Ready to Print? How to Connect a Wireless Printer

pcmag.com:

Most often, connecting a wired printer is easy. Pick the right cable, and then plug one end into the printer and the other into a computer or network. Connecting a wireless printer, on the other hand, is, well, not always as easy. Even when everything goes smoothly, it's still more complicated than plugging in a cable.

A few years ago, when most people talked about wireless printers, they meant devices compatible with Wi-Fi (802.11), but now there are also Wi-Fi Direct(Opens in a new window) and Bluetooth devices to consider. To make matters more complex, the steps vary for all three methods depending on the exact printer model you own. This, of course, makes it impossible to cover all existing variations.

The good news is that much of these procedures are automated in your modern desktop and mobile operating system. Often, your OS will simply walk you through the process. Still, the steps for connecting wirelessly to a printer depend largely on what method you're using, what type of printer you have, and the router type.

Unless your network uses static IP addresses or another protocol besides DHCP, much of this process is automatic. Printers usually find and connect (with credentials you provide) to your router, and subsequently to your computing device. (Note that if your network is not DHCP, we suggest that you contact your sysadmin and/or set up a static IP address.)

You should also know about any other settings that you may have changed from the most common choices. For example, if you turned off DHCP, which automatically assigns IP addresses, you need to assign the printer an IP address manually. Similarly, if you set the access point to connect only with devices with specific MAC addresses, you have to enter