Help! New to Apple

[Brandermill533]

I have googled my problem and searched this forum, but I can not find a resolution to my problem. I have had my iMac printing remotely to a printer connected to a windows laptop successfully for the past few days. Google helped me get this set up as well. Previously, I lost my ability to print with a message that I had a invalid printer name. I was able to get this connection back. Now after a few days I have the same problem, invalid printer name, even though I made no changes to my settings and it just stopped working. I have tried several things:

*reentering my smb// settings.

*shortening the name of my printer (it was originally 9 letters)

*Going in to CUPS to see if there was a conflict or problem there.

*Rebooting both computers to see if it just needed to start fresh.

*Deleting and reinstalling the printer on the windows laptop with a fresh share name.

I am at a loss as to why my printer settings stop recognizing the printer name from the shared computer.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks from the newbie.

 

[forty2j]

If it's at all possible, hook the printer up to the Mac and share it out to the PC using Bonjour. It is MUCH more stable that way.

The only way I got Mac to consistently find a computer shared by Windows was to open my router settings and assign the PC a static IP, and use that in the smb://.

 

[Brandermill533]

Thanks. I have my laptop (windows computer) set to a static ip. I have bonjour on my laptop but I will have research how to get it all set up to work with the imac. I don't need the laptop, just using it as a way to get my printer in the network. Just bougt an asus 56u router. I may also look at the possibility of using one of the usb ports on that to share my printer. I really don't want to attach the printer to my imac because I wanted a clean, wireless look to my office. Every other piece of equipment we have (android tablets and phone, ipad, etc.) can all print to my printer, but not my shiny new imac .

Thanks again for your suggestion. May wind up giving it a shot if I can't figure this out.

 

[turbobass]

Don't want to be insultingly obvious but did you restart (turn off and on) the printer and networking hardware you have?

 

[FrankHahn]

Connecting your printer to the router is probably a better solution.

I connect an HP LaserJet 1536dnf to my Time Capsule and everything in my office, including iPhones and iPads, can print to the printer.

 

[Brandermill533]

Thanks. Yes, i have tried turning off the printer, disconnecting from my wireless connection and reconnecting, unplugging the router, etc. for some reason, the imac just won't pick up the name of the printer on the laptop. Ater it sets up the printer and I try to do a test page, I get a message that the printer name is invalid. The last time it did this, it somehow corrected itself. I put the address in for the printer and it started working again <shrug>. I didn't do half of the steps I've taken this time. Thanks again for all of the suggestions.