Installing Local and Network Printers
You can connect printers to computers in several different ways.
Which option you choose depends on the printer. Some printers connect
directly to a computer and are referred to as local printers. Others
connect to a computer via a network and are referred to as network
printers. Network printers include all printers on a network, such as Bluetooth and wireless printers, as well as printers that are connected to another computer and shared on the network.
Most printers have installation software that you use to initially
configure the printer. For a printer that connects directly to a
computer, you usually run this software once, and the software sets up
the printer and configures a connection to the printer so that it can
be used. For a network printer, you usually run this software once on
your management computer to prepare the printer for use and then create
connections to the printer on each computer that will use the printer.
Setting Up a Local Printer
With a printer that has a USB connection, you connect the printer
directly to the computer, and Windows should automatically detect and
install it. If your printer connects using a serial or parallel port,
you might have to install the printer manually. To install a printer
manually, follow these steps:
-
Power on the printer. In Devices And Printers,
check that the printer isn’t already listed as available. If the
printer isn’t available yet, install it by following the remaining
steps in this procedure. -
In Devices And Printers, tap or click Add A Printer. The Add
Printer Wizard attempts to detect the printer automatically. If the
wizard finds the printer you want to work with, tap or click it in the
list provided, follow the prompts, and skip the rest of the steps in
this procedure. If the wizard doesn’t find the printer, tap or click
The Printer That I Want Isn’t Listed. -
Tap or click Add A Local Printer Or Network Printer With Manual Settings and then tap or click Next. -
In the Use An Existing Port list, select the port to which the printer is connected, and then tap or click Next. -
Do one of the following:
-
Select the printer manufacturer and model, and then tap or click Next. -
If the printer isn’t listed but you have the installation media, tap
or click Have Disk, and then browse to the folder where the printer
driver is stored. For help, consult the printer manual. -
If you don’t have the installation media, tap or click Windows Update, and then wait while Windows checks for available drivers.
-
Complete the additional steps in the wizard, and then tap or click
Finish. You can confirm the printer is working by printing a test page.
You can manage local printers using Group Policy preferences. I
recommend this approach only for situations in which you can carefully
target computers so that only computers that actually have local
printers are configured.
To create a preference item to create, update, replace, or delete local printers, follow these steps:
-
Open a GPO for editing in the Group Policy Management Editor. To
configure preferences for computers, expand Computer
Configuration\Preferences\Control Panel Settings, and then select
Printers. To configure preferences for users, expand User
Configuration\Preferences\Control Panel Settings, and then select
Printers. -
Press and hold or right-click the Printers node, point to New, and
then tap or click Local Printer. This opens the New Local Printer
Properties dialog box. -
In the New Local Printer Properties dialog box, select Create, Update, Replace, or Delete in the Action list. -
In the Name box, enter the name of the printer. If you are creating
a printer, this is the name that will be used for the new local
printer. If you are updating, replacing, or deleting a printer, this
name must match the targeted local printer. -
In the Port list, select the port to which the local printer is connected. -
In the Printer Path box, type the Universal Naming Convention (UNC)
path to a shared printer that is of the same type as the local printer
you are configuring. The preference item will use this as an
installation source for the printer driver. -
Use the options on the Common tab to control how the preference is
applied. Because you are enforcing a control, you will generally want
to apply the setting every time Group Policy is refreshed. In this
case, do not select Apply Once And Do Not Reapply. -
Tap or click OK. The next time policy is refreshed, the preference
item will be applied as appropriate for the GPO in which you defined
the preference item.
To create a preference item to manage a shared local printer, follow these steps:
-
Open a GPO for editing in the Group Policy Management Editor. Expand
User Configuration\Preferences\Control Panel Settings, and then select
Printers. -
Press and hold or right-click the Printers node, point to New, and
then tap or click Shared Printer. This opens the New Shared Printer
Properties dialog box. -
In the New Shared Printer Properties dialog box, select Create,
Update, Replace, or Delete in the Action list. If you are creating a
Delete preference, you can specify that you want to delete all shared
printer connections by setting the action to Delete and selecting
Delete All Shared Printer Connections. -
In the Share Path box, type the UNC path of the shared printer.
