
Least Friendly to Macs
What you need: An N.A.S. device with a U.S.B. port for printer sharing.
Pros: No need to keep a PC on to print.
Cons: Could not connect to my MacBook Pros; printers sometimes drop off the network.
I plugged a printer into my $160 Seagate GoFlex Home N.A.S. drive. On a Windows machine, I launched the Add printer wizard and selected a network printer. The dialog box fetched the N.A.S. device and the printer attached to it. I simply clicked to select and installed the drivers. Lovely.
But I can’t recommend using a N.A.S. drive for mixed networks. After four hours with tech support for Seagate and Apple and trying two other N.A.S. drives, nothing worked.
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Installing a wireless printer in your workplace enables your employees and co-workers to send print jobs without leaving their workspace. Setting up a Wi-Fi-capable printer can also help to de-clutter your workspace by allowing you to avoid long, snaking printer cables. Once your Dell printer is active on your company's wireless network, you can send it print jobs via the Print dialog available in most Windows applications.
1.Insert the software installation disc that came with your Dell printer into your computer's optical drive and proceed with the automated installation of the Dell Printer software. Ensure that you install the software on a computer that has access to your company's Wi-Fi network.
2.Connect the printer to your computer using the USB cable that came with the device.
4.Click 'Dell Printers' and click 'Dell Printer Home.'
5.Click the 'Settings' tab and click 'Wireless Setup Utility.'
6.Select your company's wireless network from the list of available networks and click 'Continue.'
7.Enter your Wi-Fi network access password. If a pop-up dialog appears asking whether you want to allow your Dell software to access your network, click 'OK' or 'Continue.'
8.Disconnect the printer's USB cable when prompted. Devices on your company's Wi-Fi network can now print wirelessly on your Dell printer.
Warning
- Information in this article applies to computers running the Windows 7 operating system. It may vary slightly or significantly with other versions or products.
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About the Author
Andrew Tennyson has been writing about culture, technology, health and a variety of other subjects since 2003. He has been published in The Gazette, DTR and ZCom. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in history and a Master of Fine Arts in writing.
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Tennyson, Andrew. 'How to Connect a Dell Printer to a Wireless System.' Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/connect-dell-printer-wireless-system-58342.html. Accessed 09 September 2019.
Tennyson, Andrew. (n.d.). How to Connect a Dell Printer to a Wireless System. Small Business - Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/connect-dell-printer-wireless-system-58342.html
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Tennyson, Andrew. 'How to Connect a Dell Printer to a Wireless System' accessed September 09, 2019. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/connect-dell-printer-wireless-system-58342.html
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