User profile for user: Lance.scs
Lance.scs Author
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connect usb printer to home network or bluetooth

Could anyone please advise about the following:

I have an usb printer which works fine when connected with the printer cable.

Now I want to print wireless, either Bluetooth or Wifi.

I saw on the net several printer servers but almost all have to be connected to the router, which I don't want.

The distance to the printer is never greater than 6 mtr so even Bluetooth would suffice.

Connecting a Bluetooth dongle to the printer will probably not work.

What are the options?

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 11.7

Posted on Feb 12, 2025 4:03 AM

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User profile for user: Jan Hedlund
Jan Hedlund
User level: Level 7
24,235 points

Posted on Feb 12, 2025 5:07 AM

Lance.scs wrote:
/.../
I saw on the net several printer servers but almost all have to be connected to the router, which I don't want.
/.../

There are USB print servers with an Ethernet port (such as the example at https://www.tp-link.com/us/home-networking/print-server/tl-ps110u/), but that would require a wired connection to one of the LAN ports of a Wi-Fi router in order to allow wireless printing (via the router) from a Mac. Is this what you do not want?


Other print servers (for instance, https://www.tp-link.com/us/home-networking/print-server/tl-wps510u/) may allow the printer to use Wi-Fi directly (often with the intention of connecting wirelessly to a Wi-Fi router).


A third way could be to use a Raspberry Pi as a print server with AirPrint-like capabilities. The idea here is to try to make printing from a modern Mac or an iPhone/iPad possible without additional drivers/software (a USB-only printer would then act as if it were a "real" AirPrint model). This would be experimental. See the posts by Techguyuk in Can’t print with iPadOS17 - Apple Community and Tesserax in Can I connect my laser printer to my netw… - Apple Community.


Any information about your exact USB printer model?

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User profile for user: Jan Hedlund
Jan Hedlund
User level: Level 7
24,235 points

Feb 12, 2025 5:07 AM in response to Lance.scs

Lance.scs wrote:
/.../
I saw on the net several printer servers but almost all have to be connected to the router, which I don't want.
/.../

There are USB print servers with an Ethernet port (such as the example at https://www.tp-link.com/us/home-networking/print-server/tl-ps110u/), but that would require a wired connection to one of the LAN ports of a Wi-Fi router in order to allow wireless printing (via the router) from a Mac. Is this what you do not want?


Other print servers (for instance, https://www.tp-link.com/us/home-networking/print-server/tl-wps510u/) may allow the printer to use Wi-Fi directly (often with the intention of connecting wirelessly to a Wi-Fi router).


A third way could be to use a Raspberry Pi as a print server with AirPrint-like capabilities. The idea here is to try to make printing from a modern Mac or an iPhone/iPad possible without additional drivers/software (a USB-only printer would then act as if it were a "real" AirPrint model). This would be experimental. See the posts by Techguyuk in Can’t print with iPadOS17 - Apple Community and Tesserax in Can I connect my laser printer to my netw… - Apple Community.


Any information about your exact USB printer model?

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connect usb printer to home network or bluetooth

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