The benefits of wireless printers are many, and in this edition of our blog we’ll be talking about that. Although more and more information and interaction is undertaken digitally, sometimes there’s no getting round the benefits of good ol’ paper. A print-out can be the difference between digesting information or just scrolling past it and forgetting it.
Wireless capability is now taken for granted as a standard part of pretty much all of our ‘major’ computing technology. The integration of wireless technology into everyday devices has increased our expectations of what those devices can do and how they can fit into our lives. Our smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktop PCs… They can all operate to way more than a satisfactory level by utilising a Wi-Fi connection as opposed to being ‘hard-wired’… As if you could hard-wire a mobile ‘phone anyway!
But in terms of peripherals such as keyboards, mice and printers, it’s sometimes still a little bit of an afterthought – even here in the technologically advanced 2020s. Certainly, for office users, the benefits of wireless connection are obvious. In terms of printers it means that small departments of several staff members can ‘share’ a printer rather than have to have one each (or cause the IT and maintenance guys a nightmare by finding a way to wire in several computers).
Setting up and connecting a wireless printer
Wireless printers can be put more-or-less anywhere you like. Well, not anywhere – we wouldn’t advise putting them on the roof of your office or outside in your garden! And – obviously – they must be in a spot that has wireless connectivity… But the wireless capability of these devices means that your printer doesn’t need to be right next to your computer on your desk, or even extremely close nearby. It could be in a special ‘printer area’ tucked away in an alcove in the office, or it could be discreetly positioned on some shelves in the corner of your home office or dining room.
No cables are necessary to connect the printer to your computer. In actual fact the router is the most important component for setting up your computer and wireless printer’s relationship. You’ll still need a power lead to connect the printer to your home or office power via a plug socket, whilst the connection between a computer and the printer can be established over your wireless network.
Most wireless printers are quite easy to set up. The manual provided by the manufacturer is usually the first and best resource for checking that you are going through the process correctly. Basically, configuring a printer to connect- up to the router requires the DHCP option on the printer. Finding the IP address of the wireless network should then be an automatic process.
Remote Accessibility
A great advantage of using wireless printers is that you can typically connect a wireless-enabled computer or laptop to the device without installing specific drivers. It’s a good idea to do a ‘test print’ once you have set up the relationship between your computer and wireless printer. Or, once you think you have! This test print should go smoothly if you have followed all of the instructions for the process of connecting. As well as your computer, all of your laptops, tablets and any other supported devices should be able to find the printer and send a task to the printer to be printed.
Efficiency of wireless printers
The cost of running a printer per computer would be significant for every home or business user. The cost of the device itself and then on top of that the regular turnover of ink and toner for several printers, plus the cost of electricity used to power each device, plus the amount of paper stock required would add a significant cost to most businesses.
In an office or business environment it may still be necessary to have more than one printer, but definitely not to the degree of having one per worker or computer. Wireless printers can be used by a number of computers at the same time (though there is a limit to their capacity). Also, of course, having more than one printer may depend on the layout of the office and the strength and capability of the wireless system too. But, in general, having a single printer reduces the cost of replacement ink and toner, which is a huge advantage over wired printers.
Ultimately, running a wireless printer system is a big plus over running a wired printer. To summarise, it can be boiled down to two main things: wireless printers are much more convenient and more cost efficient. Check out Ebuyer’s range of printers for the home and office, and make sure you choose smartly, bearing in mind the things we’ve talked about in this blog. Happy printing!
