If you are still using the printer to print documents, and you continue to use the USB cable to connect it to your Mac, it is very possible that you have not yet discovered many of the advantages that the possibility of connecting to the network offers us, especially if you have one network printer .
As its name suggests, a network printer is ideal so that it can be used by more than one user , but without having to move around the site or physically connect it with the help of a cable.
In fact, any computer that is part of the same network can access and send print jobs to the printer queue, which, managed by the main computer or the server, will automatically take care of managing and releasing the different print jobs. .
And what is even more interesting: it is not necessary to be in an office to enjoy the benefits of a network printer. It is enough that we have more than one computer at home, to be able to take advantage of it.
But, how can we install a network printer if we are using a Mac? We explain the steps you must follow to be able to do it, and also easily.
Installing a network printer on our Mac
Before proceeding to install our network printer on the Mac, it is necessary to stop for a moment to discover what it is and what it consists of. It basically consists of a printer that is installed directly on our network , so, with the exception of the power cable, it is not necessary to connect it to the computer using a USB cable.
This offers even more advantages if possible, since it is perfectly possible to install and connect it anywhere, regardless of whether or not it is near the computers that are also connected to the network.
But this is not everything: if we have an iPhone or an iPad, a printer connected to the network will also offer us the possibility of printing directly from these portable devices.
Once we have discovered what they are and what they consist of, it is essential to read the printer’s installation guide . This is even more important since, unlike a printer with USB connectivity, network printers are generally more complicated to install.
We connect the printer to the network. For this, we can choose to do it using an Ethernet network cable, connecting the printer directly to the router (generally it will not be necessary to carry out any additional network configuration). Or, well, do it wirelessly, connecting it to the router without using any type of cable.
Then, click on the Apple start menu, and select System Preferences. Now, click on Printers and scanners , and click on the “+” button, in order for the operating system to search for new printers.
Now we select the network printer in the Default tab, and click on Add . The network printer will be installed in macOS X, and we can easily select it from the print menu of any program to print the documents we want.
