Apple's Print Solution

[Tinman]

Did you getvthe firewall message, do you have a passcode on your windows login? Try creating a guest account...that worked for me, then the printer actually started communicating with the iPad


Oh and sad thing is pc has to be on and awake...which defeats purpose but yeah

Thanks.

I didn't get the firewall message.... at least not at first. I had to manually start the airprint app on my pc and that forced a firewall popup. Once cleared all is well.

I do need to enter my username/password but I print so rarely it is not an issue. Not worth opening up a guest account with no password. My PCs are locked down tight.

Thanks again.


Michael

 

[ScottXe]

It is still unclear how AirPrint to operate. I have a iMac wireless connected to my Netgear wired and wireless router. My HP network printer is also connected to the router using an ethernet cable. They work correctly. My iPhone 4 is connected to the router using wi-fi at home. The AirPrint cannot detect my printer at all. However, I download a demo version of Printopia and it works correctly. Can someone explain in detail how AirPrint operate. Is there any official technical explanation of AirPrint? All explanations are too simple to introduce it.

 

[kierandill]

Without "help", Airprint will only "see" the supported printers. "Help" comes in the form of something running on a PC or a Mac that makes that computer's shared printer "look like" a supported Airprint printer. An "Airprint server", if you will. Printopia is one of these, and works fine.

 

[Bob Maxey]

Am I right in assuming that AirPrint will only work with compatible printers?

Not quite.

Also, it is not clear to me whether it will work with Ethernet printers on a wireless network or only direct to wireless printers.

Airprint will work on a wireless network.
I just set it up today.
This is what you need.

First you need an Apple computer that can either print wirelessly on your network or is plugged into a printer.

You then need to download and install Printopia on the Mac computer mentioned before (Printopia is $9.99 with a free trial demo.)

With Printopia running on your Mac you can stream print jobs through the Mac to the printer from your iPad.

I have an HP 3 in1 non-wireless printer plugged into the USB port of an Airport Express.
I print wirelessly from my Macbook Pro through the Airport Express to the printer.
Adding Printopia to my Macbook Pro allowed my iPad to stream print jobs through the Macbook Pro over the network through the Airport Express to the printer.
This is essentially what Apple said Airprint would do before they changed their minds.

I`ve printed over this wireless system through my Macbook Pro today very easily from the iPad.

However, that is allot of effort and some of us use other operating systems. It seems to me that everyone that uses Pages would want to be able to print to their printer. Then again, I am old and perhaps my ideas are far too silly.

Not to pitch a complaint at Apple, but they specifically talk about how the iPad is a great business tool. And . . . they specifically mention how you can easily print to a wireless printer using WiFi. Not all that true but not entirely a fib, either.

I have tried several workarounds, but still, I can't print directly from Pages. Seems to me, any platform served up to the public as a grand business tool should be able to print to any modern WiFi enabled printer without all the fuss and bother and more cash sent to the Apple Money Factory.

Pages is a word processor and any wp that does not allow you to print is often worthless.

Then again, I am old and not as geeky as I once was.

Bob Maxey