This article provides instructions for installing a network printer on an OIT managed University-owned Windows computer. Network printers will need to be installed manually on Personal Windows computers. See Manually Installing a Network Printer for instructions.
Network printers are hosted by OIT and managed by Active Directory (AD) print groups. Users need to be added to the corresponding print group to access and use a printer.
- Requesting Access to a Printer
- Installing a Printer
- Installing a Printer from a Print Server
- Additional Information
Requesting Access to a Printer
Complete the Printer Access Request form to request access to a network printer. Contact Technology Help for assistance if you are facing one of the following situations:
- The user who needs access to the printer does not populate into the request form
- The printer you are looking for is not listed in the request form printer selection drop-down field
- Requesting printer access for a large group, department, or unit
Installing a Printer
Note: Personal computers are not part of the University network, so printers cannot be installed on them using these instructions. Printers will need to be installed manually on personal computers
Once the user has been added to the printer group, follow these steps to install the printer.
- Onsite users - verify Internet connectivity through Ethernet or Eduroam WiFi.
- Remote users - connect the computer to VPN.
- Restart the computer.
- Sign back in on the computer (Remote users - reconnect to VPN).
- Navigate to Printers & Scanners and verify the printer is on the list.
Restarting the computer should automatically install the printer through Group Policy. If the printer is not on the list following the restart, then it will need to be installed from the print server.
Installing a Printer from a Print Server
A network printer is hosted on one of two print servers.
- \\ess-printprem-1 for larger Multi-Function Printers (MFP) used by departments.
- \\ess-printgen for smaller printers with less features used by groups.
Note: If you are not sure of the name of your printer or which server it is on, contact Technology Help.
- On your keyboard, press the Windows key and then tap the R key to open the Run window. You can also use the Search field found on the taskbar.
- Type in either \\ess-printprem-1 or \\ess-printgen. Then, either press Enter or click OK to open the print server window.
- Locate the printer you want to install.
- Right-click on the printer and select Connect.
Note: If you get an "Access Denied" message, or prompted for a username and password, you likely are not a member of the print group. Contact Technology Help.
- When the installation completes, navigate to Printers & Scanners and print a test page or a small document to verify the printer works properly.
If the printer won't print after installing it from the print server, contact Technology Help.
Additional Information
Printer Assignment Request Form