Mac printing on a Windows network

[Dave00]

Many thanks in advance - trying to setup a mac solution in an office of PC's. Our office IT department only supports Windows machines, but those machines essentially run software-as-a-service over the web (via Citrix), so I figured I could get a MacBook to do the same thing and with less of the usual headaches with PC laptops. I brought my MacBook to work and it works great, except that it absolutely refuses to print to the network printer, an HP Laserjet P2055dn. I know the IP address, but still can't get the mac to recognize it. Connecting my Macbook to my regular office printer directly via USB works fine, but the environment is such that I have to be constantly moving with my laptop and a physical connection is not an option.

What I'd like to do is get a new wireless laser printer, and print to that using my Macbook. Is this as simple as connecting both the printer and the Macbook to the wifi network? And, does anyone have any recommendations for a relatively low-cost laser printer? It'd be nice if it could do AirPrint, as a number of us have iPhones and iPads and would probably benefit from ability to print. We're talking probably 100-150 pages/day.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. It's hard, since when you try to do something "unsupported" the IT department won't even talk to you.

Dave

 

[Gratefuldad]

if your office(windows printer) is a name brand printer and you know the IP address I've had good luck using the universal print drivers from the manufacturers website. instead of getting model specific.

 

[Panch0]

are you on the same subnet as the printer? Your IT Department may have WiFi setup in a way that prevents your 'unknown' device from connecting to corporate assets. have you tried connecting to ethernet ? I know that in my office the ethernet is less locked down than the WiFi. If I connect to ethernet, I can reach all corporate assets easily. From WiFi, I have to connect through a VPN first.

 

[MisterMe]

...

Any advice is greatly appreciated. It's hard, since when you try to do something "unsupported" the IT department won't even talk to you.

Dave

It is fairly obvious that your MacBook and your desired printer are on different subnets. My recommendation is to forget about that printer. If your job requires that you roam, then why force yourself to return to a specific location to retrieve a few sheets of paper? HP has supported Bonjour for about a decade. Your laptop can print to any Bonjour printer that it can see. Any printer that you can see is probably physically close to you.

The only downside to Bonjour is that the printer names that appear in your printer list may not be sufficiently descriptive if your firm uses multiple printers of the same model.

 

[Dave00]

Thanks for all the replies. To answer some questions - yes, the printer is one that at least has the option for Bonjour. When I print out its network summary, it has a Bonjour service name, but that name does not come up when I use bonjour on my MacBook. The subnet mask for the printer is listed as 255.255.255.0, not sure if that tells you anything about whether my MacBook and it are on different subnets. I can tell you that my PC laptop on wifi connects just fine with the printer, and that my Macbook can see the printer when I type in its IP address. But when I try to print to it it just sits forever in the queue. No error ever comes up. My MacBook can also connect to the web-based software.

My job (medical) is such that I have to take my laptop into different rooms, but a static printer is no problem since all of the printouts are used by people who sit at a different desk - orders for labs, tests, etc.

Really my question is, if I go ahead and get a new wireless printer, can I connect that and my Macbook to the wifi network and not have to fool with IT restrictions? Or is there some sort of setup that's not going to be allowed between devices?

Dave

 

[chrfr]

I brought my MacBook to work and it works great, except that it absolutely refuses to print to the network printer, an HP Laserjet P2055dn. I know the IP address, but still can't get the mac to recognize it.

Exactly what options are you choosing when you try to add the printer?

----------

Really my question is, if I go ahead and get a new wireless printer, can I connect that and my Macbook to the wifi network and not have to fool with IT restrictions? Or is there some sort of setup that's not going to be allowed between devices?

This isn't likely to work. Many corporate networks don't pass Bonjour between the wireless and wired networks. The wireless network may also require individual authentication credentials which can't be entered in a printer.

 

[Panch0]

<snip>The subnet mask for the printer is listed as 255.255.255.0, not sure if that tells you anything about whether my MacBook and it are on different subnets.
<snip>
Really my question is, if I go ahead and get a new wireless printer, can I connect that and my Macbook to the wifi network and not have to fool with IT restrictions? Or is there some sort of setup that's not going to be allowed between devices?

Dave

Most corporate networks have multiple subnets and the subnet mask defines which ones a given device can 'see' without going to a gateway. For example: your Macbook may be on 192.168.1.x while the Printer is on 192.168.2.x. the 255.255.255.0 subnet mask would mean that the printer can only see (directly) other devices on 192.168.2.x. However, since you can see the printer by IP Address, you problem is not that simple. It may still be related to the subnet, but it probably comes down to certain ports being blocked between nets rather than the whole thing being invisible.

If you can just set up a wireless printer in a medical facility, then the IT staff isn't doing it's job (HIPPA security requirements).

 

[Dave00]

Here's what I get when I try to add the printer. I've tried changing the protocol and use fields, to no avail.

When I check info on my mac, the IPv4 IP address is vastly different from the IPv4 IP address of the printer, and the subnet mask is 255.255.0.0 (versus 255.255.255.0 for the printer.) My mac's IP starts with 172, and the printer's starts with 10, as in attachment.

