There are a variety of
ways to connect a printer to a computer. The technology has evolved in recent
years. As an alternative to USB and traditional network printers, some new ways
have been established to send the print job on the road. While Apple has
offered a comfortable interface for wireless communication between a printer
and an iOS device or Mac since 2010 with AirPrint, more and more cloud
print-enabled applications are now entering the market.
AirPrint: Print with Apple
AirPrint makes it easy to
print photos and documents from a Mac, iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. The AirPrint
interface is integrated with many printer models. The device is very
comfortable because no printer-specific drivers are needed. Only one access
point is required. Some printers even offer the option of having their own
hotspot for the iOS device. In this case, the devices connect without an
external access point.
Print with Cloud Print over the Internet
The best-known
representative of cloud print services is certainly Google. More specifically,
printing through the cloud is merely communication over an internet service
with a corresponding printer or computer. Thus, print jobs without a
complicated configuration can be started even beyond the limits of your own
network. A USB printer can be used for this purpose, but the connected computer
must be ready for the job.
Alternatively, there are
cloud-enabled printers that can establish a direct Internet connection. The device
is simple and can be done on such devices without driver installation. The
connection to Google Cloud Print is also fast. All you have to do in Google
Chrome is to enable the feature in Settings and add a compatible printer.
Tip: To check if the setup was successful, you can go to
Google's overview page to see your cloud printers.
Mobile printing
How you send your print
job on trips, of course, is up to you. With AirPrint already well integrated
into the iOS ecosystem, the system offers the greatest comfort when printing
from an iPhone or iPad. The advantage of a cloud-capable printer, on the other
hand, is definitely tempting when you're traveling a lot.
Unfortunately, Google does
not provide an official Cloud Print App for iOS. The company only builds Google
Cloud Print into its own apps. If you still want to print to a Google Cloud
Print-enabled printer through another app, you'll need a third-party app, such
as PrintCentral Pro. Google offers a list of other applications on a support
page.
The choice of printer is
large for both interfaces. When you're looking for a compatible printer, the
Otto Office printer overview is handy, as it simply filters for AirPrint and
Cloud Print. Simply click on the desired printer category (laser, inkjet,
multifunction printer) and under "mobile printing" select the option
"Apple AirPrint" or "Google Cloud Print". Now all
corresponding printers are listed, with the detail pages listing all important
data about the printers.
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