The printer is an indispensable assistant in the office or at home, especially, if you are a student. Even students successfully print a large number of essays and reports on it. But, having purchased this device, Many users experience the problem of interaction between a computer and a printing device. In this article, we'll look at possible ways to connect and configure your printer for printing, and problems arise.
Connect the printer to a Windows PC 7 — 10
Manufacturers of inkjet and laser printers have not yet been able to develop the same algorithm for connecting a printing device to a computer. Because PC operating systems are constantly changing, then the ways to connect peripherals with each update may be slightly different.
For, to connect the printer to a Windows computer 7, you need to follow these steps.
- To connect the appliance to the mains with a special cable.
- To connect the device to a computer with a USB cable. It usually comes complete with a unit, but if it is not, then the cord can be bought in the store, electronics trader. There are different connectors on different ends of the cable. Connector option, shown in the picture on the left, should be connected to a laptop or PC, and such, as a matter of fact - to the printer.
If you have an installation disc
After connecting all cables, you need to install the program (driver), which will control the operation of the device. Usually, if you are installing a jet or laser under Windows 7 — 8, then the drivers will be installed automatically, if they are in the system. If, when the OS does not find the driver, then you will need to install it from disk, which should come with the printer.
Insert the disc into the optical drive of the PC, then the automatic installation of the program will start. It's simple - follow the instructions of the installer, until the process is complete. A situation may arise, when the installation wizard does not start when you place the disk in the drive. In this case, you need to go to "My Computer", select a drive from the list, placed in the optical drive, and, after its contents are opened, you need to find a file called "Setup" and click on it. After that, the driver installation will begin.
If there is no driver disk
The equipment can be connected without an installation disk. If you do not have software for the printer, then it can be downloaded from the Internet. It is enough to know the model of the device (can be peeked from the back of the case). Knowing the model, type it in the search engine, and download the driver to your PC. The downloaded folder may contain the installation file "Setup", which you need to click to run. If this file does not exist, then do the following:
- connect the printer to the computer (via USB cable);
- go to "Control Panel" - "Device Manager";
- in the list of equipment, which the OS has identified, one unknown device will be visible, in front of which will be an exclamation mark;
- right-click on the unknown hardware and select "Update Driver";
- a window will appear in front of you, where you are asked to choose a driver from the Internet or find it on this computer - click the last;
- a window will open, where you can select a folder with drivers, downloaded from the internet, and click "next";
- as a result, software installation for the equipment will take place.
Connecting a network printer
If you are already familiar with the local connection of printing equipment, then set up online printing will not be difficult.
- Go to "Devices and Printers" via the "Start" menu.
- Click on "Printer Setup", then click on "Add network…".
- The system will start searching for connected equipment. If you know the name of your nozzle (laser), then select it from the list, provided by the OS.
- Your steps above will result in a network connection and the installation of the necessary drivers. If they are not installed "automatically", pay attention to the system message about this. Example, a window with an "Install Driver" button may appear. In this case, you will need to install the software manually, as mentioned above. After successful completion of the procedure, a message box will appear, as shown in the figure below.
Setting up a printer in Windows 10 occurs by the same algorithm and is intuitive, even if the item names are slightly different.
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connection
There are MFP models, nozzles and lasers, which support wireless connectivity. For example, you can take the Canon PIXMA G3400 inkjet, a feature of which is the ability to connect it via Wi-Fi. A small nuance should be taken into account: this device connects to a Wi-Fi router, using WPS technology. Therefore it is necessary to buy a router with WPS support, and this feature must be enabled on it. The following figure shows, how to enable WPS on the D-Link DIR-615 router.
Further, to Connect Canon PIXMA G3400 to Wireless Network on Windows 10, you need to follow these steps.
- Plug in your device and click on the button labeled "Wi-Fi", that is on it. Keep it clamped, until a single blink of the orange LED flashes. After that, the blue Wi-Fi indicator will start flashing, which signals, that the device started searching for a wireless network.
- At this stage, you will need to connect the router to your nozzle (laser). Press and hold the WPS button on it, until the blue indicator on the nozzles stops flashing and begins to glow evenly. That will mean, that the printer is connected to a Wi-Fi network.
- Further, it is necessary for the OS to see the equipment. To do this, select the "Settings" tab via the "Start" menu, then a new window will open.
- Select the "Devices" section and click on "Add a printer or scanner". The system will start searching for equipment and, eventually, will display the link "Required printer is not in the list", which will need to be clicked.
- Further, a marker should be placed near the item, as shown in the following figure.
- By clicking "Next", the hardware search will start (Bluetooth or Wi-Fi printer). Select the required equipment and click "Next".
- After that, the necessary drivers will be installed, and the equipment will be ready for use.
Connect the printer to a MacBook with Mac OS
In addition to the usual Windows, there is also a fairly common operating system Mac OS, which is used in computers, manufactured by Apple. Because the interface of both operating systems is very different, to Connect a Printer to a MacBook |, the following steps are required.
- Use a USB cable to connect both devices (MacBook and printer).
- At the bottom of the screen in the Dock, select "System Preferences" and go to this menu.
- A new window will open, in which you should click on "Printers and Scanners".
- The window will show the equipment, previously connected to a computer. But if you are installing this printing device for the first time, then you should click on the "+" button.
- After clicking on the "+" in the window, select the equipment you need.
Do not forget about the drivers. The system may ask you to connect to the Internet to download the necessary software, or from it the offer to insert a disk with drivers will come.
