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Ethernet is quickly becoming the most common connection type used for new printers. The good news is that an IT degree is not required to do it properly.

By Tom Hauenstein

“And when there was no meat, we ate fowl, and when there was no fowl, we ate crawdad, and when there was no crawdad, we ate sand.”

-H.I.’s cellmate in Raising Arizona

People hate networking computers and peripherals. It can be somewhat frightening given that computers are impenetrable black boxes that work and fail on a whim. However, follow these steps, which I outline for both PC and Mac for a trouble-free setup…

PC

The first step in this process is to learn about your current IP settings on your existing network. On a PC, go to Start and select the Run… option. When the Run window pops up, type cmd next to Open and hit OK (see Figure 1). This is going to bring up your MSDOS prompt with a flashing cursor.

Type in ipconfig and hit Enter. This will bring up your Windows IP Configuration (see Figure 2). This gives you the vital information you need in order to place your printer on the network: the IP address, the Subnet Mask, and the Default Gateway numbers. Write these numbers down!

Un-PC or Mac

Similar to the PC workflow, it is important to find the current IP settings of your existing network. On a Mac, click on the apple icon on the top left corner of your screen and go to About This Mac (see Figure 3). In this window, click on the More Info… button. This will bring up a new window.

On the left hand side of this window, click on Network. Then, at the top right of the screen, click on Ethernet (see Figure 4). Here you can find the IP address of the computer next to Addresses:, the Subnet Mask next to Subnet Masks:, and the Default Gateway next to Router:. Write these three numbers down!

The Printer’s IP

Now that you know the important figures for your computer, you must find an open IP address for your network. The best way to do this is to download the application AngryIP. That’s right, I said Angry! In reality, it’s free software for both Mac and PC that shows you used and available IP addresses on your network. You can download it here at http://www.angryziber.com/w/Home.

Find an IP that is free and write it down because that will be the new IP address of your printer (see Figure 5). You will need to type that into your printer’s LCD, along with the Subnet Mask and the Default Gateway number. Now that you have the right information, you need to set it up for your printer.

Epson

For the Epson, you must first set up the printer and install the drivers. You must also connect your printer to the network via network cable. Once this is done then you must enter some information on the LCD panel of the printer.

First, go to the control panel of the LCD and hit the Menu button, which is the right arrow. Scroll down to the Network Setup Option and hit the right arrow button again (see Figure 6).

Change the option to Enable and hit the OK button on the Panel until you see the check mark next to it (see Figure 7).

Then hit the left arrow once to back out of that menu. You will see that a bunch of new settings have appeared in the Network Setup Menu, so scroll down to the IP Address Setting and hit the right arrow (see Figure 8).

You have two choices in that next menu…  Scroll down to Panel and hit the Enter button so that the check mark appears next to Panel (see Figure 9).

Then hit the left arrow to get back to the Network Setup Menu again. Select IP, SM, DG Setting and hit the right arrow. Now fill in your IP address, Subnet Mask, and Default Gateway numbers that we previously established (see Figure 10, Figure 11, and Figure 12).

Once you have done this, hit the OK button to lock that in. You can now back out of that menu completely.

Now your Epson printer has been successfully installed on the network. When you go to install the driver for your printer, simply reference that IP address and the network will find the printer automatically.