Printing via Airprint and Airport Express

Coolmax,

The main problem with your screed is that it's answering questions not asked. No part of your post sheds any light at all on how to set up printing for " ... the rest of us ...". We're already generally capable of getting things going if we're using the small list of supported HP printers.

As for your continual use of the 3.5" floppy metaphor, perhaps you should think back to what the transition period was actually like for those who had large amounts of data tied up in them. They were not merely a bunch of rigid Luddites railing against the future, but were mostly cranky that they were now being forced to solve yet another problem that the last solution was supposed to be the fix for . . . and dreading the turbulence of making the changeover using any of the myriad of ways of getting it done.

At the end of the day, and regardless of the sunny future you foresee for it, the introduction of AirPrint solved the printing problems of a very small proportion of the installed base. I'll never use it unless and until it migrates away from the HP brand, but that's an old story 'twixt HP and me.

Does a printer have to be "AirPrint-enabled" if it as connected to the Apple AirMac Express USB port?
My iMac recognizes the printer (Pixus type) over the wireless network, but the iPad cannot find a printer.

The printer drivers and all software is up to date. The Airport Utility tells me all is well. There are no Time Capsule drives attached.

I'm actually shocked this doesn't all work automatically. I thought my hours-long, fruitless debugging sessions were over when I chucked my Windows machines.

Since I've already paid an extra $100 for the AirMac Express, suggesting that $10 more will solve my problems rubs the wrong way.

So we have to pay $10 to a non-Apple company to use Apple's Airport Express to print via Wi-Fi? Seems kinda silly, I was hoping that I didn't have to pay more or add something else to make what I already have at home work with the iPad, which is an Apple product. But is this really the only way?

No, it isn't. You can make a 2 line change in your OS on your computer and can print to any printer connected to it (wireless or not) using AirPrint from your iDevice. I use it on my MacPro to print to 3 different printers (Canon, Epson, Samsung), none of which are wireless. But you have to leave your computer on and not let it sleep for this to work all of the time.

See this thread: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2658720&tstart=30

Message was edited by: deggie

But printing via your Mac is ridiculous. It means you need two computers working - your Mac and your iPad - in order to be able to print. There is a neat little iPad App called Print n Share which allows you to print anything (Mail, Docs, PDFs etc) to ANY wireless printer without going via your Mac. If they can do it, it beats me why Apple can't do the same for Airprint.

Apple AirMac Express USB port

Do you mean Apple AirPort Express?

Does a printer have to be "AirPrint-enabled"

Yes.

if it as connected to the Apple AirMac Express USB port?

Doesn't matter. To use AirPrint as it is now, the printer needs to be AirPrint compatible by the manufacturer since they write the firmware for it.

Ok, agree the $10.00 is,on principle, an issue, but I was thrilled that printopia. Works like a charm, for those of us not at all geeky. And, by the way, that period above (I don't dare try type it again) is my answer to the **** spell correction, I hate! And no, I didn't have to go thru my airport express to use.

Am smiling. My bad word d... Got bleeped. My kids will laugh, thinking I said something really bad!

It may be ridiculous for you, I don't know you at all. I have a MacPro at home that is a server and is working all the time anyway, and I actually don't have any WiFi printers. I made the change I linked to and I can print from both my iPad and iPhone at any time. Didn't cost me anything.

Tokyo-

You asked, "Does a printer have to be "AirPrint-enabled" if it as connected to the Apple AirMac Express USB port?"

AirPrint does not work over USB. It would work if the printer was connected to a WiFi router via Ethernet. The printer DOES have to be AirPrint capable. If yours is not, then one of the other programs like PrintCentral or FingerPrint is needed to print directly to the printer. Otherwise you need software on your desktop/laptop computer that can share its printer to AirPrint devices.

Fred

Hey Deggie, my apologies if I sounded rude, I didn't mean to be. But a large number of users are perhaps less of a pro user than you, and don't leave their computers on all the time - either because they don't need to or are concerned about their carbon footprint. For those, I think it is just a little bit crazy to have to have two devices running before you can print to a connected printer (whether WiFi or wired). iPad/iPhone app developers have clearly been able to address this issue. I just wonder why Apple hasn't.

Because 3rd party developers have already covered the other route, Apple is going a different way with the AirPrint protocol, which places the printer driver so to speak on the printer itself rather than on the computer. If all printer manufacturers adopted the technology in the future then there won't be a need for the 3rd party software.

But they do get to make some money in the meantime. And Airprint, at least the way I am using it, allows those of us that don't have WiFi printers to print from iOS devices.

Fred M. said:

AirPrint does not work over USB. It would work if the printer was connected >>> to a WiFi router via Ethernet. The printer DOES have to be AirPrint capable. >>> If yours is not, then one of the other programs like PrintCentral or
FingerPrint is needed to print directly to the printer.

Not quite accurate. An example: my Non-Airprint HP Officejet 8000 printer, connected to an AirMac (Airport) portable router by USB. The AirMac broadcasts its own network signal, I select that on the iPad network page. THEN I can print to the printer with my iPad.

It isn't using airprint to directly print over usb, true, but the HP 8000 is certainly not an AirPrint printer, nor is my version wireless. The AirMac is the trick.

I hear you and I understand, but as a consumer, all I want to be able to do is print whatever I'm working on. Period. It's, minus the cloud printing concept, almost ludcrist to have an iPad that connects to a wireless network (wi-fi) for the Internet, but can't print to my printers that are connected to the same wireless network. Huh? So, that makes the usage of AirPrint useless for me because I paid a small fortune for my printers and requiring me to get an HP to have the ability to print isnt cost effective or smart.

To address this issue, I downloaded Print and Share. Dosen't work. I downloaded Printmagic, but having to copy and paste a file just to print forces a loss of formatl, etc. Still didn't work. Now I'm reading printopia is the solution. Geez. How difficult would it have been to just have it print to a wi-fi connected printer?

Very surprised to hear Print n Share doesn't work for you. I have an Epson PX 720WD wireless printer and Print n Share works perfectly with that. Have you tried the developer's support? They are very quick and helpful.