PhotosPete
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Q: Will AirPrint work through Airport express?

If I added Airport Express to a wired printer, would airprint work as well?

Posted on May 14, 2012 11:47 AM

by Tesserax,Solvedanswer
Tesserax Tesserax
Level 9 (54,786 points)
Wireless
A:

If you mean, can I connect a non-AirPrint-enabled printer to the Express base station's Ethernet port to make it AirPrint-enabled, then the answer is no. However, if the printer is already AirPrint-enabled, then is should work whether it is connected by wire or wireless to the network.

Posted on May 14, 2012 12:10 PM

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Q: Will AirPrint work through Airport express?

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  • by Tesserax,Solvedanswer

    Tesserax Tesserax May 14, 2012 12:10 PM in response to PhotosPete
    Level 9 (54,786 points)
    Wireless
    May 14, 2012 12:10 PM in response to PhotosPete

    If you mean, can I connect a non-AirPrint-enabled printer to the Express base station's Ethernet port to make it AirPrint-enabled, then the answer is no. However, if the printer is already AirPrint-enabled, then is should work whether it is connected by wire or wireless to the network.

  • by Bob Timmons,Helpful

    Bob Timmons Bob Timmons May 14, 2012 12:19 PM in response to PhotosPete
    Level 10 (105,268 points)
    Wireless
    May 14, 2012 12:19 PM in response to PhotosPete

    Unfortunately, simply adding a USB printer to the AirPort Express will not make it an AirPrint compatible device. You need an AirPrint compatible printer for that type of functionality.

     

    Check this Apple support document for details on compatible models:

     

    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4356

     

    If your printer is not compatible, you might be able to use a workaround by installing an application like Printopia on your Mac.

     

    There is a free trial for Printopia, so  you will know in a few minutes whether this will work for you.

  • by PhotosPete,

    PhotosPete PhotosPete May 14, 2012 12:44 PM in response to Bob Timmons
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 14, 2012 12:44 PM in response to Bob Timmons

    Bob,

     

    Thanks, if I have a Netgear router instead of an airport model, will the airport printers work with it?

     

    Pete

  • by Bob Timmons,Helpful

    Bob Timmons Bob Timmons May 14, 2012 12:47 PM in response to PhotosPete
    Level 10 (105,268 points)
    Wireless
    May 14, 2012 12:47 PM in response to PhotosPete

    Yes, if the printers connect to the network using wireless and they are also AirPrint compatible.

  • by Diego Jobs,

    Diego Jobs Diego Jobs Apr 3, 2013 8:16 AM in response to PhotosPete
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 3, 2013 8:16 AM in response to PhotosPete

    Hello. Here is the answer...

    http://www.amazon.com/Lantronix-xPrintServer-Home-Printing-XPS1002HM-01-S/dp/B00 8KCSPRK/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1365001962&sr=1-1

     

    I got one my self. It works.

  • by rederle,

    rederle rederle May 11, 2013 11:51 PM in response to PhotosPete
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 11, 2013 11:51 PM in response to PhotosPete

    I also use the Lantronix xPrintServer.

     

    http://www.lantronix.com/it-management/xprintserver/xprintserver.html

     

    xPrintServer lets ios devices recognize any printer on your network via AirPrint. Just like the ad says,"Open it, plug it in, print." Your ios device and wifi printer have to be signed into the same network as the xPrintServer. Non-wifi printers have to join the network either directly to an ethernet router/hub or via USB to a print server such as AirPort Express/Extreme. I believe the latest version of xPrintServer has a USB port to serve this purpose.

     

    Option two. Some printer manufacturers (HP for example) have apps you can download from the app store or company website to make their non-wifi printer available to your ios devices. The problem is you can only print from within those proprietary apps. There are also third party wifi printing apps available at the app store. These also only work from within the app. These solutions are not as versatile as using AirPrint natively.

     

    Finally option three. Buy an AirPrint wifi printer. There are a lot more to choose from these days, and they are not that expensive anymore. You will probably pay more for ink/toner cartridges than you would for the printer.

     

    If you plan to keep your current printer the simplest solution is the xPrintServer. Good Luck.