Step-by-step connection of the printer to the laptop. How to connect a printer to a laptop - step-by-step instructions

All laptop owners sooner or later face the question of how to connect a printer to a laptop. There are no special secrets and any device, including a printer, is connected either when USB help cable, or through wireless devices Bluetooth or Wi-Fi i.e. wireless point network access.

Connection using a USB cable

Each printer is supplied with a commutation cable. Having connected the cable to the printer, connect its other end to the laptop in any of USB inputs. It is not possible to mix them up, since each end of the cable fits exactly into its socket. Modern operating systems installed on a computer include installation driver files for a variety of connected devices. Most printers are detected automatically and the device driver is installed independently.

Manual installation

If the laptop does not detect the printer, we can install it manually. To do this, go to the Start menu - Printers and Faxes - Printer Installation (top line in the menu on the left). Windows XP will display a window asking you to install software for the found device - the Add Printer Wizard. Click "Next", select a local printer, click "Next".

The system searches for hardware and offers to install the appropriate drivers. In order to install them you need a disk with software, which is included with each equipment.

Insert the disc into the drive and click on the installer menu - search for removable media. The installation will start automatically. After installation, you need to restart your computer and the printer is ready to use.

Installing a printer on Windows 7

To install a printer on Windows 7, you need to do the same operations and select drivers appropriate for this operating system. Basically, version 7 of the OS finds the drivers itself and in most cases manual intervention is not necessary. In case of loss of a disk or another reason for its absence, you must download the appropriate driver on the Internet at the manufacturer’s website. Also, this action must be performed if the laptop has another operating system, for example linux or MS DOS.

Connecting a wireless printer

You can also connect the printer to your laptop wirelessly. To do this, you need printers that support this mode of operation. To connect the printer in this way, you must strictly follow the installation instructions provided by the manufacturer.

When working with text documents, by email, books or receipts, there is often a need to print them out. This is possible if you have a printer connected to your laptop.

Connecting a printer to a laptop is easy, provided the equipment is in good working order. The principle of such a connection is not much different from connecting to desktop computer. By following a certain sequence of actions, you can ensure reliable operation of the printer and the operating system as a whole.

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USB cable

Majority modern printers can be connected to a laptop via a USB cable. To connect you need:

• Turn off the laptop;
• Connect the laptop and printer via a USB cable;
• Connect the printer to the network;
• Turn on the printer and laptop;
• Wait until the system detects the equipment and installs drivers in automatic mode or install required driver manually;
• Click on the “Start” button;
• Go to the "Devices and Printers" section.

If the device is connected, a printer icon will appear in the window that opens.

Installing drivers

For the printer to work correctly and be able to print documents, you will need to install additional auxiliary programs - drivers. In order to install the necessary drivers, you need:

• Go to the main menu by clicking on the “Start” button
• Find the “Devices and Printers” section;
• Select “Install a printer”. The Add Printer Wizard window will open;
• Specify the type of printer to be installed by clicking on the “Add local printer” line;
• Check the box next to one of the items “Use an existing port” or “Create a new port”;
• Click the “Next” button and select the printer name and model in the list that opens;
• Click on the line “Install from disk”;
• Insert the disk that came with the printer into the disk drive. The system will automatically find the required driver and complete the installation;
• Restart your computer;
• Print a test page;

If there is no disk with software, download drivers from the manufacturer's website.

Printing a document

After connecting the printer, you can start printing documents. To do this you need:

• Open the desired document (text, graphic editor or website page);
• Press the key combination “Ctrl+P” on the keyboard or use the program’s capabilities.

Microsoft Word

• Click on the printer icon located on the toolbar or call the main menu of the program;
• Find the “Print” item.

Browser

• Open the desired page;
• Go to the “Settings” menu;
• Click on the “Print” line.

Paint

• Go to the “File” section;
• Click on the “Print” item.

