AirPrint on non supported (shared) printers-HowTo OS X 10.6.5 Build 10H574

Sonia, (and Kay),

Yesterday I upgraded my iPhone 3GS to iOS 5.0, with my iMac at OSX 10.7.2...

AirPrint from my iPhone to a shared Epson TX400 no longer works, iPhone cannot find any AirPint Printers.

Any ideas...

Thanks.

The original post has continued to work without intervention through all upgrades to iPhone and iMac OS up until this most recent update...

Robert McInnes

I confirm Robert McInnes finding. iOS5 update on iPhone4 stopped this airprint script.

I am still using mine, tried it from my iPhone 4S, iPod touch 4, and iPad 2 (all on iOS5). I suggest uninstalling and re-installing the AirPrint app if you haven't already done so. Make sure its the latest release.

You cannot uninstall and reinstall the AirPrint app. It's part of the OS.

After I upgraded to iOS 5 last night, I could not use AirPrint to print content to my HP CP1525 AirPrint printer. The reason was that during the upgrade and restore process, a new wifi connection is created and the printer could not connect to it. The simple fix was to restart the printer. It works fine now.

This discussion thread is about using the Applescript described on page one to print to non-Airprint (legacy) printers with an iPhone and iPad. An enormously useful and popular thing to do, considering the investment in printing infrastructure. Not to Airprint ready desktop inkjet printers, which seem uneffected by the iOS5 update.

I use it to beam attachments to large planprint sized machines. It is stopped since iOS5, probably due to a change in security settings or the Bonjour discovery protocols in iOS5.

There are less elegant methods around to achieve the desired outcome, but these require either Bonjour printers or an App.

Thank you for your time.

Edwin Rogers

Auckland

Sonia,

I have not yet been able to restore AirPrint functionality from iPhone 3GS on iOS 5.0 (or iPod Touch 4 on iOS 4.3.3) via my iMac to Epson TX400 (refer 15 Oct Post).

I noted that as a result of the iMac upgrade to OS X 10.7.2, the file airprint.types had dissappeared from /usr/share/cups/mime

I have...

a) deleted the Epson TX400 printer via Systems Preferences, Print & Scan,

b) run the script again, and confirmed the airprint.types file had been created,

d) added the printer again...

The script I ran was:

do shell script "echo 'image/urf urf (0,UNIRAST<00>)' > /usr/share/cups/mime/airprint.types" with administrator privileges

But to no avail, iPod Touch and iPhone cannot find any AirPrint printers...

Any ideas, anyone...

The original script just worked like magic...

Getting desparate now...

Robert McInnes

Hi Robert,

I noticed something from your notes you did not do something, the 4th step is to reboot. Did you reboot?

I don't use this method anymore and didn't want to hijack this thread by suggesting other ways to print. Because of your desperation I will tell you what free program I am using now. It is called AirPrintActivator by Netputing, http://netputing.com/airprintactivator/airprint-activator-v2-0/ . Go to the site (watch videos on the page if you need to) and read all about, I've been using this for since March 2011 but then it stopped working. It was fixed in August, I went back to using it in September when I found out about the fix.

Sonia,

It appears not all is clear sailing with AirPrint Activator...

Rewfer discussion at http://netputing.com/2011/09/05/airprint-activator-v2-1b1/

Might wait a few days before I try this App...

Thanks for your response...

Sonia,

AirPrint Activator Version 2.1b1 works just fine...

Thanks a milllion...

Robert.

Hi Robert, version 2.1b1 is considered old now (version 2.1b2 is the current version). You have made my night. Good night, glad your happy. Happy printing!!! Spread the word!!!

I am glad I saved this thread my ios devices are working great on our wifi network. When i said facetious I was refering to another poster here who said "you don't", Your posts have been great on this thread. I added netputing to my delicious links so hopefully this becomes very popular.🙂

:kihei

Sonia,

I am running Version 2.1b2, that was a typo in my post to you,

I still have a problem, however...

My wifes iod Touch prints just fine, via iMac shared Epson TX400, but...

my iPhone 3GS prints a half size image, in the middle of an A4 sheet, far to small to be useful.

Cannot find any settings in iPhone or iMac and AirPrint Acivator to fix this issue.

Just about to give up and go look for another solution....

Robert

Yes, Bonjour printing. I have had new success with Printopia, a $20 Mac application which places a Pref panel in the System Preferences screen. It enables you to select/deselect your printers (and other things) for Airprint. It seems to use the Mac's superb Postscript handlers, and it certainly works well on guttenprint. There's a 30 day free trial. I recommend you try it. Good luck.

hmmm, I need to find out some info about the document. 1.) what app did you use to create this document? 2.) did you create document on your device, wife's device or PC/Mac? 3.) what program are you using to print this document (for example, pages, numbers, keynote)? 4.) you said wife's device prints fine, is she printing the same document to the same printer ?

I've tried to replicate this and the only thing I can come up with is that it could have been created on one device (let's say iPhone), and then sent to the iMac for editing and the page size got changed there and the document was saved and then the document was transferred back the iOS device and later printed. This could be why it prints to A4, because it was saved as a A4 sized doc when sent back to the iOS device.

My curiosity wants you to send document to the iMac and go into the inspector to see what the page size was saved as.

Sonia,

My situation is not so complicated...

I am simply printing an E-Mail messsage from iPhone 3GS to Epson TX400 as a shared printer on my iMac.

Same result if I print any other printable document from my iPhone.

Do the same on the iPod Touch 4, and all is perfect, that is, a full size A4 sheet printout.

Just in case, I repaired disk permissions, with no effect...

Robert.