How to Share a Printer on a Wireless Network

Level of difficulty: Easy

Being able to share a printer over a wireless network will boost productivity around the home or office. This will limit the need to save the files to be printed in an external storage device in order to move it to the computer attached to the printer; thus, saving time and effort. With the availability of wireless networking through routers and other similar devices, it is now easy and simple to set up and configure the system in order for you to enjoy printing without cables.

Materials Needed:
- Printer with sharing capabilities
- computer connected to the network
- wireless router
- Internet connection
Step 1
Make sure the computer and the printer are both turned on. Connect the printer to one of the computers connected to the network.
Step 2
Check if the printer's drivers have been updated. If not, look at the printer's manufacturer's website to see the latest drivers. From there, download the one you need for your printer.
Step 3
Open the 'Start Menu' in your desktop and look for 'Control Panel'. Click the icon to open this folder. Look for the 'Printers' or the 'Printers and Other Hardware' window under 'Control Panel'.
Step 4
Look for the printer that you want to include in the network. Right-click on the printer's icon and choose 'Sharing' from the menu.
Step 5
For Windows Operating System users, look in the 'Add Printer Wizard,' for 'Browse for Printer' option. After, look for the Windows network, then scroll down the workgroup to the shared printer (this will have the name you assigned earlier). After choosing the shared printer, click to connect. This will ensure that the shared printer will appear in the printer’s dialog box when printing.
Step 6
For Mac users, look for 'Printer Utility' and run the 'Printer Browser'. Select 'More Printers...' to look for the printers included in the network. Choose 'Windows Printing,' and scroll down through the workgroup until you see the computer with the printer attached. Select the name of the computer, then encode the printer name but leave the password blank.
Step 7
Choose 'Ok' after to save all changes and make the printer entirely accessible to the clients of the wireless network. It would be best to also add the printer to the firewall's list of approved devices so that it would not be 'blocked' when launched. Also, users of Windows Vista will need a user's account login information to access the shared printer.