Modern man is not limited to purchasing only computer equipment. Quite often, PC owners purchase additional peripheral devices that significantly expand user capabilities. In particular, a printer that allows you to quickly print necessary documents, photographs and other materials is in active demand.

Users try to use a wireless connection whenever possible

However, in order for this miraculous technique to be ready for use, the user must know how to connect the printer to the laptop and what changes to the settings should be made.

Experienced users will confidently confirm that a printer can be connected to a laptop in several ways, among which the most common is connecting directly via a USB interface cable, and it is also possible to connect and ensure the operation of the device wirelessly, via Wi-Fi. The user himself focuses on the connection option that is most suitable for him and accompanied by lower costs.

Connection via USB cable

If the owner of a laptop wants to know how to connect a printer to a laptop, then you can use the instructions that are included with the new equipment. In it you can not only read, but also view the connection diagrams, making the whole process absolutely clear.

Most often, manufacturers supply drivers with new technology that are read and installed from the disk included in the kit. Initially, the user must insert this disk into the laptop drive.

In most cases, driver discs are equipped with autorun, so the process will begin automatically. If automatic startup does not occur, then you should view the contents of the disk, find the setup file there and start the driver installation manually.

When installing drivers from the disk, the program will ask the user to connect a printing device; of course, you should comply with such requirements, especially since there is nothing complicated about it. The connection is made via a USB cable inserted into any USB connector. It is also important at this point to remember to plug in the power supply to the printer and load the paper, as you will need to print a test page at the end.

If the driver installation from the disk is completed successfully, an encouraging phrase will appear on the laptop screen, after which you can immediately proceed to printing documents.

Wireless connection

Many advanced users want to learn how to connect a printer to a laptop via Wi-Fi, providing comfortable wireless communication.

The possibility of such a connection exists, but, unfortunately, not for every technical device, so it is very important that its parameters meet the requirements. There are three options wireless connection via Wi-Fi:

• performing all actions manually;
• based on driver installation;
• thanks to the WPS function.

If your printing device is equipped with the HP Smart Install feature, you should first connect it via USB, then run the above function. The installation process starts automatically, at a certain stage you will be asked for a connection option. At this point, the user must specify a connection via Wi-Fi.

The installation wizard will independently make the appropriate changes to the settings, ensuring a wireless connection, after which the USB cable of the printing device is disconnected from the laptop.

Can I connect my printer to my laptop using HP Smart Install? This can be found out by reading the technical capabilities documentation.

If the printing device and router support WPS, another amazing opportunity appears that allows you to understand how to connect a printer to a laptop without a disk.

The WPS function must be activated on both the printing equipment and the router. Such actions can be done by going to the printer and router menu. In many cases, technical equipment has a special button, by pressing it and holding it for a while, you can simply activate WPS. You can obtain information about the presence, location of this button and the duration of the hold by studying the instructions for the purchased equipment.

It is also possible to connect the printer via Wi-Fi by making some settings manually. To do this, you should start setting up a wireless connection in the settings, then search for all available networks. Having found your own network, you should connect to it by entering the set password.

There is a Wi-Fi icon on the printer; it will indicate that all the prescribed actions have been completed correctly, since the Wi-Fi indicator will light up when the connection is successful. In this case, you will have to run from disk full installation driver and print a test page when finished.

Printing settings

It is very common that printing problems occur even after successfully connecting the printer. This indicates that the printer settings are accompanied by errors, so the user must know how to set up printing correctly.

Starting a document to print

There are several ways to start printing. The first allows you to not even open the program interface; you just need to simultaneously click on two Ctrl+P buttons. However, in this case, it should be taken into account that printing will start, but only of the complete document and strictly in one copy. This is not entirely convenient, since there are cases when you need to print only individual pages or produce several copies at the same time.

In this regard, experienced users recommend making separate settings through the interface of the program used. The owner of the laptop must click on the “Print” line, after which a dialog box will open where several options will be offered, among which the user must select those that the user needs.

