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Setup

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Wells Riley edited this page Oct 28, 2026 · 8 revisions

Setup takes about five minutes.

1. Connect

ImageWriter

  1. Switch the printer off.
  2. Connect the crossover cable from AirWriter's printer port (marked serial) to the printer's serial port.
  3. Plug AirWriter into a USB-C charger.
  4. Switch the printer on, load paper and press SELECT.

LaserWriter. Connect it to AirWriter's AppleTalk port (marked appletalk, or LOCALTALK on AirWriter Lite) with LocalTalk cabling, or leave it on your network. Switch it on.

A rainbow wave sweeps across the panel, then the panel blinks blue twice every few seconds, ready for setup.

Rainbow wave Blue double blink

2. Setup network

  1. On your phone, open Wi-Fi settings and join AirWriter-xxxx. It has no password.
  2. The setup page opens. If it doesn't, go to http://192.168.4.1/.

Your phone may warn that the network has no internet. Stay connected.

3. Printers

Your printers appear in a list. Rename them if you like.

Printer missing? Check that it's on, then press Look Again. For an original ImageWriter, or a printer that's switched off, press Add a Printer… and choose its model. LaserWriters on your network appear after setup.

Press Continue.

4. Wi-Fi

Press Choose a Network…, pick your network, type its password and press Join. For a hidden network, press Other Network….

Setup is done. In about half a minute AirWriter joins your Wi-Fi, and your phone goes back to your usual network. The panel shows blue rings, a green ripple, then slow white breathing.

Blue rings, green ripple, white

Dim orange embers instead of white mean the printer is off or deselected. Switch it on and press SELECT.

Good to know

  • 2.4 GHz only. One network name for both bands works fine.
  • No login pages. Hotel, school and office networks with a sign-in page won't work.
  • Wrong password. After about a minute, the blue double blink returns. Join the setup network again and re-enter the password.
  • Open setup network. The setup network has no password, so set up at home.

5. Print

iPhone and iPad. Tap Share, then Print, choose your printer and tap Print.

Mac. Choose File > Print and pick your printer. If it isn't in the list, add it in System Settings > Printers & Scanners.

For an ImageWriter, choose US Letter paper.

For a test page, press the Test Button in the middle of AirWriter.

Settings page

Go to airwriter-xxxx.local in a browser for printer settings, Wi-Fi and updates. See Settings and Updates. An AirWriter set up before this version stays at imagewriter-xxxx.local.

Adding a printer by address on a Mac

If a printer doesn't appear in Printers & Scanners:

  1. On the settings page, open AirPrint and press Copy next to the printer.
  2. In Printers & Scanners, choose Add Printer, Scanner or Fax…, then the IP tab.
  3. Paste the address into Address and click Add.

This documentation is licensed under CC-BY-SA-4.0.

AirWriter

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