How to show network attached printers in Windows Active Directory?

We want to add our network printers (Dell 5100cn) to Active Directory, so that it is easier for users to find them on the network, but don't see a need to place a "print server" between the clients and the printers, as the latter have their own IP addresses and the built-in capability to queue print jobs originating from multiple clients.

Yet all the documentation I have seen on adding a printer to Active Directory seems to start with the assumption that the printer has been added to a Windows computer that "shares" it. Is it not possible to add such network printers into AD directly?

I think of a network printer as being a specialized host that should be able to have an independent entry in the directory. Is this the wrong concept?

Others may correct me, but I've been told good practice is to have a print server (Windows server) set up with the printer then that computer, in turn, shares it out to Active Directory. That way it also acts as a repo for the Windows drivers for the clients to download when connecting. You just add the network printer as a "local printer" using a network/tcpip port.

Also the Windows server acts as a print spooler from which you centrally manage permissions and print jobs.

We share all our printers out using this model.

I agree with Bart as it's easier to maintain and setup printers via a Windows server, you can deploy them with Group Policy Preferences. See Deploying TCP/IP Printers with Group Policy Preferences or Configure a TCP/IP Printer Item

Just remember that you will have ensure that the printer driver is installed on the machines before you deploy it via GPP