Windows Issue, Can't Find Printer! Help!

[dsnort]

I'm hoping one of Windows guru's can help me with this. We just got a new printer for our home, the old one died. We hook it up to our WiFi router just like the old one, I tell my Mac to "Add New Printer", 2 minutes later I'm printing. My wife and kids all have Windows computers, 1 Windows 8 and two Windows 10's. Not one of the three can find the dratted printer. We've been at this for weeks! Anytime they need to print, they have to go to the printer, unplug it from the router, and plug it into their computer! This annoys me because while they know how to unplug the printer none of the three seem to be able to figure out how to plug it back in! Any help would be appreciated!

 

[belvdr]

How are you hooking it to your router, USB? It sounds like your Windows machines are missing a driver, but I've never configured one that way.

I generally put mine on the network with an IP and print directly to the printer.

 

[dsnort]

How are you hooking it to your router, USB? It sounds like your Windows machines are missing a driver, but I've never configured one that way.

I generally put mine on the network with an IP and print directly to the printer.

I'm sure, from the many options I've tried, that assigning an IP address to the printer would work. Unfortunately, I've been on Mac too long to know how to assign an IP to a printer. How do you do that?

 

[casperes1996]

I'm sure, from the many options I've tried, that assigning an IP address to the printer would work. Unfortunately, I've been on Mac too long to know how to assign an IP to a printer. How do you do that?

There are a few different ways - What router do you have and what's the printer?
I agree that it sounds like a driver problem though, so I'd say just looking for the driver for Windows would be the easiest

 

[dsnort]

There are a few different ways - What router do you have and what's the printer?
I agree that it sounds like a driver problem though, so I'd say just looking for the driver for Windows would be the easiest

Since they can print when hooked directly to the printer, I don't think a driver is the issue.

 

[casperes1996]

Since they can print when hooked directly to the printer, I don't think a driver is the issue.

Doesn't necessarily work like that. If connected with a wire Windows has a generic driver it can use for connected printers. For wireless printing it would need to be able to recognise the printer without the information coming from the wired connection.

 

[belvdr]

Agreed with the above. It may also be a driver that comes with the router, if you're connecting it to a USB port on the router.

 

[casperes1996]

Agreed with the above. It may also be a driver that comes with the router, if you're connecting it to a USB port on the router.

Ah, yes. This is also a possibility