Optionally, choose a local port to which you want to map the shared
connection. If you are using the Delete action, the shared printer
associated with that local port is deleted. Alternatively, with the
Delete action you can elect to unmap all local ports. -
Optionally, set the printer as the default printer. If you are
creating, updating, or replacing a shared printer connection and want
the connection to be available each time the user logs on, choose the
Reconnect option. -
Use the options on the Common tab to control how the preference is
applied. Because you are enforcing a control, you will generally want
to apply the setting every time Group Policy is refreshed. In this
case, do not select Apply Once And Do Not Reapply. -
Tap or click OK. The next time policy is refreshed, the preference
item will be applied as appropriate for the GPO in which you defined
the preference item.
Setting Up a Wireless, Bluetooth, or Network Printer
If a printer uses a wireless or Bluetooth connection, you can
prepare the computer and the printer as you would any similar device.
Make sure the printer is powered on and in a discoverable mode. You
may need to manually turn on the printer’s Bluetooth or wireless
capabilities. If the printer has a wired connection, you may not be
able to use its built-in dynamic addressing features. In this case, you
may need to manually configure the printer’s TCP/IP settings.
In Devices And Printers, be sure that the printer isn’t already
listed as available. If the printer isn’t available yet, follow these
steps to connect to it:
-
In Devices And Printers, tap or click Add A Printer. The Add
Printer Wizard attempts to detect the printer automatically. If the
wizard finds the printer you want to work with, tap or click it in the
list provided, follow the prompts, and skip the rest of the steps in
this procedure. If the wizard doesn’t find the printer, tap or click
The Printer That I Want Isn’t Listed. -
In the Add Printer Wizard, tap or click Add Bluetooth, Wireless Or Network Discoverable Printer. -
In the list of available printers, select the printer you want to use, and then tap or click Next. -
If prompted, install the printer driver on your computer. -
Complete the additional steps in the wizard, and then tap or click
Finish. You can confirm the printer is working by printing a test page. -
If you have trouble connecting to the printer, try the following as part of troubleshooting:
-
Be sure that a firewall isn’t blocking connectivity to the printer.
You might need to open a firewall port to enable access between the
computer and the printer. -
Be sure the printer is turned on and connected to the same network
as the computer. If your network consists of multiple subnets connected
together, try to connect the printer to the same network subnet. You
can determine the subnet by looking at the computer’s IP address. -
Be sure the printer is configured to broadcast its presence on the network. Most network printers automatically do this. -
Be sure the printer has an IP address and proper network settings.
With DHCP, network routers assign IP addresses automatically as
printers connect to the network.
You can manage network printers using Group Policy preferences. To
create, update, replace, or delete a connection to a network printer,
follow these steps:
-
Open a GPO for editing in the Group Policy Management Editor. To
configure preferences for computers, expand Computer
Configuration\Preferences\Control Panel Settings, and then select
Printers. To configure preferences for users, expand User
Configuration\Preferences\Control Panel Settings, and then select
Printers. -
Press and hold or right-click the Printers node, point to New, and
then tap or click TCP/IP Printer. This opens the New TCP/IP Printer
Properties dialog box. -
In the New TCP/IP Printer Properties dialog box, select Create, Update, Replace, or Delete in the Action list. -
Do one of the following:
-
If you want to connect to the printer by IP address, enter the IP address in the IP Address box. -
If you want to connect to the printer by its Domain Name System
(DNS) name, select Use DNS Name, and then enter the fully qualified
domain name of the printer.
-
In the Local Name
box, enter the local name of the printer. If you are creating a printer
connection, this is the name that will be displayed on users’
computers. If you are updating, replacing, or deleting a printer
connection, this name must match the targeted printer. -
In the Printer Path box, type the UNC path to a shared printer that
is the same type of printer as the network printer you are configuring.
The preference item will use this printer as an installation source for
the printer driver. -
Optionally, set the printer as the default printer. -
Use the options on the Port Settings tab to specify the protocol, port number, and other options used by the printer. -
Use the options on the Common tab to control how the preference is
applied. Because you are enforcing a control, you will generally want
to apply the setting every time Group Policy is refreshed. In this
case, do not select Apply Once And Do Not Reapply. -
Tap or click OK. The next time policy is refreshed, the
preference item will be applied as appropriate for the GPO in which you
defined the preference item.
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