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Installation – How do I Set up Printer?

December 22, 2020

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For a printer to work properly, it must first be properly installed. A printer can only do its job with the right and up-to-date driver. It doesn’t matter which manufacturer the printer comes from or which operating system is used; only with a printer driver can the computer communicate with the printer and enable output in the form of printed sheets. Therefore, in this guide, we give you instructions on how to install and set up your printer. When instructing a printer installation, we concentrate on the common operating systems: Microsoft (Windows) and Apple (Mac OS X).

Setting up the printer – How do I properly install my printer?

Installing a printer is not rocket science and usually only takes a few minutes. This also applies to people who are less talented at handling computers, can easily manage a printer installation with our instructions. We helps namely not only with eco-friendly refill cartridges and Remanufactured cartridges in environmental protection. He will also be at your side with his knowledge of setting up your printer, from connection to driver installation.

If you follow the instructions below for your operating system, you can use the functions of your printer after just a few steps, regardless of the printer manufacturer. First of all, it is important to bring together all the components necessary for the printer installation . This naturally includes:

A computer
The printer
A connection cable
The current printer driver

The first step in the installation is to connect the printer to the computer . A USB cable is usually used for this, which you attach to the corresponding USB sockets on the printer and the computer. Of course, the printer needs the necessary power to bring the ink or toner onto the paper.

It is said that our SUPERPATRON can use his strength to ensure that a printer does its job. Since the hero of the eco-friendly printing process is currently busy with his mission to make the world a better place, you have to go the traditional way: via the power supply. Therefore, you connect the printer to a socket with a power cable .

The printer driver serves as the interface program between the printer and the computer . If you buy a new printer, a CD with the necessary software is always included as a printer accessory . In any case, the software contains the printer driver (driver for short) and usually also user programs for controlling the printer and its functions, such as help for setting up a network printer or software for editing photos and much more. Insert the CD and start the installation process. This will guide you step by step through the installation of the driver .

In many cases, the operating system recognizes the printer directly and installs the necessary drivers automatically. If this is not the case, you should follow the instructions below for your operating system.

Windows 7 – Install Printer

Windows 7 automatically detects USB printers. This can then be installed. If your printer has a different port or the automatic detection does not work, proceed as follows:

Connect the printer to the PC and turn it on.
Open the start menu in the system tray by clicking on the Windows symbol.
Select the item “Devices and Printers”.
Click the “Add a local printer” button.
Select the port that your printer is connected to to the PC.
Now select the manufacturer and model of your printer. If your printer isn’t there, click Windows Update to update the operating system.
Enter a printer name if you want a different name. Click on “Next” to install the printer.

Windows 8 – Install Printer

USB printers are of course also recognized and installed under Windows 8. If this is not the case for you, proceed as follows:

Swipe in from the right edge of the screen or point with the mouse pointer in the upper right corner of the screen.
Select the item “Settings” and then “Change PC settings”.
Under “PC and devices” you will find the “Devices” menu.
If your printer is not visible in the list of devices, click on “Add device”.
Select the appropriate printer to install it.

Windows 10 – Install printer

Windows 10 differs only slightly from the previous versions when it comes to setting up the printer. For a manual installation, do the following:

Open the Windows menu via the start button.
Click on the “Settings” item.
Select “Devices” and then “Printers & Scanners”.
Click the “+ Add printer or scanner” button and select your printer.
Click “Next” to start installing the printer.
Set the printer as the default printer .

Mac OS X Printer Install

The Apple operating system also supports a wide variety of printer models. In order to install the printer correctly, you should keep the version of your system up to date. Before you install your printer, you should therefore perform a software update. You can carry out the updates via the App Store. To do this, open the “System Settings” in the App Store and look for updates. If your Mac is up to date, do the following:

Connect your printer to your Mac.
Open the “System Settings” and select the item “Printers & Scanners”.
On the left is a list of the printers already installed. You can use the “+” symbol to select your new printer.
The operating system is now looking for the appropriate drivers. If the driver is found, the message “Software for this printer is available from Apple. Would you like to download and install it? ”. You confirm by clicking on “Download & install”.
When the installation is complete, the printer appears in the printer list and is ready.

Set up WiFi printer – How do I connect to a printer with WiFi?

Nowadays cables are not always necessary to transfer data. Radio connections are increasingly taking over the data exchange and making the connection easier or wireless . This also applies to printers.

With a WLAN printer (sometimes also called network printer) you can print easily and conveniently. Above all, the use of the printer via several PCs in a household or an office can be significantly simplified. The WLAN connection enables print jobs to be issued from all connected computers, and the printer can thus be placed in a suitable location. But the devices also want to be set up for this.

You need the following components for printing via WiFi :

A Wi-Fi Enabled computer
A wireless printer
A Wi-Fi-enabled router and – of course
The current printer driver

After you have connected the printer to the power supply, turn it on. You install the current printer driver on the computer, which is usually supplied on CD. For a first-time connection, you need to make sure that WiFi is enabled on the printer . For this purpose, WLAN LEDs are usually installed, which show the activity with a light. If the light does not flash, you can switch on the WLAN using a corresponding button on the device or activate it via the control panel.