Connect a network device to your MacBook
Printing equipment can also be connected to a MacBook, as a network. To do this, you need to know, which IP address is assigned to it on your network. Go to the printer settings and select "Print network settings", where the IP will be registered.
The procedure for connecting network equipment is as follows.
- Follow the initial steps, as described above, and after clicking the "+" button in the window, click NO tab "IP". In the window, in the line "Address" you need to register the IP address of the device you need.
- The fields "Protocol" and "Queue" can be left blank, leaving them empty.
- Further, you will need to choose the right software on the same principles, mentioned earlier, and click on "Add". In a moment, your printing equipment will be added to your MacBook.
Connect your printer to your MacBook via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
To connect the device to a MacBook via Wi-Fi, logging in to Printers and Scanners, click on "+" to add equipment. Select the equipment you need from the list. Importantly, that its type was "Multifunctional Bonjour".
After selecting the device, if it supports Airprint technology, in the "Use" line, select "AirPrint" and click "Add".
The search will then begin and a connection will be made between the computer and the device of your choice.
It is also recommended to update the software from the App store.
To connect the device via Bluetooth, click on its icon at the top of the screen and turn on the "Turn Bluetooth On" receiver.
Make sure, that the printer is turned on in Bluetooth mode. In the window, after searching for Bluetooth devices, will be displayed found. Choose the right one and make a couple, by clicking "Create a pair". After the connection request, click "Accept".
What shall I do, if the printer fails to connect
There are cases, when the OS does not see the MFP or other printing equipment, and it cannot connect. Example, if you take the HP LaserJet laser 1010 with such a problem, then you have to install it manually.
- Connect the device to the computer (via USB) and connect it to the network.
- In the "Start" menu, click on "Devices and Printers".
- In the window, select "Printer Setup".
- Now you need to decide, which connection option suits you. In this case, select "Add local printer".
- Further, the system will prompt you to select a port. At this stage, it is better to leave everything unchanged, ie port LPT1, and click "Next".
- The next step is to install the driver for the MFP or other printer. As mentioned above, it can be installed from disk, download from the Internet or install through the Windows Update Wizard (if there is no disk, or there is no optical drive in the PC).
What shall I do, when there is no official software for HP LaserJet in Windows 1010, or you do not have an internet connection? You can temporarily get out of the situation, selecting from the list, provided by the system, laser of the same manufacturer. In this case, it's HP LaserJet 3055 PCL5.
In the next window, give the name of the equipment to be installed, then also click "Next".
Now you need to specify the parameters of access to the device. Click "No Sharing…", if you are not going to connect the device to the network, or "Allow sharing…" to be able to print from other PCs. After clicking the "Next" button, peripheral installation is complete.
Nozzle settings (laser) for printing
To configure the device, you need to go to "Devices and Printers", right-click on the desired equipment and select "Printer Properties". To test the device, click on "Trial Print".
By clicking the "Print Settings" button, you can choose the size of the paper and determine the orientation of the page, as well as print quality.
How to turn on the default printer
Sometimes it happens, that multiple printing devices are connected to the computer. But if you use one of them most often, it is very inconvenient to constantly choose it from the list. The problem is solved in a fairly simple way: you need to add the right nozzle (laser) in the default device:
- open the control panel:
- open the Printers and Faxes section;
- double-click on the desired hardware and check the box next to "Use default".
For convenience, shortcut to the Printers and Faxes folder and place it on your desktop or pin it to your Windows start screen 10.
Print queue settings
Print Queue Management allows the user to control all documents, on her list. Thanks to this service, you can re-select and send the document for printing at any time. It can also be placed in the "Favorites", so as not to send it for printing next time.
Exist 3 types of queues for printing:
- general - all PC users can perform any task;
- direct - you can print a document from the intended equipment;
- secure - printing of the document will be impossible without authorization.
In case of failure, inkjet (laser) may refuse to print documents from the queue, or will print the same document, without moving on to the next. In this case, the queue can be cleared, by double-clicking on the icon of the desired device in the control panel. Further, click on the "Printer" menu and select the line "Clear print queue".
Color printing settings
Adjusting the color profile is a very important step for quality color reproduction when printing. You could see, example, in the settings of the printing device selection or glossy paper, or matte. Each type of photo paper has its own color profile as a special file, containing certain commands for the nozzle.
Color profiles for used ink or paper can be downloaded from the Internet and installed on your computer.
You can also customize color printing manually, trial and error, creating your profile for the highest quality color reproduction. To do this, use the jet driver. Example, the Canon jet driver configuration will look like this.
- First, open the printer driver window. Click in turn: Control Panel and Devices and Printers. Then right-click on the desired equipment and select "Printer Properties".
- Choose the main one (Main) tab and select manual (Manual) installation of flowers, then click on "Set« ".
- In the window, manual color settings check the box next to "Print a pattern for color adjustment" and press the "Pattern Print…" button to set the print settings.
- After opening the next window, select options, as in the picture below. By the way, the paper size may be different, example, A4. After making changes, click OK.
- Perform a test printout, clicking OK on the tab (Main). A sheet with several images will be printed, in which the color balance will change.
- Looking at the result, you should choose the image from the best (natural) transfer color and remember values, which are written under it.
- In the color settings window, enter the color balance value, which were indicated under the picture opposite Cyan, Magenta and Yellow.
- Uncheck "Print a pattern for color…" and print the image you want.
Printing will now be based on color balance adjustments, and the images will look better and more realistic. Printer driver windows from different manufacturers may differ in the set of commands and the location of the buttons. But in general, the color balance adjustment algorithm is similar, and its implementation will not cause much difficulty.