If you want to use AirPrint with your iPad with any printer, even a non-AirPrint wireless printer then you are pretty much stuck using Printer Sharing but then you have to install software on your computer. Well, here is a new way and you don’t have to install any software at all.
Use AirPrint With Any Printer
Finally. A way to use AirPrint on your iPad without needing any special software when your printer does not support AirPrint. Currently, if you have a printer that supports AirPrint then it’s easy to use your iPad to print to it. All you do is select the printer when you print and it will “just work” (well, not always, but usually).
If you do NOT have a printer which support AirPrint then your other option is to share your printer with your Mac or PC (called Printer Sharing) and then you will need some software installed on your Mac or PC in order to print wirelessly.
Just recently released, Print Sharing is an app that allows you to use AirPrint to an Airprint enabled printer or you can print wirelessly to a non-AirPrint enabled printer through Print Sharing without needing any special software installed. It can even print through a Linux machine with CUPS installed.
Note: Windows printers are NOT supported.
It’s very easy to print with Print Sharing:
- Choose what to print.
- Copy something from another app, and launch Print Sharing with that in the pasteboard.
- Find a document on the web, in a mail attachment, or in some other app, and tap “Open In Print Sharing.”
- Choose whether you want to print with Apple AirPrint or with Avatron Print.
- Choose some print options, and tap the Print button.
And it comes with a few extra options such as choice of printers, number of copies, and doing single or double-sided prints
This is a great option for anyone out there that either has an AirPrint printer or does not. It really shows how to expand on AirPrint and makes it easy to use since you don’t need to install additional software. The app is $2.99 which is well worth it.
We have a page in our store dedicated to AirPrint Printers in case you are looking to get a new one. Check them out here.
well, that doesn’t do any justice for those of us who have dropped $9.99 and have “Printopia” or “FingerPrint”" already installed unfortunately.
Yeah, I really wish this app would have been around BEFORE everyone paid $9.99 on the others…
Wireless printing is one of the major features added recently to the iPad OS but it does need some refinement to truly have mass appeal.