Here you can specify several copies at once, print only specified pages, run double-sided printing, as well as several pages on one sheet.

Before the final output of the image for printing, you can use the preview function. This will avoid wasting toner or ink if the image needs further adjustments. Also in the settings you can set an economical printing mode, consuming less toner or ink.

So, installation of a printing device can be carried out by any user, even those who do not have skills in this matter. It is important to consistently follow the recommendations for installing the driver from the disk so that the process of connecting the printer to the laptop is successful.

Today, a printer is an indispensable device in offices, as well as for students and schoolchildren. At the same time, you can now buy it relatively inexpensively. multifunctional device(MFP), which, in addition to the printer, also includes a scanner and a copier. But, in addition to purchasing, the device still needs to be connected to a computer. Laptops are now more popular than desktop PCs. Connecting to any of these devices is not difficult even in the absence of special knowledge, and almost any user can independently connect the printer to a laptop.

Preparatory stage

First you should make sure that the laptop has working USB ports. This is quite simple to do - just connect the mouse to them one by one. Most often, this is not a problem, since modern laptops are equipped with several USB ports.

However, if the purchased printer has support for the Wi-Fi wireless interface, then you can do without wires altogether.

The next step is to choose a location where the printer will be installed. Of course, it can be easily carried, but this is not recommended, as there is a high risk of damage to the device. When choosing a location for the printer, you should focus on two important criteria:

• it must be located near the place where the user plans to work;
• it is necessary to provide free space for paper output.

After completing the preparatory activities, you can begin connecting the printer to the laptop and setting up the device.

Most often, the USB interface is used to connect the printer. Moreover, this does not depend on the type of device, and a laser copier is connected in the same way as an inkjet copier. Connections should be made with the devices turned off to avoid errors.

Via USB interface

The appropriate cable for the printing device must be inserted into a working connector. After this, you can turn on both devices.

You can make sure that the procedure was successful using a few simple steps:

• Immediately after turning on the devices, the message “New hardware found” should appear on the laptop screen. If there is no notification, then you need to repeat the connection procedure to the new port.
• By clicking on the “Start” button, you need to go to the “Control Panel” and select the “Devices and Printers” option.
• If the connection is successful, the new printer should be displayed in the window that appears. However, it should not be confused with virtual devices- Microsoft XPS Document Writer. The printer icon must display the device model, for example, Samsung ML-1660 Series.

Installing drivers

If the laptop has successfully identified a new device, then you can proceed to setting up the device. The first step is to install drivers. If the copier was recently purchased from a store, then there should be no problems at this stage. Each device includes a disk with drivers to be installed. To do this you need to follow a number of simple steps:

• The driver disk must be inserted into the laptop drive;
• go to “My Computer” and double-left click on the new disk;
• find installation file, most often it is called Setup. exe or Install. exe, and start the installation process;
• The installation is carried out automatically and you need to wait for the process to complete.

However, there may be situations when there is no driver disk. For example, the device was purchased on the secondary market. In this case, you can also connect Canon printer to the laptop, but first you will have to find drivers. You can download them from the Internet or use Windows based. First, you should turn to the operating system tools.

Windows contains drivers for popular printer models. To install them you need to do the following:

• go to the “Devices and Printers” menu;
• right-click on the icon of the connected device, and then context menu select “Windows Update”;
• In the window that appears, click on “Check for updates.”

After these manipulations, the system will begin searching current version drivers. If the process is completed successfully, then all that remains is to restart the laptop and you can start working with the printer. Otherwise, you will have to visit the manufacturer’s official website and find the necessary drivers there.

For example, to connect an HP printer to a laptop, you need to go to www8. hp.com. At the top of the page, hover over “Support”, and then select the “Programs and Drivers” section from the drop-down menu. In the new window, enter the device model or its name into the search bar. serial number and click on “Search”. After the process is completed, all that remains is to select the desired driver, depending on the bit depth installed on the OS laptop, and download it.

