Update: if using windows, you can also use the bonour printer wizard, (type this into the start menu search) this will use the apple wizzard to add your printer. This way avoids adding the IP, however you will still need the driver installed, or you will need to locate the driver. any questions send me an @reply on twitter, links at the top of the page!
i made it a pdf because symbols don’t display in powerpoint preview!
Tutorial on how to print wirelessly using an Apple Airport Express + Windows
The main reason for this post is i recently purchased an Apple Airport Express, offering Wifi draft n, wireless audio, using iTunes and also the ability to plug in most printers and print wirelessly using mac and windows. I also purchased the above hp laserjet 1018 printer! Now for mac users the setup is probably alot more straight forward using bonjour, a technology which apple implements into its products usually making networking alot easier. However for windows users, knowing how to setup the printer for wireless printing can be alot more difficult!
The above image is of the Airport Express, and as you can see connected is the USB for the printer (middle connection)
The first step is to set up the printer by connecting it to the USB on your computer, not the airport, find and install the correct drivers, and print a test page, if the printer works connected straight to the computer, it is more likely to work connected to the Airport
This tutorial is going to be text only, however I will create a pdf to acompany it with photographs which I will refer to: Airport + Printer PDF
Step 1: Connect the printer to the airport, and in the airport utility window click manual setup, followed by printers, fig 1, shows that my printer is listed here, yours should be here too.
Step 2: navigate to printers in your windows operating system, ususally found in the control panel, and select “add a printer” and “add a local printer” (fig 2)
Step 3:
select create a new port, and then select TCP/IP for the type (fig 3)
Step 4: type in the host name. this is the IP of your airport express on your network, this information is on the main page of the airport utility, it will usually be 192.168.x.x, where x represents your numbers. (fig 4)
Step 5: is to select the correct make and model of your printer so that windows can use the correct driver
From here onwards, complete the wizzard, print a test page and you should be good to go!
Note that if your printer is switched off at the mains, it can loose its print firmware, to resend the print firmware you need to plug it directly into the usb on your computer and print a page, this will resend the printers firmware, plug it back into your airport and wireless printing should work again!