By Mike Tattersall

A printer is a peripheral device used to get the hard copy of various digital/electronic documents. There are many kinds of printers available in the market. They can be broadly classified into two types: the wired and the wireless printers. Some of the techniques used by wired printers to connect to the computer, laptop or other device in the network are by using a printer cable or a USB cable. The wireless technology that is used to connect the printer to a network or a computer within a network is by using WiFi or a Bluetooth device. Bluetooth is a new technology, a wireless protocol that facilitates data transfer over a small range.  A Bluetooth device can be used to connect different devices into one network within a small range. There are Bluetooth enabled printers that can be connected to the computer within the same network. The Bluetooth ready printers are designed to ease the usage of a printer in a network. You can avoid having cables lying around, and you can get a printout sitting anywhere in the room with your laptop, thus increasing the mobility, and you can also print on-the-go by using the Bluetooth ready printer.

Now the question arises, how to know if the printer is Bluetooth ready? The following ways can be used to know if a printer is Bluetooth ready.

Firstly, look for the printer operation manual or documentation, because if the printer is Bluetooth enabled it would definitely find its mention in the manual. You can also see if the printer is Bluetooth ready from the packaging, as many manufacturers use Bluetooth technology as a marketing and selling point and mention in on the box of the printer. Another way to know if the printer is Bluetooth enabled is to check for a Bluetooth switch or the Bluetooth logo on the printer. You can also find more information about the printer configuration and know if it is Bluetooth enabled by visiting the manufacturer's website or the printer model's website. You can also search for the Bluetooth device in the range from your computer, and if the Bluetooth device on your computer is able to search for your printer in range, then it confirms the printer to be Bluetooth ready.

Many printers comes with an external Bluetooth adapter which is to be connected to the printer to connect it to the Bluetooth network, but they aren't Bluetooth enabled because Bluetooth ready printer means that it has a built-in Bluetooth device and is ready for connection.

So next time when you need a Bluetooth ready printer, you can follow the above mentioned steps and know if the printer you have chosen is a Bluetooth ready printer.