Can You Print From a Notebook?


Office HP printer

There was a point in time when it was difficult to print directly from a notebook because of how notebooks did not have the port that some printers needed. On top of that, not all notebooks were compatible with printers. However, things have changed to the point where printers have improved their compatibility. So, can you print from a notebook computer?

You can now print from a notebook computer. Start by, connecting the printer to your notebook via the USB cable included with the printer. From there, allow the notebook to install the necessary drivers through the internet. After that, you can now print using your notebook.

We no longer need those huge desktop computers to be able to use our printers. Nowadays, because people use notebooks and laptops printers are now made to be compatible with these smaller and more portable computers. Therefore, it is easier to print different documents using different computers.

Deeper Dive on Whether You Can print with a notebook?

However, with how printers today have become easier to connect with computers and how notebooks have also evolved, things might have already changed. So, can you print from a notebook?

For the most part, it is now possible to print from a notebook not only because notebooks have evolved and have become compatible with a lot more different devices but also because printer manufacturing companies have also made their printers better and improved in terms of how they can connect with different computers.

Most modern notebooks no longer need to have a specific port for a printer to connect to. Nowadays, printers just simply use the standard USB port that all notebooks come with. There are even printers that don’t need to be connected physically because they have Bluetooth capabilities that allow them to connect with different devices, including your notebook computer.

Of course, one of the other changes implemented together with the evolution of printers is that there is no longer a need for you to manually install the printer’s driver through discs. There was a time when it was difficult or nearly impossible to install a printer’s driver on a notebook because notebooks didn’t have optical drives. Meanwhile, printers back then needed you to install drivers through CDs that could only be used in optical drives.

Now, with the near-extinction of the optical drive on notebooks and laptops alike, printer companies no longer require you to use a CD or a disc to install the printer’s drivers. Instead, the installation process is now done by the computer automatically as it downloads the printer’s driver through the internet.

Therefore, this has allows users to be able to print directly from a notebook as all you need is the USB cable. And if your printer has Bluetooth capabilities, you can even print via Bluetooth connectivity.

How do you print from a notebook?

Via USB cable

Now that you know that you can print from a notebook, let’s look at how easy the entire process is:

  1. Power on both your notebook and the printer. Allow the notebook to completely boot before connecting it to your printer.
  2. Connect the printer to your notebook computer via the USB cable that comes with the printer. The computer will prompt that it has detected a printer connected to it. If this is the first time your notebook has used the printer, the computer will have to download and install the necessary drivers. This can take a few minutes.
  3. Once the printer’s drivers have been installed, you can now use the printer in your notebook.
  4. When using the printer, select the print option on any document and then choose the name of the printer that’s connected when prompted to select the printer.

Via Bluetooth

If you are using a Bluetooth connection, turn on your printer’s Bluetooth capabilities and then pair it with your notebook’s Bluetooth connection as well. Your computer may also need to have the drivers installed first before you are allowed to use the printer:

  1. Turn on the printer and its Bluetooth connection
  2. On your notebook go to Settings, then Device, then Bluetooth and other devices.
  3. Choose Add Bluetooth and other devices and then select Bluetooth.
  4. Look for your printer’s name when you are pairing the devices. The printer’s name should show up which consist of the brand and model of the printer.
  5. Open Devices and Printers.
  6. Right click on the printer icon and then go to Properties.
  7. Look at the Service tab and take note of the port name.
  8. Connect the two devices via the USB cable on the printer because there is a need for the driver to be downloaded and installed. (Note: the USB cable is only needed for the initial setup. Printing afterwards typically does not require the USB cable)
  9. Once again, right click on the printer icon, then Devices and Printers and then go to Printer Properties.
  10. Open the Port tab found in Printer Properties and then select the port name that you took noted in Step 7.
  11. Close the window to finish the setup. You are now able to print from your notebook via Bluetooth without having to connect the devices using a USB cable.

Is there a difference between printing from a desktop and a notebook?

At this point, you already know that it is possible to print from a notebook. However, is there a difference between printing from a desktop computer and printing from your notebook computer?

Actually, because of how printers are now configured to be used on USB ports instead of the parallel port that printers of the past used on desktops, there is no difference between printing on a desktop and printing on a notebook.

Again, this is due to the fact that printers are now connected to any type of computer through USB ports, which desktops and notebooks have. As such, the same installation and printing processes are followed when you are printing from your desktop or from your notebook.

Even if you are using Bluetooth, the setup and the printing process is more or less the same. Printers are now made to have streamlined installation processes that will allow you to use them on almost any kind of computer as long as they can be connected with one another via USB or Bluetooth.

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