OK! No bluetooth printer option? What about USB printing?! Come on Apple!!!

I couldn't find out much about what it is but I just bought one. I'll review it when I get it setup and see how it works.

Well the Airport express works great. It's probably a lot more of a device than I require but it's easy to setup, its small, and it will work great out in the field. So long as we don't literally mean field. If you have a power outlet to plug this doohickey in, you can print from your iPad to any AirPrint printer just like you would now at your home or office. It's nice, but I'm guessing any cheap wireless router would do that for you as well.

Make sure you get the AirPort Utility app for the iPad to configure it.

-> http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/airport-utility/id427276530?mt=8

No, you don't need another printer if you're happy with the one you have. You will need the Wireless Printer Adapter Q6274A in order to print via wi-fi. Alternatively, the AirPort Express has a USB port so you could connect your printer direct to the AirPort Express using a USB cable - I think this is probably the best solution for you.

No, the AirPort Express is a wi-fi router, it will create the wi-fi network that your iPad will talk to and it will share the USB printer over the network it has created.

Yes, you've got it right JMT. You can be out in the field with no wifi connections or networks around and just plugging in the airport express will create that needed network for you. I don't think the HP470 supports AirPrint but the airport has a USB connection for just that purpose. So plug in the printer to the airports port and you will be printing from your iPad.

I had the same printer, I should have kept it but since I couldn't get the Bluetooth to work I went with a little bigger and much cheaper printer that I can use AirPrint with. Same difference in the end. We're using our iPads at work from start to Finnish with no extra monthly payments!

JM and hall raiser

Slow down. I don't think that is going to work as you have described. Yes, the air port express will create a wifi hot spot, whether you have Internet or not. The pad will née the network, and look on that network for an airprit print. But it will not see or print to a printer connected to the airport expressed via cable. It will only print to a AirPrint enabled printer.

Unless something very basic has changed in the last couple of weeks. Search the posts on this forum for printing to USB printer and see the discussions.

I think apple would make a lot of folks happy if they somehow built AirPrint into their router, but they have not, and it would be a huge task to do so, I think it unlikely, at least for a while.

In short, you do not need access to the world wide web to print, you only need a wifi network, and an AirPrint enabled printer.

Yeah, good looking out Pjl123!

I haven't tried to use the usb port yet. I had that nice small printer but it was $200 bucks and I just bought it yesterday so I took it back and got the Airport Express and a 100$ HP printer for the same ammount. I guess printing from the iPad is a $200ish option.The time I save using my iPad vs. paper at work and the expense of having nice invoice/estimate pads printed, makes that a well spent $200 for me.

Apologies for misleading earlier, but actually I think pjl123 is right, the iPad can only print to an AirPrint enabled printer and not to one connected to the USB port of the AirPort Express. You will probably need to change your printer to an AirPrint enabled one. Apple sell quite a few through their online store. Have a look here:

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipad/ipad_accessories/printers

I've pointed you to Apple's US store site, apologies if you're based elsewhere! Check with HailRaiser1 what he/she's got, it seems they've come up with a good portable solution for printing from iPad in the field.

Hi Guys, i am currently developing an an app for both ipad and iphone and i have been reading the correspondance. My App creatates certificates that can be mainly emailed or viewed online, however as the app is for Gas Engineers, who are out in the field with no wifi, i am looking to provide an option to print on site. (this is sometimes neccessary), it would be great if apple could make a usb or a bluetooth printer, or even come up with a simple solution. So to recap, iphone or ipad device to print to a printer, where no wifi network can be picked up! Is this possible, any ideas or tips would be more than welcome, its the only problem that i have left in regard to the app.

Hey Dansedg, I've been using the method described in earlier posts here and it's been working great. The only donwside is they don't make a real portable printer that has AirPrint. Or atleast they didn't last week. I drive a big enough vehicle to make it not a big deal and the tradeoff is well worth it. The time I save using an iPad and not doing paperwork is making my life much easier!

I would say buy a cheap small wireless router. Plug it in and slide it under your seat or something and when you have to print, just connect to that network and your ready to print. Not much to it.

Good luck.

Ok so you have a simple router that you plug into 240 v in the van with a cigarrette lighter inverter and same with printer? you then turn both on, plug your printer directly into ethernet cable to the router this then creates a wireless network which your ipad should pickup? i suppose if you get some sort off syncing issues you could use a third party printing app (print central) to sort. The reason i see this is beacuse at home i have a mac, an ipad and an iphone with also an epson "airprint" printer but can i get it to print without using print central? no i can not 😟 thanks for the help