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Tech News Today
Home » Printer

How to Add a Network Printer? 3 Best Ways

Deependra PangeniBy Deependra PangeniJune 28, 2023
Add-a-Network-Printer

Network printers offer a convenient printing experience by allowing multiple users to print wirelessly from their devices, eliminating the need for physical connections like USB printers.

Once a printer is connected to a network, there are several methods to add it to your computer. The most commonly used method involves adding the printer by its name. However, using the printer’s IP address can be beneficial if there are multiple printers on the network.

Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of the process.

Table of Contents

  • Step 1: Connect the Printer to a Network
  • Step 2: Add a Network Printer to Your Computer
    • Through Windows Settings
    • Through Control Panel
    • Using IP Address
  • How to Add a Shared Printer on Network?

Step 1: Connect the Printer to a Network

To make the printer discoverable on the network, you should first connect it to Wi-Fi. If your printer is already connected, you can skip this step.

Otherwise, there are some basic methods to connect the printer to a Wi-Fi network that I will discuss here.

To begin with, if your printer has an LCD screen, you can easily use it to navigate to wireless settings and connect to Wi-Fi.

hp-wireless-setup-wizard

Similarly, you can connect the printer to your computer using a USB cable and connect it to Wi-Fi during setup.

connect-to-wifi-during-setup-1

Also, since most printers these days support WPS push mode, you can use the Wireless button on your printer and the WPS button on the router to establish a connection.

wps-button-on-router

You may consult the user manual of your printer to learn more about how you can connect it to a Wi-Fi network.

Step 2: Add a Network Printer to Your Computer

Once you connect your printer to a Wi-Fi network, you should then connect your computer to the same network. After you set up the connection, here are a few methods to add the network printer to your computer.

Through Windows Settings

  1. Launch your computer Settings.
    open-settings-on-your-computer
  2. Go to the highlighted settings as shown in the image below.
    printers-and-scanners-in-settings
  3. Click Add device.
    add device button in settings
  4. Tap the Add device button beside the printer’s name.
    add device beside printer name
  5. It will start installing the printer on your computer.
    adding network printer from settings

Through Control Panel

  1. Access the Control Panel of your computer.
    open-control-panel-on-your-computer
  2. Click the highlighted option.
    view-devices-and-printers
  3. From the top of the Devices and Printers window, tap the Add a printer button.
    add-a-printer-button-in-control-panel
  4. Your computer will start searching for network printers and display all of them there.
    list-of-printers-shown-while-adding-wirelessly
  5. Choose the printer you want to add > click Next. It will add that printer to your PC.
    installing-process-of-wireless-printer

Using IP Address

If you are connected to a Wi-Fi network with hundreds of printers, it can be quite tedious to find and add your desired printer.

In such cases, I recommend adding the printer using its IP address. If you don’t know the printer’s IP address, you can quickly find it by printing a network configuration page. Consult your printer’s manual to know how you can print a network configuration page.

hp-network-configuration-page-1

Similarly, you can also go to the TCP/IP settings from the touch panel of your printer and get the IP address.

tcp-ip-option-in-brother-printer

You can also go to another computer that is already connected to the printer and get the IP. Here’re the steps.

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Open the printer settings.
    printers-and-scanners-in-settings
  3. Choose the printer whose IP you need > Printer properties.
    printer-properties-in-settings-of-brother-printer
  4. Go to Ports > Configure Port.
    configure-port-of-brother-printer
  5. Get the IP.
    ip-address-from-port
Tip: You can also through this detailed guide to learn more methods on how to find the IP address of a printer.

Once you have the IP address, follow these steps to add the printer.

  1. First, open the computer Settings.
    open-settings-on-your-computer
  2. Then open the Printers & scanners submenu from the Bluetooth & devices menu.
    printers-and-scanners-in-settings
  3. Click the Add device and Add manually buttons respectively.
    click add manually after add device
  4. Go with the highlighted option as in the image below > click Next.
    add-printer-using-ip-address-option
  5. Enter IP address assigned to the network printer > Next.
    enter-ip-address-while-adding-printer
  6. The wizard will now detect the printer in that IP address and add it to your computer.
    searching-for-printer-with-ip-address

How to Add a Shared Printer on Network?

Although you can easily add a network printer to your computer, it might be problematic to add a printer shared by another computer on the network.

To add the shared printer, you should first know which computer is sharing the printer, i.e., the host computer.

Once you know the host computer, here’s how to add the shared printer to your computer.

  1. Open Settings.
    open-settings-on-your-computer
  2. Open Printers & scanners from Bluetooth & devices.
    printers-and-scanners-in-settings
  3. Click Add device first. Then click the Add manually button after a while.
    click add manually after add device
  4. Check this option > Browse.
    select-a-shared-printer-by-name-and-browse
  5. Select the host computer that is sharing the printer on the network.
    double-click-name-of-host-computer
  6. Choose the printer.
    double-click-shared-printer-name
  7. Click Next. The wizard will add the printer to your computer.
    click-next-after-selecting-printer
Note: You may encounter “Printer Error 0x0000011b,” while trying to add a shared printer to your computer. This error generally arises due to a bug in the security updates. You can consult this detailed guide on how to fix this error.
how-to
Deependra Pangeni
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Meet Deependra Pangeni, A professional Computer Engineer who has been writing about technology for many years. He is also involved in different robotic projects and loves tinkering with circuit boards. He is always researching new ways to improve the website's user experience and make it easy for people to find the information they need. At TechNewsToday he mainly deals with how-to and fixes contents for a range of TV and TV products like remotes, cables and streaming devices. Along with the TV, he also specializes in hardware and software troubleshooting for printers and Windows. Deependra's passion for simplifying complex technical information for non-technical audiences is evident in his work and he is dedicated to producing high-quality content that is easy to understand. When he is not working, he enjoys gathering with his friends, partying and traveling. He is also an active member of the technical community groups and regularly participates in tech meetups. You can contact him at deepen@technewstoday.com

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