Most small organizations do not require an enterprise-class print server to be installed on their network. If your business printer does not have network connection, you can attach a USB cable and share it with others. However, most large business organization requires an enterprise-class print solution to prevent printing issues that may arise and put even the most efficient businesses to a standstill. Print servers ease these issues by preventing many of the errors that may arise.
Simply put, print servers connect printers to client devices such as laptops through a network. The server takes print jobs and routes them to the appropriate printer. There are many ways for adding a printer to your PC or laptop. You can connect a USB cable, Bluetooth, a Wi-Fi connection, share another computer’s printer, or an IP address. Adding a printer with an IP address is a straightforward process that can be completed in a couple of minutes.
For more on Windows and Windows device setup read: Add Hardware and Peripherals: How to add a device to a Windows 10 Computer, How to remove a Bluetooth device and connect a new Bluetooth device to Macbook, Windows 10 administrative rights gained by Razer devices, How to Add a Device to your Microsoft account, and Microsoft Phone Link: How to Link and Unlink an Android Phone to Windows 11.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to install a printer on your PC by using the IP address on Windows. We’ll also go through the process of creating a network port for a print server.
Steps to Add Printer Using IP Address in Windows 11
Make sure the Printer is switched ON and follow the steps below to Add the Printer to your computer.
1. Open the Start menu and type Add a printer or Scanner and select the best match.
2. On the next screen, click on Add device in the right-pane.
3. As Windows starts searching for Printers, click on “The Printer that I want isn’t listed” Add manually.
4. On the next screen, select Add a printer using TCP/IP address or hostname and click on the Next button.
5. Click on Device type and select TCP/IP Device, enter Hostname or IP Address of the Printer and provide the Port name, which can be same as the IP address. Click on the Next button to continue.
6. Windows should be able to find the printer if the printer is on and it is properly configured. If not, you may be prompted to provide more information about the printer.
7. Here I’m required to provide additional port information, if it’s a direct IP printing installation simply click on Standard and click next. However, if you’re installing a printer driver for a print server select Custom and click settings.
8. In the settings page, select your print server protocol and enter the queue name as well. If you select LPR as your protocol, make sure you tick the LPR Byte Counting Enabled.
9. The printer will search for the driver model of your printer.
10. On the next screen, select the Printer Manufacturer in the left-pane. In the right-pane, select your printer model and click on the Next button. If your printer model is not listed, click on Have Disk.
11. Browse to your driver location and Ok to add. Select your printer model and click on the Next button.
12. Type the Name for the Printer and click on Next.
13. Wait while the printer driver install.
14. On the next screen, you can Print a test page or simply click on Finish.
If you have any questions concerning this process, please leave them in the comments section below.