Printer Connectivity – A How to Guide

The flexibility of printing has increased significantly over the past few years. Whether you’re connecting a printer directly to your computer, setting up a network printer, or trying to print from your smartphone or tablet, you can be up and printing in just a few minutes. Here is our guide to the 5 ways you can connect to your printer.

1. USB & Network Printing

The printer is connected to your PC or laptop using a USB cable, or the printer sits on the same network as your PC. Most printers come with USB as standard, with the option to be network enabled for a small additional fee.

2. Wi-Fi Printing

With a Wi-Fi printer, you can print from multiple devices and you dot have to be in the same room (or building in some cases) as the printer to print. All devices need to be on the same Wi-Fi network to print. This is how many people connect their home-office printer to their computer. To set up you need to have a Wi-Fi network with a wireless router, you then connect your printer to the network using instructions provided by the manufacturer.

3. Mobile Printing Aps

With the rise of ownership of mobile devices such as iPads, tablets and smartphones, more and more people are requesting the ability to print from their device. This type of connectivity requires an app to print. Ricoh’s Smart Device Print & Scan App allows you to print and scan from a smart device, as does Sharp’s SharpDesk Mobile app.

4.Cloud Printing

Cloud printing is becoming more and more popular, it is a technology that allows you to print over the web from anywhere, including your phone, to any printer.

5.iOS Printing (AirPrint)

This is Apple’s mobile print option. It allows you to print from your iPhone, iPad or iPod and is integrated into the iOS operating system. However, to be able to print via iOS, you must have a compatible printer or MFD.