How to Add an Inkjet Printer to a Home Network
A home network is a great way to save money by allowing one Internet connection or printer to serve all the computers in your house. The convenience of a home network also means that you can print from any computer to a single network printer. While setting up a home networking system may seem like a complicated task, it is actually quite easy to add an inkjet printer to your home network.
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Instructions
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Pick a good central location for your printer. Choose a room with a computer that is easily accessible to everyone in the house.
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Determine whether your printer is network-ready. If your printer has a network adapter pre-installed, it is considered network-ready. This adapter may be either wired (meaning you'll need a cable to hook it up to your network) or wireless. If your network adapter is wireless, you can add your printer to your wireless network the same way you would add a wireless notebook.
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Connect the printer to your network hub (i.e., the network router, switch, or other access point that joins all of your network devices). You can do this by plugging a network cable into the printer and connecting it to the jack on the network hub. It doesn't matter whether these devices are on or off when you connect the cable.
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Install your inkjet printer driver on each computer in your home network. The driver software is usually included on a CD when you purchase an inkjet printer. Run the set-up program on each of your home computers. When you see the prompt, indicate that you are setting up a network printer. Your operating system will help you through the rest of the installation process.
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Share the printer on your home network. Once the printer is installed, simply open the 'Printers and Faxes' folder on the computer the printer is connected to, click on the printer icon, and click on the 'Share this Printer' task to open a dialog box that allows you to make this printer available to other computers on your home network.
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Connect to the shared printer from other computers in the house. Click on the 'Start' button in Windows and choose 'Settings' then 'Printers and Faxes.' From the Printer Task menu, select the 'Add a Printer' option. Follow the easy prompts in the 'Add a Printer Wizard' to connect the computer to the network printer. In just a few steps, you'll be ready to print!
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Tips & Warnings
If you want to be able to print even when the computer the printer is connected to is turned off, you might want to consider using a network print server. This gadget (which comes in both wired and wireless versions) allows you to print to your shared network printer anytime.
If you are adding the printer to a security-enabled wireless network, you will need the security key from your wireless router or access point during the set-up process to allow the printer to participate in your home network.
If you can't find the driver CD for your inkjet printer, you can try adding the printer to your home network by using the 'Add Printer Wizard' in Windows. Or, you can visit the support section of your printer manufacturer's Web site for help.
If your network printer is connected to a single computer rather than directly to the network hub, make sure to leave this computer on. You won't be able to print when the computer is off.
