If you want to know how to print to school networks from a laptop or any other device, this is the guide for you. This can be a difficult process, compared to the relative ease with which you can connect to a printer at home, for example.
The problem with a school network printer is that it is connected to a secure network, so you may not have access to all areas of the system. However, these days, most printers on the network need to be configured in such a way that you can connect to them using your own device.
Of course, for security reasons, you will likely need to log in to your school account in order to access the printer. But since this should be accessible across multiple devices, it can mean printing from your laptop, computer, or even smartphone and tablet, with ease.
This guide will explain ways you can print to school networks using your own device.
Print on school network guide
Connect directly
One of the easiest, most direct, and fastest ways to get set up and printing right away is to connect directly to the printer. This is done, where available, using WiFi Direct. This is a super local Wi-Fi network created between the printer and a device, directly.
Therefore, in some cases this will not be present on the printer or may be disabled by the school administrator. Assuming it's available, it's a super simple solution.
No matter what your device is, open the printer settings and search for available printers using Wi-Fi. This will appear in the list and allow you to select that option. You may have to follow a few other pop-ups to finish the connection, but overall this should be a simple process. A password may be required, which is usually displayed on the printer screen during setup.
Then when you go to print, you should see this print popup in your options. Just keep in mind that this is a direct wifi connection, so it will only work over a short distance. Make sure you are close to the printer for it to work!
Use the school network
Another relatively easy way to print is to connect to the school network. This may mean logging in to your device by simply connecting to the school's Wi-Fi network. This will likely require your username and password, but in some cases, since you are on an external device, you may also need administrator authorization to connect.
Once connected, you should be able to access all printers on the network. Choose the one you need at print time or go into settings and set a preferred printer, from which it will print by default every time you need it.
Share a printer
If you have access or are the administrator, you may want to configure a printer to allow it to be used by users outside the school network or on external devices. In the case of Windows devices this is relatively simple.
Go to the Windows Start icon, then Settings, Devices, and Printers & Scanners. Here you can select the Manage option before entering Printer Properties and the Sharing tab. Now select Share this printer. You can give a share name that can be seen by other people accessing the device, then select OK and you're done.
Connect directly to the printer over the network
This option allows you to connect directly to a printer over the school network. For Windows devices, go to the Start icon, Settings, Devices, and then Printers & Scanners. After this, select Add printers and scanners and select Add a printer or scanner. You should then see a list of optional devices to connect to. Select the one you want and choose Add Device.
If the printer is not there, you can select: The printer I want is not in the list. At this point, you can use the Add Printer dialog box to select a shared printer by name. This allows you to enter the path that should look like one of these options:
\\computername\printername
http://computername/printernet/.printer
Then select Next and you can complete the installation.