Doubt there would be any HIPAA issues, as the printer would have to log into the wifi network as well, and would actually be more secure than if I setup a USB printer directly off my macbook. To clarify, I can log any device (iPhone, macbook, iPad, etc) onto the network without any restriction, though I do have to know the non-broadcast network name, ID & password. So I was hoping that a new printer would also be able to do the same. No such luck?

 

[Panch0]

I used HP JetDirect for the protocol when I set up my printer. Pretty sure I also was able to select a specific HP Printer rather than Generic Post Script.

the 10.x.x.x address is the internal wired network
the 172.x.x.x is the WiFi Network - possibly set up as a "Guest" network with limited access to internal resources.

The WiFI at my office is set up so that devices on the main WiFi Network are not allowed to see each other. This is a security measure that helps prevent someone in the parking lot from attacking my device (and getting at corporate resources from there). I had to specifically ask for an alternate SSID to be created that allowed devices to see each other in order to setup an iPrint printer.

Try installing HP Drivers on your MB then using the JetDirect Protocol and the specific printer model. If you still can't print you probably need to talk to IT about their WiFi policy to resolve. It sounds like you would be able to get the WiFi printer connected to the WLAN, but you may still not be able to access it depending on the settings of the access point.

 

[MisterMe]

Here's what I get when I try to add the printer. I've tried changing the protocol and use fields, to no avail.

When I check info on my mac, the IPv4 IP address is vastly different from the IPv4 IP address of the printer, and the subnet mask is 255.255.0.0 (versus 255.255.255.0 for the printer.) My mac's IP starts with 172, and the printer's starts with 10, as in attachment.

Doubt there would be any HIPAA issues, as the printer would have to log into the wifi network as well, and would actually be more secure than if I setup a USB printer directly off my macbook. To clarify, I can log any device (iPhone, macbook, iPad, etc) onto the network without any restriction, though I do have to know the non-broadcast network name, ID & password. So I was hoping that a new printer would also be able to do the same. No such luck?

Does you Mac's IP address start with 172 or 192? No matter, really. The fact that your printer's IP address starts with a 10 means that your printer is invisible to your Mac. The IP addresses 10 and 192 are reserved to render devices with those addresses invisible to devices outside their subdomains.

In order to print to a printer, you must be able to see it. In order to see it, your computer and printer should be on the same subdomain or you must have gateway or VPN access to the printer.

It sounds like you need to ask IT to help you with this issue. Only IT can give you the gateway IP address. Only IT can setup a VPN for you.

 

[velocityg4]

Assuming your Mac is set to DHCP. You are connecting to a wireless network that is separate from your wired network.

This can be any number of reasons.
- You are connected to the guest network.
- The wireless network is on a different router connected to the wired via the WAN port. Which can be intentional or an accident by someone who doesn't know what they are doing)
- something more complex such as a router that allows a variety of networks and IP ranges.

Anyways if you have multiple wireless networks be sure you are connecting to the right one. Also that you are set to get your IP address via DHCP not manual.

 

[Dave00]

Thanks again for all the responses. It's not due to a guest network; getting on the network requires a password.

I tried a slightly different tactic to get to the root of the problem. Since my windows laptop has no problem printing, I thought I'd look up the settings there. I'll relate what these say, forgive me as I have very little idea what any of these mean.

When I click on wireless network connection properties, it says "This connection uses the Following items: Client for Microsoft networks, File and Print Sharing for Microsoft Networks, Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). Under preferred networks, it lists llap (Automatic). I'm not sure if llap is the name they chose or if that stands for something, but it is a different name than the network we use to log onto wifi for my other devices. When I click on properties for llap, it says Network Name (SSID): llap. Network authentication is WPA2-PSK, Data encription is AES, and there's an obscured 8-character network key.

Does this perhaps mean that "llap" is a different wifi network, for which I need to ask them for the password?

 

[Panch0]

Thanks again for all the responses. It's not due to a guest network; getting on the network requires a password.
<snip>
Does this perhaps mean that "llap" is a different wifi network, for which I need to ask them for the password?

A guest network isn't necessarily an open network - it just means that it has limited access. Our guest network requires a password that is easily available in our conference rooms, but it only allows access to the internet - not to internal resources - unless you create a VPN connection.

yes llap is a different network - well, really a different SSID - it could actually be provided by the same access points. It's similar to the previous discussion about subnets - even though devices are on the 'same' network, they are not necessarily able to see/reach one another.

It sounds like you IT group is pre-configuring the laptops that they issue onto the 'private' WLAN and allowing access to a more restricted area for BYOD use.

Did you try the printing protocol and device setting that I suggested? All of this networking stuff may be moot...

 

[Dave00]

I tried printing wiht the HP Jetdirect protocol. It still wanted to use the generic driver. HP drivers were not in my system, so I had to download them. Selected the correct driver then, and got an error, wanted to know if I still wanted to try to setup. I said yes, and it hung on the Setting up '10.0.14.14' screen. Clicking configure just asked whether I wanted to use tray 3.

Sigh. I'll see again if I can get a response out of IT other than "we don't support Macs."