Printer for iPad Question
- Thread starter asimmd
- Start date
NoNoBadDog
iPF Noob
asimmd said:
There are two ways;
1. Get an AirPrint capable wireless printer.
2. If you have a Netgear router, go to their website and download their Netgear Genie app. It will turn any networked printer into an AirPrint one.
Sent from my iPad 3rd Gen using ipf
twerppoet
iPad Fan
Some printers are directly compatible with AirPrint on the iPad. If you want this feature be absolutely certain the printer supports AirPrint before buying. Some printers may require a firmware update to work. These are usually available on the manufacturers site. If you get this* kind of printer you can print directly from within apps that support the feature, which is many.
iOS: AirPrint 101
Of course some of us already have printers and do not want to buy a new one. There are several ways to do this.
One is to use a printing app on the iPad.
Most (or all) other print apps can only print pictures and/or files that have been copied to that app via Open In or other method. Print n Share used to be able to print from AirPrint enabled apps if it was loaded the background. It lost this ability with iOS 5. It may still work with iOS 4 if you get it before the app is updated in the App Store. Several printer manufacturers have their own apps for their printers. In general those apps will probably have the best results, quality wise.
The second method is to load a program on the computer that will emulate an AirPrint compatible printer. Your computer must be on and have the printer available to it. The cheapest (free) is Airprint Activator. More features can be had with FingerPrint (mac and windows) and Printopia (mac only).
There is a third way. A few printers (mostly HP's again) can be set up with their own email address. PDF attachments can be sent via this address to be printed. The last review I saw (several months ago) said it could be quite slow (big files not recommended), and sometimes the emails got lost and never printed. The advantage was that you could literally send/print from anywhere you have an internet connection.
*
There is a new wrinkle for small business owners and those with more than one printer who would like all their printers to work, but don't want to leave a computer on all the time. The Lantronix XPrintServer is a small box that connects to your network and is supposed to detect and make all your wireless printers available to iOS as AirPrint printers. I haven't seen a full review on it yet, so do your research.
A brand new option for lucky owners NetGear routers. Some models support NetGear Genie, which will add AirPrint support for printers on your network. If the printer is not wireless, it must be shared on the network, and the computer it is connected to must be on.
iOS: AirPrint 101
Of course some of us already have printers and do not want to buy a new one. There are several ways to do this.
One is to use a printing app on the iPad.
Most (or all) other print apps can only print pictures and/or files that have been copied to that app via Open In or other method. Print n Share used to be able to print from AirPrint enabled apps if it was loaded the background. It lost this ability with iOS 5. It may still work with iOS 4 if you get it before the app is updated in the App Store. Several printer manufacturers have their own apps for their printers. In general those apps will probably have the best results, quality wise.
The second method is to load a program on the computer that will emulate an AirPrint compatible printer. Your computer must be on and have the printer available to it. The cheapest (free) is Airprint Activator. More features can be had with FingerPrint (mac and windows) and Printopia (mac only).
There is a third way. A few printers (mostly HP's again) can be set up with their own email address. PDF attachments can be sent via this address to be printed. The last review I saw (several months ago) said it could be quite slow (big files not recommended), and sometimes the emails got lost and never printed. The advantage was that you could literally send/print from anywhere you have an internet connection.
*
There is a new wrinkle for small business owners and those with more than one printer who would like all their printers to work, but don't want to leave a computer on all the time. The Lantronix XPrintServer is a small box that connects to your network and is supposed to detect and make all your wireless printers available to iOS as AirPrint printers. I haven't seen a full review on it yet, so do your research.
A brand new option for lucky owners NetGear routers. Some models support NetGear Genie, which will add AirPrint support for printers on your network. If the printer is not wireless, it must be shared on the network, and the computer it is connected to must be on.
Last edited:
NoNoBadDog
iPF Noob
One small correction; with a compatible router Netgear Genie. Will turn any networked printer, wired or wireless, into an AirPrint capable printer. If the printer is not wireless, it must be shared on the network, and the computer it is connected to must be on.
