How to print from your iPhone or iPad

Printers may not be used as much as in the past, but they are still being used. What you may not realize is that you can print from your iPhone or iPad directly to a printer, as long as all the devices are on the same wi-fi network. Called AirPrint, this makes printing document attachments and images an effortless breeze. Let’s take a look at how to do it, and what you could do if your printer doesn’t support AirPrint.

Read more: How to print from your Android phone or tablet

How to print from your iPhone or iPad using AirPrint

If you have an AirPrint-compatible printer (which covers most modern printers), then printing from an iPhone or iPad is a breeze. No special equipment, software, or drivers are required. It just works right out of the box.

AirPrint is when you send the print job request to your printer along your wi-fi connection. So you need to be on the same wi-fi network, and you need to be within range. This isn’t a problem if you live in a small apartment or a reasonably sized home. But if you live in a large place, you may have connection issues, forcing you to move closer to the printer.

Print from your iPhone or iPad using AirPrint

Open the document, email, file, image, or whatever, on your iOS device. For this tutorial, I will be using an email in the iOS Mail app. Open the share menu, scroll down, and select Print.

This will now open up the print options.

• Printer — if you only have one printer, this won’t be an issue. However, if you have more than one printer on the network, ensure you have chosen the right one.
• Presets — Either black and white, or color. Black and white will save on color ink if it isn’t needed.
• Copies — how many copies you want to print.
• Range — what pages you want to print.
• Print in Color — self-explanatory.
• Paper Size — again, self-explanatory.
• Orientation — portrait mode or landscape mode.
• Scaling — increases or decreases the size of the text and images. This is useful for saving paper.

When all the settings are to your satisfaction, tap Print at the top of the screen. The print job will now be sent to the printer.

How to wirelessly connect to a printer that doesn’t support AirPrint

If your printer is a bit older, and therefore not AirPrint-compatible, then the printer manufacturer usually has a printing app that can do the job. So Google the name of the company and “print from iPhone,” and see what comes up. It will require that the printer can access your Wi-Fi network, though.

Your printer manual should be able to walk you through any setup difficulties. Since there are so many printer brands out there, we can’t possibly cover them all. However, the basic premise is that you would go to the Wi-Fi settings on your iOS device and look for the printer’s name under NETWORKS. Select it, choose what you want to print, and off it goes.

AirPrint was introduced in 2010, so if your printer doesn’t support it, it is really an old printer.

How to print from your iPhone or iPad using a USB OTG adapter

In the very unlikely event that you have a prehistoric printer that has never heard of the wi-fi concept, there is one final possibility. You could try using what’s called a USB OTG adapter. Since there is no wireless connection, the adapter acts as a hardware go-between. You can find plenty of options on Amazon and various other online shopping platforms.

After connecting the printer and iPhone to the adapter, the printer will then appear on the Printer Options page. Select it and tap Print.

Read more: How to print from a Chromebook

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