Using the Embedded Web Server To Connect A Wireless Printer To Your Network

Question

AKA:No Wireless Setup Wizard Button, which would be way easier.
The Prelude
Some entry level printers do not offer a 'Wireless Setup Wizard' button, or a menu option that is accessible from the front of the printer. Printers that do not offer this luxury option, can still be easily configured to communicate to your router if you have a Mac or Windows PC.
You still may have an easy option to get your network settings configured in your printer, if your router supports WPS. I personally do not like to use WPS as it can bring its own frustrations. WPS is not within the scope of this document.
This document is geared towards the last available option, and in my opinion the best option. It can however be the most involved option. I am referring to using the Embedded Web Server (EWS). Most modern network capable HP Printers have a setting page that can be accessed from a web browser. The process is rather simple, but many confusing hiccups can occur, and that is what I hope to prepare you for.  There will be variances for different printers. I am using my experience with consumer printers that have been around the last few years.
First, do not get overexcited about this document: Accessing the HP Embedded Web Server. Don't get me wrong, it is a great document, it's just that the instructions, while accurate, will not work until your printer is configured to connect to your network first. We will revisit this later however.
Seatbelts Please
The first thing we need to do, is have the printer broadcast its own network, sometimes referred to as AdHoc, sometimes referred to as Auto Wireless Connect. To do this, you need to navigate the menu system of the printer, and find the option to reset the network settings, network defaults or something similar. If your printer has the Wireless Direct feature you won't need to reset the network settings, but this is a perfect time to make sure Wireless Direct is turned on. If you aren't using Wireless Direct, the timer starts. Generally speaking, for the next two hours, the printer will broadcast an 'HP Setup' network, or have some variation of the printers name listed in available wireless networks. Regardless you should have plenty of time, if you read it all first and then went throught the steps.
*Preparation:
Here is where you want to use your favorite device, one capable of seeing 2.4ghz networks. Android phone, Apple iPad, Chromebook, Windows or Mac Notebook that you decided not to install the printer software on. Any of these devices will work. Apple iOS devices required a bit of coddling, as Safari doesn't work well with the EWS Wireless Setup Wizard.
Do you know your network SSID? What about the passphrase, passkey or whatever the security word is called?
If you didn't set it up, and just started using it when the internet guy installed it, then there is probably a sticker on the router with that information. If you still can't find it, call your ISP, router manufacturer or favorite family member for help to find that information (If you use a family member, remember to buy them something nice on the next gift giving holiday in your region).
*Apple iOS specific, device preparation:
1. You will save yourself a lot of frustration by downloading the Chrome Browser for iOS now. Go ahead, I will wait...
If you are installing Chrome for the first time, when it completes the install, open it, and get passed the greeting and tutorial before continuing.
2. You need to forget your home network connection when you are done with step 1. Just hold down on your home network in the wireless networks list, and 'Forget' the connection (or find the arrow that leads to the same option). If you do not take this step, it will reconnect to the home network once you run the Wireless Setup Wizard, causing you to have to back track.
3. Be aware, when you connect to your printer's network, that it may appear to not connect (ie. spinning wheel, no confirmation) to the printer. This is a known behavior. Just close the wireless settings, and proceed as normal.
Begin The Journey
Open up the wireless section of your device and look in the list of available networks and tell it to connect to the HP printer network. The SSID will usually start with HP, and may have the printer model or the word SETUP in the name. Once you are connected (see "Apple iOS specific, device preparation #3 if you are using iOS), it is time to open your browser, preferably the Chrome browser when at all possible. In the address bar type 192.168.223.1 and press go or hit enter. I use the colloquialism 'hit' when I just mean 'press' again, sorry for the redudancy.
If all is well, you should see a web page that should refer to your printer. Now is the time to find the 'Wireless Setup Wizard' button. Most printers should have it here on the main page of the EWS. Just take your time, it may not be obvious at first. Once you press it, the setup process will begin. Follow the instructions. It should see a list of detected wireless networks, and you can select your home network. Then if it requires a password, it will prompt for you to enter it. At the end of the Wizard, it might say something about not being able to test it, or show a page cannot be displayed screen. This is OK. This means the printer is now talking to your router and not your device in your hand.
Proof Of Concept
You can now tell your device to scan and connect back to your normal home network. Once you connect, you can verify if you can see your printer. Keep in mind, with dual band routers, that the printers will typically only be visible on the 2.4GHZ network, so your device should also connect to that network as well for testing. Once connected, now we need to find out what IP Address the printer has. Remember the document I started with “Accessing the HP Embedded Web Server”. It now is relevant, and you can complete those instructions to make sure you can see your printer on the same network. If your device can enter the printers EWS with its new IP, then you have officially connected your printer to your network. Also your printers wireless light should be solid, indicating communication.
If It Worked
Now the fun begins. If you are setting up ePrint, and if there is no option to configure ePrint from the front panel, find the Web Services tab, and proceed with that process. If you are setting it up to a Chomebook, you still need to setup ePrint (if it is an ePrinter) before configuring Cloudprint... but that's another document.
I hope I have not missed any small detail that pertains to your configuration that made this hard to follow. Any comments would be welcomed to improve this for future use.
TwoPointOh
I work on behalf of HP
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Answer 1

That printer also has a USB port why don't you connect it using that port?
If you insist on using ethernet, Mac OS X can create two network connections at the same time. On the iMac you can configure one of the network connections to be wireless and the other to be wired using the ethernet port.
Since you already have a wireless network configured and connecting to your AirPort Extreme for Internet access all you need to do is plug in an ethernet cable from your iMac directly to your printer and configure them to use self-assigned IP addresses. Self-assigned IP addresses take the form of 169.xxx.xxx.xxx and are used in this configuration to avoid any conflicts with your other network. You have to configure the iMac and the printer to each have a unique IP address in the self-assigned range, just make each of the last group of numbers in the IP address different, and then the iMac should be able to print to the printer.
Note that when you configure the Imac and printer this way no other network devices will be able to print