Nowadays, adding a printer to your Windows 10 laptop or desktop is customer-friendly and requires very little technical knowledge. You can pair a printer through USB, wireless network, or Bluetooth. Here is how to add a printer to Windows 10, depending on what type of connection you want to use.
If Windows doesn’t automatically detect your network-enabled printer, you’ll need to set it up manually. This would involve going to your printer menu, configuring a TCP/IP port, and installing the drivers. Here are the steps to add a network printer to Windows 10.
First, open the Windows Start Menu. The button on the lower-left corner side of your screen is shaped like the Windows logo.
After that, press Settings. It is the gear-shaped icon just above the power button in the Start menu.
Then, press on Devices.
Next, choose your Printers and Scanners. Now, you will find it on the left side of the bar.
Then, press on Add a Printer.
Note: Once Windows detects the printer, you must follow the on-screen guidelines to set it up. If so, you can stop at this point. But, if Windows does not automatically detect printers, proceed to the next step.
Press on “The printer I want is not listed.” Once you choose it, the “Add Printer” screen will pop up.
After that, select “Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings” and press on Next.
Press on “Create a new port” and choose the Standard TCP/IP from the drop-down side of the box.
Type in your printer’s IP address and press on Next: Your computer will attempt to locate the TCP/IP port at this stage. This may take some time.
Choose the appropriate device type: In the drop-down menu for Standard device type, choose the device type corresponding to the printer brand. Select Canon Network Printer or Canon Network Printing Device if you have a Canon printer. Then Windows will detect the driver model. Once it detects your driver, the printer will be paired to the list of devices in the Printers and Scanners menu.
Install print driver: Select your printer maker in the left-hand column and the driver for the printer model in the right-hand column. Press on Next.
Note: If you do not see the driver for your model, press the box that says Disk. Then, you will be instructed to install the driver from the maker’s installation disk and copy it from the drive where the driver is located.
Choose “Use the currently installed driver (recommended)” and press on Next.
Set optional preferences: Type in the printer’s name if you wish. Otherwise, press on Next. Once done, press on Next. You can also set up printer sharing in the next window.
Print a test page: You can print a test page or press on Finish. You will receive a message that you will have successfully set up your printer.
Note: Before setting up the printer, ensure it is connected to a power source and that the computer is connected to your Internet so that you can download the important drivers.
Connect the printer and computer with your USB cable. Plug the top end of the printer’s USB cord into your computer’s USB outlet.
Follow the on-screen installation steps. Windows automatically detects the printer and will take you the steps to install the print driver.
Check if the printer was successfully set up. Press the Start button shaped like the Windows logo in the lower-left corner of the screen. Navigate to Settings > Devices > Printers & Scanners. Optionally, you can do it under the Control Panel.
If you’ve set it up accurately, you should be able to see your printer in the list of printers. Then, you can print the test page to confirm that the set-up is complete.
Tip: You can set up any printer as the default printer. You can set up this in the Printers and Scanners menu under Settings. Press on the printer you want to set as the default, then click Manage > Set as Default.
Pairing a Bluetooth printer requires you to pair the device as you would any other Bluetooth device. Also, you should check that the communication port or COM port you see on Windows is the same as the one on the print driver. Here is how you can connect your Bluetooth printer to Windows 10.
First, go to Start > Settings > Bluetooth & other devices. Be sure to toggle the switch for Bluetooth.
Press on “Add Bluetooth or other devices.”
Then, choose Bluetooth as the type of device to pair. Windows show a list of Bluetooth devices it has detected. Select Bluetooth printer from your list by pressing Ready to Pair.
Some devices pair automatically if your printer does not require a PIN. Press on Connect. Otherwise, type in the PIN for the Bluetooth printer on a computer when prompted. If the printer has a user display, you may also be asked to type in a PIN. Follow the instructions on both devices to confirm the connection.
Check your COM port in Device Manager: First, go to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Devices and Printers. Right-press on the Bluetooth printer and choose Properties. In the Services tab, you can see your COM port used by the printer.
Install your print driver with the matching COM port: Follow the on-screen guidelines to set up the print driver. In your Ports tab of the printer’s driver installation window, ensure the port in Windows Device Manager is the same you set with the print driver. For example, if you’ve COM3 in Device Manager, check the mark on your box for COM3 during installation.
Print a test page: Make sure the printer is connected by printing a test page.
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Source: https://canon1ijstartsetup.com/learn-how-you-can-add-a-printer-to-a-windows-10-device/