Article: A network printer is a printer that is installed directly on your network. A network printer is not dependent on a connected computer being on, but can be somewhat difficult to configure, especially if the printer is older. Not all printers can be configured as network printers.. Installing a network printer can be a bit trickier than installing a USB printer, and many printers have specific ways that they need to be installed. Referring to your printer's specific installation guide can save you a lot of headaches down the road. You can usually find the installation guide as a PDF file on the manufacturer's support page for your model. You can quickly find the support page for your printer by opening Google and searching for "manufacturer model support". There are generally two ways that you can connect a network printer to your home network: wired or wireless.  Wired - Connect your printer to your network router using Ethernet network cable. Generally this doesn't require any further network configuration. Wireless - Connect your printer to the wireless network using the display screen (if available). Most wireless printers will have a small display screen that you can use to find and connect to your home network. If your network is secure, you will be asked for the password. If you don't have a screen, you will likely need to connect the printer to your computer using USB and configure it in Windows first. Once the printer has been successfully connected to the network, you can install it in Windows from the Control Panel.  Add a printer. Windows will begin scanning for the printer on the network. If you are using Windows 8, Windows will automatically scan for both local and network printers instead of giving you the option to choose which you want to look for. Click Next Windows may prompt you to install the printer drivers. Make sure you are connected to the internet and then click Install driver. Once the drivers are installed, you will be able to print to your network printer from any program that support printing.  If you don't have an internet connection, you can use the disc that came with the printer to install the drivers. Not all printers will require a separate driver installation.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Understand what a network printer is. Read the installation guide for your printer if you have it. Connect your printer to your network. Open the Control Panel. Select "Devices and Printers". Click . Select "Add a network, wireless, or Bluetooth printer". Select your wireless printer from the list. Install the drivers (if prompted).