# Mac question - is this even possible? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 21, 2011, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-question-is-this-even-possible/589842 "2011-07-21T11:58:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-question-is-this-even-possible/589842/1 "2011-07-21T11:58:41Z")
Right now I have a PC desktop to which a printer is USB-attached. I also have a PC laptop from which I am able to print wirelessly. Mrs. Mustard will soon pick up a laptop Mac. Is it possible to configure the Mac to play nice with the printer that is connected to the desktop PC? Thanks, mmm ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-question-is-this-even-possible/589842/2 "2011-07-21T12:30:40Z")
How are you actually printing wirelessly from your laptop? Is it direct to the printer or via the desktop? ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-question-is-this-even-possible/589842/3 "2011-07-21T12:42:29Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Right now I have a PC desktop to which a printer is USB-attached. I also have a PC laptop from which I am able to print wirelessly. > > Mrs. Mustard will soon pick up a laptop Mac. Is it possible to configure the Mac to play nice with the printer that is connected to the desktop PC? > > Thanks, > > mmm I can’t speak to your exact setup but it’s certainly possible. That’s the same setup we have – desktop PC with attached USB printer, wireless printing from both PC laptop and Mac laptop – and printing works fine. I vaguely remember having to find an online help file to tweak some setting on the Mac to get it to talk to our old-school printer, but it took less than 20 minutes to get everything working. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-question-is-this-even-possible/589842/4 "2011-07-21T13:08:08Z")
> [@sandra\_nz](#): > > How are you actually printing wirelessly from your laptop? Is it direct to the printer or via the desktop? It is not a wireless printer. The printer is connected via USB to the desktop. The current PC laptop is in the same workgroup as the PC desktop. mmm ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-question-is-this-even-possible/589842/5 "2011-07-21T15:59:08Z")
It’s pretty easy, unless you have some unusual circumstances. Here’s a [guide](http://www.mac-connect.com/smb_print_mac.php). ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-question-is-this-even-possible/589842/6 "2011-07-21T16:29:35Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > It’s pretty easy, unless you have some unusual circumstances. Here’s a [guide](http://www.mac-connect.com/smb_print_mac.php). Thank you, BigT - I’ll refer to that when the time comes. mmm ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-question-is-this-even-possible/589842/7 "2011-07-21T16:38:28Z")
The inconvenience in our household came from having to boot the PC whenever we wanted to print something. When we were shopping for a router, though, we found that print sharing is an increasingly common feature, so our printer lives in the living room now. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-question-is-this-even-possible/589842/8 "2011-07-22T02:26:07Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > It’s pretty easy, unless you have some unusual circumstances. Here’s a [guide](http://www.mac-connect.com/smb_print_mac.php). Wow… things have come a long way since I wrote [this guide](http://www.balthisar.com/printing)! ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-question-is-this-even-possible/589842/9 "2011-07-22T07:39:21Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > Wow… things have come a long way since I wrote [this guide](http://www.balthisar.com/printing)! Wow. I remember that guide. Glad to know a Doper wrote it. And while it’s a little out of date, due the lack of the HP software, it is pretty accurate if there’s not a similar printer driver on the Mac. It’s just that that is so rare that I lumped it in with “unusual circumstances.”