Wireless Lazer Printer?

My 15 year old HP laser printer just died . . . parallel to USB converter into her laptop on her desk . . . only way I can print is download my stuff to a flash drive , plug i to her computer and print.

I have two laptops (his and hers), a wireless network set up at home (the network router, wireless adapter, and cable modem on my desk in my office) and the printer must, of course, go on my wife's desk in her office!

Looking at printers, I am finding the Brother 5280dw, networking and wireless built in.

Here is my issue: My wife wants to print from her laptop from any room in the house, but the printer has to be on her desk in her office. Since I already have a wireless network set up at home (all the boxes in my office and must stay there), is there an advantage in buying a wireless printer if I already have a home wireless network setup?

Do I really need a wireless printer, or is there some way to keep all of the boxes (router, wireless box, cable box) in my office and put the printer in her office without using a network cable (she won't let me run one to her office) and still allow me to print?

If I simply set the brother wireless printer on her desk, will it connect to my existing wireless network?

Oh, yes, I am a noob!

Thanks for the help in advance!

 

There are three ways that any computer in a Home/Office can print to a printer.

1) A printer directly attached to another computer.

2) A network printer (connected to a Router via an ethernet cable)

3) A wireless printer connected to a Router.

If you have a network printer (a printer that would accept an ethernet cable) the ideal thing to do would be to run an ethernet cable from the Router to the network printer and configure it w/ an IP Address.

* But I think in your case you'll want to get the wireless printer seeing that you're so limited w/ what you can do. The wireless printer will connect to the wireless Router as other computers would. It would just need to be configured w/ an IP Address so that it can communicate with any other computer device on the network.

So everyone would be able to print.

 

A wireless printer will let anyone connected to the network print whenever it's turned on. You could just connect a 'normal' printer to your wife's computer and you'll be able to print to it, but only when her computer is turned on, and that requires your wife's computer to be in the same place.

If there's not a network-connected computer or wired network connection available permanently with the printer then realistically the only way to get what you want is with a wireless printer. Obviously they're a bit more expensive than ordinary network or USB printers.