Sent from my iPad 3rd Gen using ipf
Sent from my iPad 3rd Gen using ipf
NoNoBadDog said:
I use the printer pro app, I don't have an air printer. I do have a netgear router but there was no need for me to download the netgear genie app, my printer is wireless, I,wonder if this app will work with any router and any wireless printer not just netgear?
I love the printer pro app works great, I think it's $4.99
I just checked the app store and you can try printer pro lite for free to see if it works for your printer
Last edited:
dhewson777
iPF Novice
asimmd said:
Check out the Epson iPrint app. You need to check the compatibility, but most recent wireless Epson printers are.
onehammer6
iPF Noob
Hi guys ... I am new to iPad ,and have been searching this forum to see if I can find what is the best printer to buy for printing from my iPad 2 please.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. There is so many at the stores here in Melbourne ,I went in a few and just felt they were just trying to flog me the most expensive one they could,but they were very vague on how they worked,if they could print pictures,if they needed an app or program to be downloaded,,heck the only thing they really knew for sure is that I should get this super dooper does it all ,last one in stock ,printer.
So my kids and I are more confused now than when we started, can anyone help us please..
Thank you
Any help would be greatly appreciated. There is so many at the stores here in Melbourne ,I went in a few and just felt they were just trying to flog me the most expensive one they could,but they were very vague on how they worked,if they could print pictures,if they needed an app or program to be downloaded,,heck the only thing they really knew for sure is that I should get this super dooper does it all ,last one in stock ,printer.
So my kids and I are more confused now than when we started, can anyone help us please..
Thank you
twerppoet
iPad Fan
Make a list of all the printers that you like, and have all the features you need (like AirPrint). Go to the various consume sites and check them for reviews about reliability. Pay attention to the price of ink. A $100 printer is not a bargain if you have to spend that much again as soon as the sample cartridges run out. How many pages you get per cartridge/$ is the best measure.
I won't recommend my current printer, because it's not AirPrint capable, and the version that is, is a few years old. But it is in the HP Officejet line, which I like for their All-In-One features.
I personally like HP Printers. I've had good luck with them (minus the two super cheap ones I bought). While the ink cartridges are a bit more expensive that some, they include the print heads. That means one less component to fail on the printer itself. I had a series of Epsom printers that failed at a rate of one a year. They to not have their print heads on the cartridges. Thats not a problem (usually) if you print a lot. I print sporadically, so the heads had time to dry out and clog on the occasions that I'd go months without printing something.
Laser printers have gone down in price far enough that they are worth considering (if there are any AirPrint ones). While the cartridges cost a lot individually, they have a much better cost per page ratio than inkjet printers.
Good Luck.
I won't recommend my current printer, because it's not AirPrint capable, and the version that is, is a few years old. But it is in the HP Officejet line, which I like for their All-In-One features.
I personally like HP Printers. I've had good luck with them (minus the two super cheap ones I bought). While the ink cartridges are a bit more expensive that some, they include the print heads. That means one less component to fail on the printer itself. I had a series of Epsom printers that failed at a rate of one a year. They to not have their print heads on the cartridges. Thats not a problem (usually) if you print a lot. I print sporadically, so the heads had time to dry out and clog on the occasions that I'd go months without printing something.
Laser printers have gone down in price far enough that they are worth considering (if there are any AirPrint ones). While the cartridges cost a lot individually, they have a much better cost per page ratio than inkjet printers.
Good Luck.
onehammer6
iPF Noob
twerppoet said:
Oh thank you very much twerppoet ,that is gold to us. I just got more sense from you than we have from 3 stores. I will check the laser print, I will also be checking,and pretty sure we will get an HP printer. Great tip about the heads,I never knew that,we have an old canon ,about 10 years old,and the cartilages cost us a fortune,then they wouldn't be working properly after a few months ,we will really only be printing in fits and starts ,so may go months without printing,but with 4 girls around the 10 to 16 ages they print out pictures of the rock star of the day here and there, and homework.
Again mate,thank you very very much for the advise, I will start looking online now to get a feel for prices. What a magnificent site this is,I have been reading all the things I didn't know about iPad and how it works etc, this site should be included in apples list of apps that come with the iPad ,it's just so helpful.
Cheers and have a great day.
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