Indiana University
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In IUB campus housing, how can I connect my Mac to my RTC's network printer?

Note: At Indiana University Bloomington, printing to a Residential Technology Center (RTC) printer counts against your Student Technology Center (STC) printing allotment. However, IUB campus housing residents receive an extra 100-page allotment per semester. This additional allotment is usually added mid-semester. For more, see STC printing allotments at IUB.

Note: The following instructions assume you have administrative rights to your computer.

These instructions are for manually configuring your Mac OS X computer to print to the printer in your Residential Technology Center (RTC). However, at Indiana University Bloomington, UITS provides a printer utility for Mac OS version 10.2 or later that will automatically install IUB Student Technology Center (STC) and RTC printers. For more, see How do I obtain and use the IU printer finder utility?

First, be sure that the short name for your OS X account on your computer is identical to your IU Network ID username. For more information on how to check the short name and make changes if necessary, see the second bulleted item in At IUB or IUPUI, using Mac OS X, how do I print from my personal computer to an RTC or STC printer?

Then, log into the appropriate OS X account (i.e., the one with your Network ID username as the account short name), and follow the steps below to configure your computer to use your RTC's printer:

Mac OS X 10.5

  1. From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.... In System Preferences, go to the View menu and select Print & Fax.

  2. Click the + (plus sign) to add a new printer, and in the new window that opens, click the IP icon.

  3. Next to "Protocol:", select Line Printer Daemon - LPD, which should be the default. Find your RTC's network queue name, server name, and model from What are the IUB RTC network printer paths and models? Note that these will differ for different RTCs. In the "Address:" field, enter the following: bl-uits-ascot.ads.iu.edu

    In the "Queue:" field, enter your RTC's network printer queue name (e.g., eg101prt).

  4. Give the printer a descriptive name and location in the appropriate fields. In the pull-down list beside "Print Using:", select Select a driver to use... and then your RTC's network printer model.

  5. Click Add. An "Installable Options" menu will appear. You may make adjustments here, and then click Continue.

  6. When it's installed, your RTC printer should appear in the Print & Fax window. To select a default printer if you have more than one installed (e.g., you also have a personal printer in your room), choose the printer from the list in the menu next to "Default Printer:".

Mac OS X 10.3 and 10.4

  1. From the Utilities folder in the Applications folder, open Print Center or Printer Setup Utility.

  2. If you don't have any printers set up, click the Add... button when you see it. Otherwise, from the Printers menu, select Add Printer....

  3. From the pull-down menu at the top of the sheet that appears, select IP Printing or LPR Printers using IP. Find your RTC's network queue name, server name, and model from What are the IUB RTC network printer paths and models? Note that these will differ for different RTCs. In the "Printer Address:", "Printer's Address:", or "LPR Printer's Address:" field, enter the following: bl-uits-ascot.ads.iu.edu

    If you see a checkbox called Use Default Queue on Server, make sure it is not checked.

  4. In the "Queue Name:" field, enter your RTC's network printer queue name (e.g., eg101prt). In the pull-down list beside "Printer Model:", select your RTC's network printer model.

  5. Click Add to install the printer. When it's installed, you should see a Printer List window that lists your RTC's printer. To select a default printer if you have more than one installed (e.g., you also have a personal printer in your room), select the printer in the list, and then choose Make Default from the Printers menu.

You're now ready to print from your RTC's network printer. Before you send your first document, print a one-page test document (e.g., your name typed several times).