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Printing in the real world

Trying to print from my iPad.
All other computers in the house are PC-based. Printer is an Ethernet connected and addressable HP multifunction printer.

So how do I print from my iPad to a network printer? It takes less than a minute to enable this printer on a new PC in the same house.

PC, iOS 4, PCs

Posted on Jan 20, 2011 6:17 AM

Reply
13 replies

Jan 20, 2011 7:07 AM in response to Jaywalker5555

But is AirPrint for only wireless printer?


You may have noticed that there is no printer or network port on an iPad, so yes, for direct to printer printing, it has to be wireless.

You can also print to a compatible printer that is shared on the same network the iPad is connected to, if you have configured it as advised.

http://www.apple.com/support/iphone/assistant/airprint/

Jan 20, 2011 7:31 AM in response to Julian Wright

Well, obviously the iPad is wireless, but in the real world the printer does not have to be. If I check the link to which you pointed, it looks like that only works for a wireless printer, so it sounds like I am as out of luck as I thought I was. I was even wondering if any of the printer apps will do this for me, like PrintCentral, or if they follow Apple limitations.

So since I have an industry standard ethernet printer, Apple ignores the network, Ethernet, and any other associated device and connectivity except for the wireless network, which it does not consider to depart of the rest of my network, since it cannot see any of my network shares or my shared network iTunes server, which I CAN see, by the way with every wireless PC on my network, but not with my iPad or my daughter's iPod touch...

Jan 20, 2011 7:59 AM in response to Jaywalker5555

Apple only supports direct wireless printing from iOS and that's all they've ever claimed, so it's not "ignoring the network", per se. If you're gauging what an iPad should do based on what a laptop computer running Mac OS X or Windows can do, you're certain to be disappointed. But other developers and users are adding to that capability. Airprint Hacktivator, which I erroneously mentioned above, is gone and replaced with a Mac OS X-only utility, but here's one claim of a way to enable AirPrint to Windows-connected printers:

http://jaxov.com/2010/11/how-to-enable-airprint-service-on-windows/

I have no idea whether it works or not, or would work with a network printer, but it might be worth a try if you have your computer on at all times. PrintCentral, already mentioned, is also an option; the web site says it can print to networked printers:

http://mobile.eurosmartz.com/products/printcentral.html

Regards.

Jan 20, 2011 8:38 AM in response to Julian Wright

Julian - until Dave's last post no one ever said anything in this thread about how you actually print to a networked printer - all other info was for a wireless printer. I did browse the forum a little and did not find anything on a networked printer, hence the new thread, though it is possible that there are other similar threads I could not find.

Jan 20, 2011 8:50 AM in response to Jaywalker5555

The Airprint Hacktivator mentioned in the 1st reply is exactly for printing to any printer on a local network.

It's considerably easier on a Mac (of course) as there are plenty of readily available solutions (both very cheap and free) to enable printing to any printer (wired or wireless) shared on your network, such as:

http://www.ecamm.com/mac/printopia/
http://www.collobos.com/
http://netputing.com/airprintactivator

Just Googling for "windows airprint" will find many links to similar solutions for Windows, such as:
http://jaxov.com/2010/11/how-to-enable-airprint-service-on-windows/

Jan 20, 2011 10:53 AM in response to Julian Wright

Sorry julian, i had missed the reference to network printing vice wireless printing in your earlier post.

I do find it interesting you say of course it's easier on a Mac - in the length of time i have been looking for this one solution I could have rebuilt my entire home network, installed Windows on a new PC, connected that to the network, and to the printer, and printed "The Hobbit"...

Jan 20, 2011 12:23 PM in response to Jaywalker5555

Jaywalker5555 wrote:
. . . ..
I do find it interesting you say of course it's easier on a Mac - in the length of time i have been looking for this one solution I could have rebuilt my entire home network, installed Windows on a new PC, connected that to the network, and to the printer, and printed "The Hobbit"...

Oh, gag me with a spoon. Please. Must you include this tiresome "M$ is just better .." overtone in just about every single post? Really?

In the time you took to type the last sentence of your strange Microphile screed I could have set up Printer Sharing in OS X. It takes 3 mouse clicks, 4 if you have multiple printers.

Jan 20, 2011 12:27 PM in response to Jaywalker5555

in the length of time i have been looking for this one solution I could have rebuilt my entire home network, installed Windows on a new PC, connected that to the network, and to the printer, and printed "The Hobbit"...


Exactly... if you had been using a Mac, enabling AirPrint for networked printers is a 30 second job, rather than the onerous task you've found being a PC user.

Jan 20, 2011 12:33 PM in response to Jaywalker5555

People say that it's easier on a Mac not as an attempt to bash Windows but to indicate that there are multiple utilities and methods that exist for activating printing from an iPad when using Mac OS X whereas Windows is a bit trickier and there are fewer options. I doubt Julian intended any Windows-bashing, so please let's not turn this into any sort of platform war.

That you've taken any given amount of time to find these answers is not any measure of how easy, or difficult, achieving what you want to do might be, regardless of platform. The subject has certainly been covered here multiple times, so it's more a matter of you just not finding the relevant support articles, discussion threads, etc. (and I don't mean that as a disparagement, just a statement of what you encountered).

Regards.

Printing in the real world

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