It’s very easy to connect a printer to a PC purchased in a licensed computer technology store. To do this, find the instructions for it and follow it. But the task becomes more complicated if the second-hand update is “gray” (it was not brought in quite legally): the user manual may be missing or it simply does not contain a section in a familiar language. Similar problems can be easily resolved if you act thoughtfully and leisurely.
Preparing to Connect
The content of the article
- Preparing to Connect
- Connection Progress
- Health Check
Regardless of which technique the printer will work with, you should understand: this device does not like frequent movements and requires free space around it. Care should be taken most closely at the points where the paper feeds and the output of the printed sheets: the first is for the convenience of the user, and the second is for the printer to function correctly.
Having decided on the location of the new thing, you should consider how to connect it to the mains. It makes no sense to power through an uninterruptible power supply - the printer consumes a lot of energy and will not work anyway if the light is turned off from the battery. If there is no free outlet nearby, the best way out is to carry it with an additional socket for the upgrade plug.
When these issues are resolved, the time comes to prepare for the connection. The basic equipment of the printer includes:
- power cord (often removable);
- cable with a USB plug;
- installation disk.
If everything you need was found in the box - excellent, you can proceed to the most crucial moment. The same thing that should be done in the absence of the last pair of components will be described below.
Connection Progress
First step - a basic check of the printer. To do this, connect the power cord to it and send the plug to a power outlet. The success is indicated by the illuminated indicators of the device. Some of them may blink - this is not scary, the technique conducts a self-test, usually taking no more than 5 minutes. After the specified time, the update should be disconnected from the network.
If the indicators do not light up, you need to find the power button on the product body. It can be located on the rear panel, near the power cable, or on top of the front control panel. After clicking on it, the printer will turn on.
If at the time of the test check you heard crackling or the smell of burnt plastic appeared, it is better not to risk it and not proceed to the next steps. These phenomena may indicate a malfunction of the equipment and require contacting specialists.
Second phase - connection to a computer. The classic way is with a USB cable with Type A and Type B plugs. The first is inserted into any convenient port on a PC or laptop, while the second is inserted into the corresponding connector on the printer.
These manipulations can be carried out with the technology turned on, then the computer operating system will immediately notify the user about the connection of a new device. But experts recommend to play it safe and turn off the printer power before the first connection via USB.
If the kit does not contain the required cable, this may indicate the possibility of wireless connection of the printer. To make sure it is available, just look at the icons near the indicators on the update case and find wifi symbol. Near it is usually located the corresponding button, clicking on which activates the desired function. The successful inclusion of the mode is indicated by a glowing indicator. He indicates that now is the time to find the printer in the computer menu.
To do this, you must first go to Start, then to the Control Panel / Equipment. In the window that opens, there is a Devices and Printers item. Now you should add the new device to the list. Clicking on the “Add new devices” sub-item will start an automatic search for available equipment. Further, all work is carried out in accordance with Windows prompts.
Stage Three - driver download. To do this, send the installation disk to the PC drive and follow the prompts on the monitor. If you connect the printer to a laptop, this may cause some difficulties - often compact computers do not have drives. You can use the same method if there is simply no installation disk.
In this situation, you will need an Internet connection. In the search system, you need to find the drivers for your printer, download and install them, following the pop-up prompts, configure the printer for work.
It is best to download data packets from the official website of the manufacturer of the equipment - this ensures the correct operation of the device and the absence of viruses in the downloaded file.
After installing the driver, the printer is ready to print.
Health Check
To make sure that everything is done correctly, you should load paper in the receiver and perform a test print of the document. It can be a text file from Microsoft Word or an image from Paint, which are transferred to paper by clicking on the “Print” item in the menu of the corresponding program or by pressing a key combination "Ctrl + P".
