A network printer that is connected to a router or modem and uses either an Ethernet port or wireless adapter can be located via any computer within the same network. A user can find a printer on his/her network by clicking on the Start Menu and selecting the Control Panel. From here, the user must find and select the “Printers and Faxes” icon. This window should display all printers, scanners, and fax machines that are connected to the network. To locate the printer’s IP address, the user should right click the printer’s name and select “Properties” from the drop down menu. The user can then select the Ports tab and find each printer’s IP address in the first column.

How to Assign a Printer IP Address

In most cases, a printer is automatically assigned an IP address when it is connected to the network. However, if the user has manipulated the printer’s connection to the network in an attempt to fix it or the router is not able to locate the printer, the user may need to manually assign an IP address to the printer before network users can use it. This can be done by manually connecting the printer to the network router via an Ethernet cable and making sure that the option to “Obtain IP address automatically” is selected in the Printer Configuration Settings. If the router still does not assign an IP address to the printer, the user may need to reset the printer, router, or both.

LAN

Most printers are connected to a router via an Ethernet cable in a network known as a LAN (Local Area Network). A LAN allows a printer to be physically connected to a modem, router, computer, or other access point. In a LAN, a printer is much easier to configure because its hardware is physically connected to the network’s hardware, meaning any problems that arise are software-related. However, a LAN restricts the distance between a printer and a router.

WLAN

Rather than physically connecting a printer to a network via a LAN, a growing trend is to connect a printer to a network via a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network). A WLAN allows a much greater distance between a printer and router by wirelessly connecting a printer to a network router via a wireless adapter. Though WLANs can be advantageous, they make it much more difficult to configure a printer because either hardware or software can cause problems.