To AirPrint with Airport Express or not

[davidalan99]

I have been searching the forum for a couple of days and well I got a couple of questions I need a little help on.

First off the equipments

Fios wireless internet
MacBook Pro
iPhone 4
iPad 2
HP Office Jet L7590 all in one printer, not wifi

Goal to print from my iPad, directly no additional apps

I could buy an inexpensive HP AirPrint ready printer, but I do not think it would be as good a printer as what I have especially the size of the ink cartridges.

The question is could I use Airport Express and do it and how?

Any and all comments welcome, please be kind

 

[Tim SPRACKLEN]

I have been searching the forum for a couple of days and well I got a couple of questions I need a little help on.

First off the equipments

Fios wireless internet
MacBook Pro
iPhone 4
iPad 2
HP Office Jet L7590 all in one printer, not wifi

Goal to print from my iPad, directly no additional apps

I could buy an inexpensive HP AirPrint ready printer, but I do not think it would be as good a printer as what I have especially the size of the ink cartridges.

The question is could I use Airport Express and do it and how?

Any and all comments welcome, please be kind

When you say 'No additional apps' do you mean on your iPad or none at all - either on your iPad or Mac? If you're proposing to connect the printer to the Airport Express and then print wirelessly from the iPad to the printer via the Airport Express, then this will definitely not work because the iPad uses a new printing protocol called AirPrint and since your printer does not support AirPrint, this would not work. It's not simply a matter of having a WiFi printer - it has to understand the AirPrint protocol too. A relatively easy way to do this, if the printer is connected to your Mac, is to use an app on your Mac called Printopia which emulates an AirPrint printer and translates the AirPrint protocol from the iPad into a form that the printer understands. It's widely available and just sits on your Mac in the background listening out for an AirPrint 'signal' from the iPad.

Tim

 

[davidalan99]

Thank you for clearing it up. I guess it will have to be the printer route. I do not want to leave my mac on all day waiting to receive a message to print. With an AirPrint capable printer other than software to select the wifi, is there anything else that is needed?

Sent from my iPhone/iPad using iPF

 

[Tim SPRACKLEN]

Thank you for clearing it up. I guess it will have to be the printer route. I do not want to leave my mac on all day waiting to receive a message to print. With an AirPrint capable printer other than software to select the wifi, is there anything else that is needed?

Sent from my iPhone/iPad using iPF

You'll need a wireless router - such as an Airport Express or your existing wireless router - because this assigns the IP addresses to the iPad and the printer but, other than that, you're good to go.

Tim

 

[davidalan99]

Thanks Tim

Sent from my iPhone/iPad using iPF