Connection via Wi-Fi protocol

When connecting a device with using Wi-Fi First you need to make sure your router is turned on. Then you need to press the button to turn on the wireless interface module on the printer. After this, go to the “Devices and Printers” option on your laptop using the “Start” button. The window that opens should have an icon with the device model. By right-clicking on this shortcut, the context menu is called up and the “Set as default” item is selected.

This method is the simplest, but it has one significant drawback - anyone can connect to the switched-on device. To prevent unauthorized access to the printer, you must set up a secure network. This can be done with simple steps:

• go to the device settings;
• select the Wi-Fi Settings and Wi-Fi Setup options;
• open the Wi-Fi Setup Wizard menu;
• select the one you are using Wi-Fi network, and then enter its name (SSID) and password.

If everything was done correctly, the corresponding indicator on the front panel of the device should light up.

Possible problems

Sometimes the printing device does not connect and the user wants to know why this happened. Such situations are observed quite rarely, but it is worth getting acquainted with the main problems and ways to solve them. First of all, you should make sure that the device is the default device. To solve this problem, you need to sequentially visit the “Control Panel” and “Devices and Printers” options.

There should be a green check mark on the device icon. If it is not there, then you need to right-click on the shortcut and select the line “Use as default” in the context menu. You should also make sure that the device has paper and toner. In addition, you can reboot the laptop to activate installed driver. It doesn’t matter whether you need to connect a Canon printer to a laptop or a device from another manufacturer. The process is quite simple and is performed according to one algorithm.

Over the past few years, a lot has changed in the field of computing: what previously seemed like something extraordinary is now considered quite ordinary and familiar. As an example, we can recall the history of the popularization of manipulators like “ computer mouse" It is quite possible that someone else remembers the heyday of the DOS system, when mice, if they existed, were fully supported by only a very small number of programs.

However, an operating room appeared Windows system: first 3.1 (we do not list previous versions because of their low popularity), then 3.11 and, finally, the famous Win 95. Since that time, such an exotic device as a mouse has become, in fact, an integral part of any computer. Although it was quite possible to do without it. As you know, history develops in a spiral: now it is difficult to imagine a full-fledged electronic assistant without a printing device. It is not surprising that the Internet is replete with questions like “how to connect a printer to a laptop.” Anyone can buy the device itself, but setting it up may pose some difficulties. For example, one of the popular questions on forums is “how to connect a printer to a laptop.” This point is quite natural, especially considering the popularity of laptop computers.

Before we describe the procedure, we’ll immediately warn the reader that understanding the question “how to connect a printer to a laptop” is not at all easy... but rather elementary. Are you ready to become a little guru? Then, read on!

In fact, you should ask any owner of a computer equipped with a printing device about how to connect a printer to a laptop. There are no differences. All actions are identical.

The vast majority of modern printer models are connected to a computer via a USB interface cable. All connectors and plugs are standardized. So, after unpacking the printing device, you need to read the instructions for it, as preparatory steps may be required. Then we insert the CD that comes with the printer into the drive and begin installing the driver: when the Autorun function is active, everything starts automatically, otherwise you need to open the disk structure and run setup manually. During installation, the program will ask you to turn on the printer. To do this, enable USB cord, coming from the device to any free computer; insert sheets of paper and supply power (plug into socket and power button).

If everything is fine, the driver will report successful installation.

By the way, this method of connecting to a computer is also suitable for inkjet models. That is, for everything to work, you need to physically connect the interface, install the driver and supply power.

It’s a little more difficult to figure out how to connect a printer via wi-fi. If your printer model contains a module wireless communication, then you need to configure your laptop and printer to work in point-to-point mode. For models with an Ethernet interface, you need to purchase an access point and connect the device to it. It will remain in the laptop (work by IP address). And, of course, one of the simplest (but not so cheap) solutions is to “share” the printer from another computer that has a Wi-Fi unit.