Configuring printers isn’t as easy as it seems. The process of setting up a printer may not always be straight-forward. You might find that you require some information about the IP address, drivers and other things on how to configure a network printer in windows 8.

So, here is a step-by-step guide to get you through the process seamlessly :

Step 1: This is obviously the most important step. Make sure that your printer is powered on and connected to the network.
Step 2: Now that your printer is ready, from the Start Menu, go to “Control Panel”.
Step 3: In the control Panel, there is a section which says – “Hardware and Sound”. Under this section, click on “View Devices and Printers”.
Step 4: In the new window, select the option to “Add a Printer”, which can be found on the top.
Step 5: From the new window that pops up, select “Add a network, wireless or Bluetooth Printer”. Your system will then start scanning for any printers available in your network.
Step 6: Once the system finds the printer that you want to configure, select it from the list and click on Next to set it up for use.
If for some reason, the system fails to find the required printer, click on “The printer that I want isn’t listed”. This will then open up a new window.
Step 7 (If printer not found): On the new window, you will have the following options: –
a. Browse for a printer
b. Select a shared printer by name
c. Add a printer using a TCP/IP address or hostname
d. Add a Bluetooth printer

If you know the printer name as well as the shared computer name, you can select the second radio button. You will need to type the Computer Name and Printer Name as follows: “\\ComputerName\PrinterName”.

In case you know the IP address of the printer, select the third radio button and click on Next. On the next window, enter the Hostname or IP address of the printer. The system will then start searching for the devices with the provided IP address.

Once the printer is found, select it and click on Next to configure it for use.
What must you do if the device driver is not found?
If you don’t know how to configure a network printer in Windows 8, you might have trouble with the drivers during installation.

All printers come with a driver CD that is provided by their respective manufacturers. If your system cannot find the driver for your printer, you can use this CD to install the driver. Just select the folder which contains the installation files from the disc when prompted and configure a network printer in windows.

Alternatively, you can select an option to let the system search for the latest driver online. However, the system might fail to find the same, so it is always a wise choice to install the driver from the CD provided by the manufacturer.