Direct print via WiFi without a computer

If you believe that it is so easy a problem to solve then hire a developer, pay her/him to develop the app and then become a millionaire almost overnight because that app would sell like hotcakes!

The printer you want to use must support AirPrint for printing via wi-fi to work. More information here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4356

For older printers that don't support AirPrint, Printopia ($19.95) may be run on a Mac that's always on when you want to print: http://www.ecamm.com/mac/printopia/

You may find this TidBITS article helpful as well: http://tidbits.com/article/12460

There's no way to do this now. But I'm anxiously awaiting the app you develop to solve this issue. While it be available soon?

Wifi is a standard. If I can comminicate with my router, I should be able to print to ANY printer connected to my router.

Your forgetting a little thing called print drivers. Print drivers have been a major headache for manufactures & users for years. Anyone heard of Windows driver problems?

Try to find one laptop that can print to any printer connected to a router.

Apple choose to dispence with all the issues of having printer manufactures supplying print drivers. Instead, it told the printer manufactures to match the Airprint "standard". One print driver on the iPad developed and supported by Apple. Thus, having one interface to the printer. Downside, need an Airprint printer.

Robert

What kind of printer do you have? If you have an Epson, go download the Epson printing app. It allows you to print many things to a printer without having to be hooked upto a computer. I would imagine other vendors may have developed apps too.

Its not perfect, but it beats buying a new 100$ printer. Next time you run out of ink, just buy a new printer 🙂

Thats my plan. Heck , good injet cartridges cost almost 50$ nowadays for 5 inks.

Not questioning your motives (OK, I lied), but why is it so necessary for you to be able to print to a printer which is back at base? Who's going to read it? What makes it "a perfect writer's tool"? You're not there, so what use is a hard copy to you?

I'm sure there are many ways of being able to print to a local printer. Or you could drop a file into something like Dropbox and get somebody to print it off back home?

geoffrey.lacy wrote:

It's not a question of buying another app. Tell me which app I can direct print via wifi and I'll buy it. And, one that works, really works without a slave computer that has to install software.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/print-magic/id332516694?mt=8

Have you looked at any of the printing apps available in the app store? I use the one above - don't know about any printer on any wifi network, but it should work with many printers as long as you are on the same subnet as the printer (I wifi print to a Kodak 7250 and an HP 6988 inkjet).

Very well said. But, we are all used to this decades old problem. We simply download the printer driver necessary. As I said, I'm up for a new standard such as AirPrint - I'm sure it's brilliant coming from Apple. How does that help me and 3 million others now?

Don't forget the manufactures get blamed for all system crashes even when it is a bad print drive. Ask Microsoft. Ask apple when Safari (flash) crashes. Flash is a major cause of web browser crashes on the Mac.

It's a pain. Apple products are designed for the future not the past. I bought the orginal iMac for my parents. There was no USB printer on the market at the time. Had to buy a special USB to parallell adapter. You bought Apple. You bought their design philosophy ... for better or worse as they say.

Robert