AirPrint
is a unique technology launched by Apple a few years ago for mobile printing. AirPrint
allows you to print from your Apple devices such as iPhone, iPad, and Mac
without the need for a cable. AirPrint is suitable for photos, documents, and
other files, but you do need a special printer for it. We list everything about
AirPrint for you.
What is AirPrint?
AirPrint
makes it possible to make high-quality prints on your printer without having to
install drivers or a cable. You start the print from an iOS or macOS app. All
you have to do is choose the desired AirPrint-suitable printer in your local
wireless network. If you are using Apple iPhone, iPod or iPad, then you need to
make sure that the device is running on iOS 4.2 or higher.
Printers with AirPrint
support
Initially,
AirPrint was only present on HP printers, but in the meantime, the range has
expanded. Many brands like Sharp, Samsung, Olivetti, Lexmark, Lenovo, Kyocera,
Xerox, Toshiba, Fuji, Epson, Dell, Canon, and Brother. On the Apple website,
you will find a complete overview of all suitable printers.
What can be printed
with AirPrint?
With
AirPrint, you can print photos, email, floor plans, web pages, documents, PDFs
and articles.
Where AirPrint can be
used?
You
can print directly from iOS apps such as Safari, Mail, Pages, Maps, Camera,
Keynote and Numbers. Third-party apps such as Evernote, Dropbox, Wikipanion,
Instapaper, and Documents by Readdle also support AirPrint. You will find the
required button in the submenu.
This is how you make a print with AirPrint:
·
Make sure
the printer is connected to the same network as your iPhone or iPad. Therefore
first choose the correct wireless network via Settings> Wi-Fi.
·
Then choose
the document, for example, a photo.
·
Open the
sharing menu and choose Print (see screenshot). In some apps, this submenu is
located at the bottom left, in others at the top right (for example in the Mail
app).
·
Press
Select printer and select the desired printer.
·
You may now
see even more print options, such as the number of copies, paper size, black
and white/color or double-sided printing.
·
At the top
right, tap Print.
Limitations
of AirPrint:
·
The printer
and the iOS device must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
·
If you
connect AirPrint printers to the USB port of an Apple AirPort base station or
Time Capsule will not be supported.
·
There are
certain AirPrint printers that come with a Wi-Fi function, which will connect
after a few minutes. So be patient, even if it doesn't work right away.
Make prints
on the Mac with AirPrint
AirPrint allows you to print from your Mac computer in
the same way as other printers, but make sure that the Mac is working on OS X
Mountain Lion (10.8) or higher. The difference with the usual method is that
you do not have to install the printer software and drivers if you want to
print anything from it.
In order to add nearby printers, you need to go to ‘System
Preferences’ followed by ‘Printers and Scanners’. If you enable AirPrint on the
printer, macOS will automatically add the printer, so that you don’t have to
download and install the printer software. You can go to ‘File’ then ‘Print’ in
order to begin the printing job from any application.
How to
print wirelessly on non-AirPrint printers?
AirPrint is not supported on all printers. If you are
dealing with an unsupported printer, you can still make prints using
third-party apps. Examples are Printer Pro, PrintCentral for iPhone and
PrintCentral for iPad. With these apps, you can print almost any document from
your Apple iPad or iPhone, without needing a computer. Other options are
PrinterShare or HandyPrint. HandyPrint ensures that all locally shared printers
are available. If you’ve shared the printer on your Mac computer, then you will
definitely see the printer.
On the Mac, you can use Printopia and HandyPrint to print
on printers that don’t support AirPrint technology.
