Printing to a wired printer
- Thread starter tate16t
- Start date
Patrizia_NC
iPF Noob
HP printers are compatible with iPad but only the wireless version.
thespinner
iPF Noob
Not strictly true. Such a printer may not be compatible with Airprint, but printing can be achieved with one of the many print apps on the app store, such as Print n Share.
These apps require a client piece of software to be installed on your Mac/PC and for that to be swtiched on when you want to print.
These apps require a client piece of software to be installed on your Mac/PC and for that to be swtiched on when you want to print.
Patrizia_NC
iPF Noob
Sorry i stand corrected... I wasn't thinking of AirPrint I was thinking about the HP printer line that is iPad compatible. I knew it was only the wireless line that worked directly.
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.
Yet another new wrinkle for owners of NetGear routers. Some models support NetGear Genie, which will add AirPrint support for all wireless printers on your network.
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.
Yet another new wrinkle for owners of NetGear routers. Some models support NetGear Genie, which will add AirPrint support for all wireless printers on your network.
twerppoet
iPad Fan
No problem. There is a Supported Routers link on the page so that you can see if it is compatible with your router.
However; the NetGear Genie only appears to work with wireless printers. I think you said you had a wired one. You may need a different solution, or a new printer.
However; the NetGear Genie only appears to work with wireless printers. I think you said you had a wired one. You may need a different solution, or a new printer.
Last edited:
twerppoet
iPad Fan
It worked! Turns out my printer is wireless
Network Genie did the job!
Thanks!!
Nice! Glad to hear it.
Patrizia_NC
iPF Noob
WindOS VII
iPF Noob
Printer Pro, I use it to connect to my wired printer at work.
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