Connecting USB devices to your MacBook


USB Printers and Scanners

If you're like most people, you have a printer at home to print out your documents and photos. If your printer was made in the last decade, the chances are that it has a USB connector. Installing your printer is easy. In most cases, you simply need to plug in the USB cable and let your MacBook do the rest. If, for some reason, your printer doesn't then appear in the Printer pop-up menu, you can add it by choosing Apple > System Preferences > Print & Fax to open the Print & Fax pane. Then, follow these steps (follow the same steps to connect a USB scanner to your MacBook):

Other USB Devices

Many other devices come with a USB connector. The most common is probably your printer, but there are lots of other things you can connect to your MacBook too. These include scanners, cameras, speakers, graphics tablets, and wireless mice and keyboards.

To install one of these devices, just plug in its USB connector and wait for your MacBook to load the files it needs to run it; if your MacBook doesn't recognize the device, consult the installation instructions that came with your device. If after plugging in your USB device to the port it fails to work properly, run Software Update from the Apple menu and check for important updates to your software from Apple. You should also check the device manufacturer's website to see if it has updated drivers for your device. Look for a Support or Downloads page to find these drivers.

Connect an External Display

If you use your MacBook at home a lot or frequently work with video or graphics, you might want to connect an external display. The larger screen size of most external displays is great for watching movies, editing photos, using art programs, or editing film. You can decide whether you want to use the external display as your only display (mirroring) or as an extension of your desktop.

Your MacBook comes with a video output port so that you can connect your computer to a television, projector, or monitor. The newest models of the MacBook come with a Mini DisplayPort that can use a number of adapters to connect your computer to nearly any kind of video display. The Mini DisplayPort is capable of resolutions of up to 2560×1600, such as those commonly used with 30-inch monitors or televisions. With the correct adapter, your Mini DisplayPort can be used to connect to displays that use a VGA, DVI, or HDMI interface.

One type of adapter that you can use with your Mini DisplayPort is the Dual Link DVI output. DVI stands for Digital Video Interface and is popular in flat-screen displays and high-end graphics cards. All you need to know about the Dual Link aspect of your DVI output is that it doubles the power of the transmission and improves the speed and signal quality of your connection.

In order to connect your computer to any type of display, you simply need to connect the appropriate cable to the corresponding ports on both your computer and the display. What type of cable you use will be determined by what type of connector your display has. Once the display has been connected, you will be able to view your computer screen on the second display. Visit your local Apple store or speak to Apple technical support if you need assistance determining which type of connection your display uses.

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This article was sent to us by: Kyle Bailey at 11012010

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