How to Connect a Printer to a Laptop

Connecting a printer to a laptop is the same as connecting a printer to a desktop. You need the printer and the laptop, and then you need to follow the instructions in the steps below. After buying and setting up your printer, the following will help you connect the printer to your laptop.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Buy the printer and set it up following the instructions that come in the box.

2. Take the CD that comes with the printer and put it in your laptop's CD drive.

3. Follow the instructions to install the software for the printer. You should get a setup wizard and be able to follow step-by-step instructions in order to install the software for the printer.

4. Turn on your printer. Plug in the connecting wire to your serial, USB or parallel port depending on the port the printer needs. The laptop should pick up the new hardware, but if it doesn't, you need to reboot the laptop.

5. Set up a wireless network and you won't have to worry about plugging in the wire each time you need to print your documents. Otherwise, when you are done printing remove the plug and take your laptop wherever you want. When you have another document to print, just take your laptop to your printer, turn the printer on and plug in the connecting wire. You then can print your documents.

Tips & Warnings

• If you've setup a wireless network, you can print your documents at any time from wherever you are.