How to Set Up Your Printer with Mac OS X Snow Leopard
After you connect your computer and printer with a compatible cable, provide a power source for your printer, and install the software for your printer, you’re ready to configure your Mac Snow Leopard so your Mac and your printer can talk to each other.
Many if not all of the steps involving the Print & Fax System Preferences pane require that your printer be turned on and warmed up beforehand.
The first time you connect your printer, you may see an alert asking whether you want to download and install software for your printer.
1
Click the Install button.
At this point you may see a License Agreement window.
2
Click the Agree button to proceed.
You may click Disagree if you wish but that halts the installation process.
A Software Update window may appear. If it does, just leave it alone; it disappears after a minute or two.
3
Open the Applications folder and open System Preferences.
You can also open the Applications folder by clicking its icon in the Sidebar of any Finder window or using the shortcut Command+Shift+A.
4
Click the Print & Fax icon, and then click your printer’s name in the Printers list on the left side of the window.
Snow Leopard is a pretty smart cat; it should have already recognized your printer at this point. If so, your printer’s name appears in the Printer list of the Print & Fax System Preferences pane.
If your printer isn’t in the list at this point, then you probably need to install (or reinstall) its driver software manually, either from the CD that came with the printer or by downloading the latest driver software from your printer manufacturer’s Web site.
5
Click the Default Printer pop-up menu.
Here you can choose which printer Snow Leopard should use by default.
6
Select the default paper size you want to use with this printer from the Default Paper Size menu.
If you live in the United States, the norm is US letter.
7
Close System Preferences.
You’re ready to print your first document! Before you do, however, make sure you have the document set up to look just the way you want it to look printed.

Macs and OS X Glossary
Address Book
The place for addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses on the Mac. You can also add a picture and note about the person.

Macs and OS X Glossary
Bluetooth
A short-range wireless technology that lets your Mac communicate with other compatible gadgets, from up to 30 feet away.

Macs and OS X Glossary
ColorSync
A printer setting that lets you add black and white, blue tone, sepia, or other filters.

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Dashboard
A translucent screen that lays on top of your desktop and houses clever little applications called widgets.

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desktop
The whole of your Mac’s computer screen. Also called the Finder.

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Discoverable mode
Helps other Bluetooth devices find your Mac.

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Dock
The colorful bar on the bottom of the Mac screen. It’s a rough cross between the Windows taskbar and the Start menu.

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double-clicking
Left-clicking twice in rapid succession while keeping the cursor in the same location.

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dragging
Positioning the cursor on top of a symbol or icon and then holding down the mouse button and rolling the mouse across your desk, which moves the symbol or icon to a new location.

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Exposé
A Mac feature that, with a click of a button, organizes your Mac desktop.

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FileVault
A Mac feature that automatically scrambles, or encrypts, the data in your Home folder.

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FireWire
A speedy connector often used with digital cameras.

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function keys
Housed on the top row of the Mac keyboard, the keys with the letter F followed by a number.

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iCal
The Mac’s built-in calendar.

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iDVD
The application that lets you burn movies onto a disk.

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iMac
A Mac desktop computer.

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iPhoto
The application where you store and touch up digital images.

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iSync
The application that keeps your calendar, Address Book, and Internet bookmarks synchronized across multiple devices.

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iTunes
Apple’s renowned musical jukebox.

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iWeb
The tool that lets you create personal Web sites, blogs, and podcasts.

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Mac Mini
Apple’s budget desktop computer. Weighing less than 3 pounds, it’s portable, but not in the same sense as a notebook.

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Mac OSx
The operating system that Apple included with all new Mac computer systems since 2002.

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Mac Pro
A Mac desktop intended for professionals facing demanding graphics and other computing tasks. Its arrival completed the transition of the Mac line to Intel processors.

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MacBook Air
Apple’s super-thin Mac. Encased in aluminum with a 13.3-inch display, Air measures just 0.16 inches at its skinniest point and just 0.75 inches at its thickest. But it still boasts a full-size keyboard and very good battery life.

Macs and OS X Glossary
MacBook, MacBook Pro
Apple’s successor to the PowerBook.

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Mail
Apple’s built-in calendar.

Macs and OS X Glossary
MobileMe
The application that keeps your e-mail, contacts, and calendar synchronized, no matter what device you’re using.

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operating software
The software that makes a Mac work.

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parental controls
Safety features that let you place limitations on your child’s computer use.

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phishing
A form of Internet fraud where identity thieves, posing as a respectable financial or Internet company, tries to dupe you into clicking phony links to verify personal or account information.

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Safari
The Mac’s Web browser.

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Smart Groups
A way to group contacts in your Address Book.

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Smart Mailboxes
Searches for e-mail that matches specific search criteria.

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Spotlight
The Mac’s search technology.

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trackpad
The smooth surface below your Mac keyboard that’s your laptop’s answer to using a mouse.

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USB port
The place on your Mac where you plug in devices you want to connect, such as printers, scanners, digital cameras, and more.

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Voiceover
A screen reader designed to make using a Mac easier by speaking the contents of the screen.

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wireless network
A network that isn’t connected by wires but uses radio waves, instead.
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