Foolproof steps to installing a new printer
Author: Cindy Waxer
Shawnda Walker-Leu knows the trials and tribulations of installing a printer. Chunky cables, CD-ROMs and endless dialogue boxes — the Toronto mother has seen it all. Despite these frustrations, Walker-Leu knows there are times, especially on special occasions, that call for a printer.
Take the time she was planning her daughter Abigail’s first birthday party. Instead of going with store-bought or electronic invitations, Walker-Leu decided to print custom-made cards.
“For certain things, I really like to have a printed piece,” she says. “A handmade birthday invitation is a perfect memento.”
Fortunately, the days of lengthy installations are long gone. If you connect the printer to your computer with a USB cable, Windows Vista will automatically detect and configure the printer for you. If you do need to install the printer manually, the Add Printer Wizard makes adding a local printer (one that’s directly connected to your computer) or a network printer (one that’s remotely connected to your network with an Ethernet connection) a breeze.
The first step to installing a printer is going to Start > Control Panel > and selecting Printers.
If you have a USB-connected printer, Windows Vista will automatically install it. The Add a Printer program automatically detects USB-connected printers.
If your printer was automatically installed, click here for printing tips.
How to install a local printer
Step 1: Click the Start button > Control Panel > Printers > Add Printer. Make certain your printer is connected to your computer and is turned on. Click Next to launch the Add Printer Wizard.
Step 2: Select Local printer.
Step 3: Choose a printer port.
Step 4: Select the manufacturer and model of your printer.
Step 5: Once you have located the printer you wish to install, click Next.
Step 6: If you have a disk with the software for the printer, put it into your CD-ROM drive and then click the Have Disk button. Select the drive that contains this disk and click OK.
Step 7: Supply a name for the printer and determine whether you’d like this printer to serve as your default printer. It’s always best to select the printer directly connected to your computer as your default printer.
Step 8: Indicate whether you’d like this printer to be shared. (This function is especially useful if your home is networked and the printer will be shared with other users.) If so, click Share Name and assign a name to the printer that will be easily recognized by family members.
Step 9: Click Yes to print a test page from your newly installed printer.
Step 10: Click Next to review the settings for your new printer before completing the installation process.
How to install a network printer
Installing a network printer that’s down the hall from your main home computer is just as easy. When the Add Printer Wizard asks you to select a printer, simply click Add a network, wireless or Bluetooth printer.
If your network doesn’t appear in the search box, select “The printer I want isn’t listed” to browse for a printer or search for a shared printer by name. Alternatively, if your network printer is on a network that uses an Internet address, click Add a printer using a TCP/IP address or hostname and follow the prompts. The Add Printer Wizard can guide you through the installation process, but playing with preferences is up to you.
Learn some printing tips and tricks
You’re ready to print documents. Here are some tricks to getting the most out of your printer.
Joli Ballew, author of a dozen or so books on technology, including Windows Vista: Home Networking (Microsoft Press, 2007), recommends that the user, when confronted with a large print job, alter the settings to print the last page first by checking the Collate boxes on the Print tab. By ensuring that documents are printed in sequential order, you’ll save yourself from having to “mess around for 15 minutes putting all your documents together,” Ballew says.
Given the high cost of ink cartridges, Ballew also suggests using discretion when determining printer quality. While it’s wise to take advantage of high-quality settings for color photos and web pages, Ballew says the Plain Paper and Gray scale Printing (which may be called First Draft or something else, depending on the printer program) preferences are ideal for text documents and can reduce costs. “There’s no reason to go overboard,” she warns. “You don’t need to print a document on highest quality. That’s just going to waste a lot of ink.”