If the printer is not WiFi-enabled, this need not necessarily be a problem. Many routers are now equipped with USB slots so that the printer can be connected to them. The printer can then be integrated into the home network. You can find out how to integrate a printer into the home network for the individual operating systems below.

As an alternative, many WLAN printers also offer the option of integrating the printer directly into the WLAN – without connecting to a PC. To do this, enter the access data for your router in the printer settings in the WiFi setup. The access data consists of the name (SSID) and the password of the network. If the printer is integrated via the router , you can assign the printer to individual computers via the device settings.

Windows 7 – set up wireless printer

To integrate a wireless printer into the home network, you must first have created a wireless network. Here you have to make sure to allow file and printer sharing for computers that are on the same network.

Open the start menu in the system tray by clicking on the Windows symbol.
Select the item “Devices and Printers”.
Click the “Add a network, wireless, or bluetooth printer” button.
After Windows has finished searching, select your wireless printer. You can start the installation with a double click and then start printing.
If the device is not found, click on “The printer you are looking for is not listed”.
Click on “Add a printer using a TCP / IP address or host name” and then click on “Next”.
Here you can enter the printer’s IP address, which you can find directly on the printer or in the router settings.

Windows 8 – set up wireless printer

Setting up the wireless printer is just as straightforward in Windows 8:

Swipe in from the right edge of the screen or point with the mouse pointer in the upper right corner of the screen.
Tap or click on “Search” and enter the term “Control Panel”.
Select the item “Show devices and printers”.
Click the “Add a network, wireless, or bluetooth printer” button.
After Windows has finished searching, select your wireless printer. You can start the installation with a double click and then start printing.
If the device is not found, click on “The printer you are looking for is not listed”.
Click on “Add a printer using a TCP / IP address or host name” and then click on “Next”.
Here you can enter the printer’s IP address, which you can find directly on the printer or in the router settings.

Windows 10 – set up wireless printer

In Windows 10, proceed as follows to set up the wireless printer:

Open the Windows menu via the start button.
Click on the “Settings” item.
Select “Devices” and then “Devices and Printers”.
Click the “Add Printer” button and select your printer.
Click “Next” to start setting up the printer.
Set the printer as the default printer.
If the printer was not found, you will have to add it manually. To do this, select the “The desired printer is not in the list” button.
Now select “Standard TCP / IP Port” under “Create a new connection” and click “Next”.
Here you can enter the printer’s IP address, which you can find directly on the printer or in the router settings.

Mac OS X – Set up wireless printer

If the Mac and the WiFi printer are registered on the same network, follow these steps to set up:

Open the “System Settings” and select the item “Printers & Scanners”.
On the left is a list of the printers already installed. You can use the “+” symbol to select your new printer.
If the printer is not displayed, you can select “IP” by clicking on the “+” symbol.
Enter the IP address of your printer under “Address”. With a click on “Add” the setup of the WLAN printer is completed.

In order to make the printer accessible to other computers in the network, you must also configure printer sharing at Apple . To do this, select “Programs” -> “System Settings” -> “Approvals” and the item “Print Approvals”. Here you can assign access rights to every user.

Printer IP Address – IP Address for Printer?

Often you need the IP address to be able to access your printer wirelessly. There are the following possibilities to find out the printer IP address :

Through the printer
Through the router
Via device management

A simple way is to find out the IP address directly from the printer. To do this, you’ll need to find the system information that printers with LCD can display. How to get to the system information is in the manual of the printer. Basically, however, the IP address can be found via a menu item named “Network”, “Settings” or “(System) Information”.

You can also find out the printer’s IP address via the router. To do this, call up the router settings via a browser . With many routers this is possible by entering the IP address “192.168.1.1”. Otherwise, a look at the router’s instructions will help.

After entering the login data, look for the list of connected devices. Usually these are listed as a DHCP table in which you can also find your wireless printer and the associated IP address.

If the printer is already set up for use on a computer, you can also view the IP address via the device management. Call up the properties of the WLAN printer in the overview. The IP address is specified in the “General” tab.

Set up printer – Do certain printer settings have to be made before printing?

Once you have successfully installed the printer , you can make printer settings. Although this is not absolutely necessary, it can save work on the one hand and save resources on the other . This allows you to save settings that you want to use by default. In addition, the quality can be adjusted with various settings. In the printer overview, open the context menu and make various settings:

Under ” Layout ” you can set both the orientation (portrait, landscape) and the page order. If you want to save paper, you can increase the number of pages that are printed on one sheet of paper under “Page format”.

The ” Paper / Quality “ tab takes you to the quality settings. The quality under Windows is basically divided into three levels: “Optimal”, “Normal” and “Draft”, with “Optimal” offering the best and “Draft” the worst quality. However, the higher the quality, the more ink is used. If you don’t need glossy images, you should lower the quality. You can also choose whether you want to print in “black and white” or in “color”.

You can use “Advanced print options” to make additional settings such as “Multiple page layout ” and “Color print mode “. The color print mode is meanwhile a common source of errors if the printer does not print in color. If “Color” is not selected here, the setting under “Paper / Quality” does not apply any color to the paper.

CD not available from printer – what to do?

If there is no CD with the necessary drivers and the associated printer software, you will of course have to help. If the operating system does not recognize the printer automatically, you can find the necessary printer drivers for download on the manufacturer’s website.