Why is it so tough to add a networked printer?

[drgrafix]

My son gave me a working (on a pc) HP 2600n Color Laser Printer. I know it works, printed a test page from the menu. But when I try to install the software, the printer doesn't show up in the add printer dialogue box. I'm connected via ethernet to my LinkSys 5 port Switch. Is that OK?

Is there some trick to making this work? I also looked for this specific printer in the find printer dialogue and Apple doesn't even list it. I'm using Snow Leopard... shouldn't the OS have just about every driver known to man?

Is this printer going to have a name or an IP address and if its the latter how do I determine the IP address of the printer? But it still baffles me that the mac install software on the CD doesn't do all this automatically.

 

[MisterMe]

My son gave me a working (on a pc) HP 2600n Color Laser Printer. ...

The HP Color LaserJet 2600n communicates via Bonjour. HP claims that its driver ships with Snow Leopard. This is strange because no print drivers ship with Snow Leopard. The OS detects your printer and then downloads the appropriate driver.

But, I digress.... Because the CLJ 2600n is a Bonjour printer, it should automatically appear in the Bonjour printer list of your File/Print dialog box. Does it? If it does, then the driver should be installed.

 

[GoCubsGo]

I have an HP laser printer that Apple & HP claim work fine yet I cannot get it to work as a network printer. Sorry I cannot help but I can confirm some HP printers won't work despite what both Apple and HP say.

 

[tardman91]

That's odd. My Mac detected my HP printer and was ready to go after about 30 seconds. Took me an hour on the phone with HP to set it up on one of my PC laptops. That's when I knew I would love my new MacBook Pro.

 

[mooblie]

You'll need to find the IP address of the printer. Possibly by printing a test/config page by holding down a key combination on the printer at power-up, or maybe your router will tell you ("Attached Devices"?)

Then enter that as the IP address when adding a new IP printer. I use this with my networked HP printer - no problems.

You might also want to "fix/reserve" the IP address in your router for this printer, so the router always gives the printer the same address by DHCP when the printer or router restarts.

Attached this way, any other computer on the network (Mac or Windows) can print to it without any other computer being on.

 

[mabaker]

Do you have the printer connected to the router itself? It has to be connected per ethernet to be recognized. Some routers have additional USB ports to serve as print server.

Be sure it's connected to the router itself and turned on. I got a 5 year old 2300n LaserJet and it got recognized by Snow LEopard without a hitch!

 

[gsahli]

I'm connected via ethernet to my LinkSys 5 port Switch. Is that OK?

This could be the issue. It's a switch only? No router w/ DHCP server to give the Mac ethernet an IP address? What does it say in Network Prefs?