iPad and iPhone USB printing

Question

iPad and iPhone USB printing

Currently printing is only supported over WiFi with AirPrint from iPad and iPhone.

For university students on university WiFi, this is unusable as WiFi printers cannot be connected to the school's network.

Even the global universities WiFi network, eduroam, explicitly does not support WiFi printers joining the network.

So every student in the world in a dorm room or student accommodation using university WiFi cannot print using their own printer from iPad or iPhone.

Clearly this is a choice by Apple, rather than it being physically impossible.

It also appears that Bluetooth printer connectivity has been disabled in iPadOS and iOS so that's not an option either even in third party printing apps.

Please, please, please add class-compliant USB printing.

Posted on Oct 22, 2023 3:29 AM

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Answer 1

Oct 22, 2023 3:33 AM in response to callisto_ganymede

Most WiFi printers do allow direct connection, but obviously this requires that the user manually connects in WiFi settings which disconnects them from the Internet and connecting back when done.

That's terrible. Especially if needing to print from cloud-based materials. Sometimes a single doc can be pre-loaded then printed. But multiple items, not so easy. Flip-flopping between the two on a per-doc basis is clearly time-wasting and frustrating.

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Answer 2

Oct 22, 2023 3:35 AM in response to callisto_ganymede

Please, anyone with the same request, submit a Feedback Request to Apple to enable USB Printing on iPad and iPhone.

Here's a link to submit feedback directly to Apple:

Product Feedback - Apple

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Answer 3

Oct 22, 2023 6:34 AM in response to callisto_ganymede

I'm not defending anyone - and certainly not Apple, or for something that is entirely beyond their control.

As for connection of USB printers or other USB peripheral devices, the only method by which the required device-driver software can be installed on an iOS/iPadOS device is through installation of a manufacturer-provided App. As such, if your printer-manufacturer has an App that includes the required print-driver, then there is no technical reason why a wired connection to a printer would not be supported.

In reality, few low-cost domestic printers offer this opportunity - with manufacturers instead employing AirPrint. As already outlined, some printers offer other printing protocols that are accessible by iOS/iPadOS through using a suitable third-party App.

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Answer 4

Oct 22, 2023 4:04 AM in response to callisto_ganymede

Apple AirPrint is a driverless connection protocol. A high proportion of modern printers intended for Home, SoHo and Business environments now support AirPrint:

About AirPrint - Apple Support

In reality, it is your University that have chosen to inhibit the AirPrint protocol on their network.

Where OS-native AirPrint is not supported (or is inhibited) by your network, many Printer manufacturers have a companion Printing App. By example, the majority of HP Printers use the HP Smart App - this having no reliance upon AirPrint. Epson, Canon and others have similar Apps.

Direct Printing is a further option - but, as you observe, this may only be viable for documents and files that are locally stored on your devices.

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Answer 5

Oct 22, 2023 6:58 AM in response to LotusPilot

Thank you for the reply, LotusPilot.

Hopefully the thread will encourage apple to consider including basic, class-compliant USB printing with iPadOS and iOS, as it is a terrible user experience right now.

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Answer 6

Oct 22, 2023 6:06 AM in response to LotusPilot

This is not a helpful reply LotusPilot. It is a standard response to defend an Apple design decision and blame a third party instead.

It does not provide a solution beyond what is already described as the workaround in the original post.

The limitations I describe and the limitations you repeat are the reason for the original post.

Also:

LotusPilot wrote:

In reality, it is your University that have chosen to inhibit the AirPrint protocol on their network.

Correct, eduroam have chosen not to include AirPrint protocol as this would create an additional attack vector through students' and researchers' WiFi printers. So that is understandable.

And to be clear, an Apple Mac computer, from which you can connect to a printer via USB, also cannot connect to a student's printer via AirPrint on eduroam or well-managed university WiFI networks.

Please don't suggest that users by a Mac instead, so that they can connect to their personal printer via USB. That would be an unreasonable suggestion.

There is no way currently to print directly to a printer via USB on iPhone or iPad. There are limited workarounds via an ad hoc WiFi network created by the printer itself already described.

This is why I have suggested people submit product feedback to Apple and want to raise it's profile as a limitation here in the forum.

Product Feedback - Apple

P.S. " eduroam supports over 5 million access authentications every day with over 500,000 international authentications daily. eduroam is truly supporting the vision of a global village for Research and Education." eduroam.org

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iPad and iPhone USB printing

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