It seems everyday I get a lot of questions regarding what you can hook up to your laptop.  What people don't understand that a notebook or laptop is just a smaller version of a desktop computer.  You can hook up a keyboard, mouse, monitor, and printer to it just like a regular computer.  Today I will talk about the ways you can hook up a printer to your laptop.

Direct Connection

You can hook your printer up directly with a USB or a parallel printer cable (if you have an older laptop and printer).  This can be handy if your notebook doesn't really ever leave the desk and is used as a desktop replacement.  It also is the most secure method as no one should be able to intercept your documents on their way to the printer.

Wired Network

If you have a network at your home or office and have a printer that is network capable you can use a network printer.  Basically, the printer hooks up to your network with a network cable just like other computers on your network.  You can also just share a printer that is attached to a computer in the network allowing other computers to print to it.  The catch is you have to have the computer that is attached to the printer turned on.  Wired networking is definitely a cheaper option if you have more than one computer at your location.

Wireless Connection

If you have an existing wireless network in your home and have a wireless printer, you can setup your printer to print from anywhere in your home or business.  Sit on the deck, or in the board room and you can print without the messiness of wires in your way.  Be aware that a wireless connection is never 100% secure, so you may want to wait till you can hook up with a wire to your printer to print documents that require some discretion.