How do I add networked office printers in Windows?

In This Article:

Overview:

Department machines using the TCP/IP protocol connection method can access department printers. This tutorial will explain to UI employees networking your workstation to a department or office printer in Windows.

This tutorial applies to the following operating system(s):

 Windows

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For assistance setting up networked office printers in other operating systems, see our other articles:

Installing Printer Drivers from Software Center:

Step 1:

Search for Software Center in the taskbar, then click it to open. 

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Step 2:

Install the Driver that matches the brand of printer that you are trying to add. In this example, I am going to use HP. 

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Step 3:

Click Install. Once installed, the printer driver is ready to be used for HP printers. 

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Adding a Networked Office Printer in Windows:

Step 1:

Select the window icon to open the start menu, then select Settings.

Go to Start, then Settings.
Go to Start, then Settings.

 

Step 2:

From the Settings menu, select Devices.

Select "Devices."
Select Devices.

 

Step 3:

From the Devices panel, under the Printers & scanners tab, select Add a printer or scanner.

Select Printers & Scanners, then "Add a printer or scanner."Select Printers & Scanners, then "Add a printer or scanner."

 

Step 4:

The computer will search for a printer. If yours appears, select it. If not, select "The printer that I want isn't listed."

Select "The printer that I want isn't listed."
Select "The printer that I want isn't listed."

 

Step 5:

Once you have selected "The printer that I want isn't listed," check "Add a printer using a TCP/IP address or hostname" and click next.

Check "Add a printer using a TCP/IP address or hostname."
Check "Add a printer using a TCP/IP address or hostname."

 

Step 6:

Select "TCP/IP Device" for device type. Next, type the Hostname for your printer in the two entry boxes. If you do not know the hostname of the printer, you can try asking someone that already has it installed on their computer. You can find the name by first finding the IP address of the printer. It should say the IP address on the screen of the printer or in the network settings on the printer.  It should start with 129.101. Once you have that, open up a CMD window on your computer by typing in CMD into your search bar in the start menu and opening it up, then type in nslookup, followed by a space and then the IP address of the printer 129.101.**.**. That will give you the printer's hostname. Which should be a name followed by .printer.uidaho.edu. Finally, make sure "Query the printer and automatically select the driver to use" and press Next(Note: it is a good idea to set "Device Type" to "TCP/IP Device, as Audodetect may create the printer using a WSD port, which will not work. In addition, if you have the driver file on your computer, you can uncheck the "Query the printer" checkbox and browse for the driver manually on the next screen.)

Enter the hostname.

 

Step 7:

The computer will proceed by connecting to the printer using the name you entered, and automatically detect the correct driver to use with your printer.

The driver should be automatically detected by the computer.
The driver should be automatically detected by the computer.

If your machine is not able to automatically detect the driver you may need to manually select this.

You may need to manually select a driver.

If the driver is not listed for your printer, please follow the steps above from the "Installing Printer Drivers from Software Center" steps. If your printer driver is not in Software Center, contact your TSP for assistance.

 

Step 8:

Once the printer has been connected to your computer, Type in a display name for your printer and then click Next. It is recommended to use the printer's hostname but you can name the printer anything.

Enter in a name for your newly installed printer.
Enter in a name for your newly installed printer.

 

Step 9:

In order to keep your printer private, select "Do not share this printer" on this screen, and then click Next.

Check "Do not share this printer."
Check "Do not share this printer."

 

Step 10:

Finally, print a test page to make sure your printer is working.

If you run into trouble completing this tutorial, contact your TSP.

Once installed, print a test page to ensure it was installed properly.
Once installed, print a test page to ensure it was installed properly.

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Article ID: 18
Created
Fri 12/1/17 4:51 PM
Modified
Fri 10/11/24 5:00 PM

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