These instructions reflect the method for adding an IP printer under Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard). Similar steps should work under other versions, although some windows might look a bit different, etc. If you cannot get these instructions to work on your system, please contact us for assistance.
Step 0: Getting Started
To configure your system to use a new printer, you need to launch System Preferences. Go to the Apple menu and select “System Preferences…” to begin.
Step 1: Open the “Print & Fax” preference pane
Click the “Print & Fax” icon, as shown in the illustration here.
Step 2: Provide Adminstrator credentials, if needed
If you are running as a non-Administrator account, you will need to click the lock icon and provide an Administrator account’s name and password in order to proceed. If the lock icon looks “locked,” as shown in the illustration here, then you need to perform this step; if it looks “unlocked,” then you are already running as an Administrator and you can skip ahead to step 3.
Step 3: Adding an IP print queue
Click the “+” (plus) button below the (possibly empty) list of printers. This will bring up a window for adding a printer, as seen in the illustration here. Select the “IP” option from the toolbar.
Step 4: Setting the printer details
For “Protocol,” select: Line Printer Daemon — LPD
For “Address,” enter: pcgprt1.ph.utexas.edu
For “Queue,” enter the queue name written on the top or on the front of the printer. This will usually begin with “lw,” followed by the room number (with an underscore “_” instead of a period), possibly followed by a letter if there are multiple printers in the room. For example, the queue name for the printer in our office (RLM 7.126) is lw7_126. Note that, for ancient historical reasons, some printers have queue names matching rooms other than their present homes. (A printer might get moved, but its queue name remains unchanged.) If you cannot find the queue name for a printer, or if the queue name on a printer does not seem to actually work, please contact us for assistance.
For “Name,” enter whatever name you would like: This is the name that will appear in Print dialog windows where you can select a printer to use. It does not have to be in any specific format; we recommend using something verbose, so you will be able to tell which printer is which later, if you have several printers configured.
For “Location,” enter the room number, or anything else that you like (for example, “so-and-so’s office”). Like the “Name” field, above, this field is displayed in Print dialog windows, to help you identify which printer you are printing to. It does not have to be in any specific format.
For “Print Using,” choose “Select a driver to use…” and then select your printer model from the list of drivers. You can also type a model or brand name to help narrow down the list of choices.
When you are done, click “Add” to continue.
Step 5: Setting extra options
Depending on the printer model and driver that you selected, you might be presented with a Sheet window asking about additional printer configuration options. If you know the details of the specific printer you are setting up, then you can enter those details here; otherwise, just accept the default values.
Click “Continue” to complete the process and add the printer queue. Your system is now ready to print! Rock on!
