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> My current printer worked by just plugging it into the computer I couldn't figure out where the disconnect between your experience and mine was, as I never h

> My current printer worked by just plugging it into the computer I couldn't figure out where the disconnect between your experience and mine was, as I never have to help Mac family and friends, but the windows users wind up throwing their printers out the window. The disconnect must be that - you're plugging them in! I haven't used a USB printer in over a decade, and back when Idid the printer makers were almost hostile to Mac users, so their drivers sucked, installed crapware, and frequently hogged resources so they could throw up a splash screen to sell you new ink/toner. For probably close to 15 years, and especially in the decade since the advent of AirPrint, I stopped doing all of that. Printer gets on the network, macs all see it as an AirPrint device, and it works.

tracker1 6y ago
I find Ethernet, when available tends to work out best... I've yet to see a wifi printer that works well/consistently. Though lots of higher end routers can act as a USB print server as well.
- a2tech 6y ago
  WiFi printers work great--assuming you assign them a static IP address and you set it up by telling Windows/OS X to use that IP address as the port address instead of any goofy auto detect nonsense pushed on you by the manufacturer.
  - tracker1 6y ago
    I usually just put printers in the reserved list on my router to keep getting the same IP. Haven't really done wireless on a newer than 5yo device, but have had a couple issues back then just in maintaining a connection. My wired printers have had no issues though, even from wifi devices.
- Nursie 6y ago
  Honestly in recent years I haven't even had to do that. Got a small-office style HP printer/scanner, it's on wifi, everything just seems to be able to talk to it. Couldn't be happier...
- somehnguy 6y ago
  Hmm, odd. I bought the cheapest AIO printer with wifi at Walmart years ago and it has worked flawlessly. Besides the ink cartridges being terrible. Connectivity though...perfect.
LukeShu 6y ago
> The disconnect must be that - you're plugging them in! Right when Apple switch to having the only plug on MacBooks be USB-C, I was talking with an (older) friend who I often end up as tech-support for. He'd just upgraded his iPhone and his MacBook, so I repeated the popular-on-HN-at-the-time line about how it was bone-headed that you could buy a top-of-the-line iPhone and a top-of-the-line MacBook, and you couldn't plug one in to the other without buying a separate adapter. He said it had been years and years since he'd wanted to actually plug his phone in to his computer; he uses WiFi. I recently bought a new printer. I plugged an ethernet cable in to it and the router. And yet, its menus still tried to get me to go through WiFi setup, I had to press "back" and go through some hoops to tell it "no, just use the Ethernet plug". That's not a great design--it should have just detected that I'd plugged something in to the Ethernet port, but it helps show: Somewhere along the way, WiFi absolutely became the expectation, wires became an oddity, and a lot of us techies missed it.
- kalleboo 6y ago
  > Somewhere along the way, WiFi absolutely became the expectation, wires became an oddity, and a lot of us techies missed it. It's also extremely common now for people to use "Wi-Fi" as a synonym for "Internet connection"

tracker1 6y ago

I find Ethernet, when available tends to work out best... I've yet to see a wifi printer that works well/consistently. Though lots of higher end routers can act as a USB print server as well.

a2tech 6y ago
WiFi printers work great--assuming you assign them a static IP address and you set it up by telling Windows/OS X to use that IP address as the port address instead of any goofy auto detect nonsense pushed on you by the manufacturer.
- tracker1 6y ago
  I usually just put printers in the reserved list on my router to keep getting the same IP. Haven't really done wireless on a newer than 5yo device, but have had a couple issues back then just in maintaining a connection. My wired printers have had no issues though, even from wifi devices.
Nursie 6y ago
Honestly in recent years I haven't even had to do that. Got a small-office style HP printer/scanner, it's on wifi, everything just seems to be able to talk to it. Couldn't be happier...
somehnguy 6y ago
Hmm, odd. I bought the cheapest AIO printer with wifi at Walmart years ago and it has worked flawlessly. Besides the ink cartridges being terrible. Connectivity though...perfect.

LukeShu 6y ago

> The disconnect must be that - you're plugging them in! Right when Apple switch to having the only plug on MacBooks be USB-C, I was talking with an (older) friend who I often end up as tech-support for. He'd just upgraded his iPhone and his MacBook, so I repeated the popular-on-HN-at-the-time line about how it was bone-headed that you could buy a top-of-the-line iPhone and a top-of-the-line MacBook, and you couldn't plug one in to the other without buying a separate adapter. He said it had been years and years since he'd wanted to actually plug his phone in to his computer; he uses WiFi. I recently bought a new printer. I plugged an ethernet cable in to it and the router. And yet, its menus still tried to get me to go through WiFi setup, I had to press "back" and go through some hoops to tell it "no, just use the Ethernet plug". That's not a great design--it should have just detected that I'd plugged something in to the Ethernet port, but it helps show: Somewhere along the way, WiFi absolutely became the expectation, wires became an oddity, and a lot of us techies missed it.

kalleboo 6y ago
> Somewhere along the way, WiFi absolutely became the expectation, wires became an oddity, and a lot of us techies missed it. It's also extremely common now for people to use "Wi-Fi" as a synonym for "Internet connection"