Printing to brother printer not AirPrint capable

Is it possible to print from an iPad to a Brother MFC-440cn printer?

iPod touch, iOS 6.1.2

Posted on Jul 25, 2013 10:25 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jul 25, 2013 10:50 AM

Not directly, no. To print directly from an iPad you need an AirPrint - enabled printer on the same wireless network as the iPad. All AirPrint printers are wireless but not all wireless printers are AirPrint-enabled.


If you do not have an AirPrint printer, a number of workarounds exist that enable the use of any printer you normally use, even older ones that may predate AirPrint by decades. Search for the following products:


handyPrint (Mac only, donation-supported)

Printopia (Mac only, $19.95 with free trial)


These are utilities you install on the Mac you normally use for printing, enabling it to act as an AirPrint print server. The Mac must be "on" but may be asleep for them to work. The iPad needs nothing else, no iOS apps need to be installed and no configuration is necessary. If your computer can print, so can the iPad, using one of these utilities on your Mac.


Equivalent utilities may exist for PCs but I have no experience with them - I suggest https://www.collobos.com


You can also buy this standalone hardware print server, bypassing the need for a computer altogether:


http://www.lantronix.com/it-management/xprintserver/xprintserver.html

Otherwise you will need to buy an AirPrint printer or multifunction device.


The following are my recommendations


AirPrint compatible Brother laser devices


and


AirPrint compatible Brother inkjet devices


Read the reviews and choose wisely.

2 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jul 25, 2013 10:50 AM in response to Lakerobert

Not directly, no. To print directly from an iPad you need an AirPrint - enabled printer on the same wireless network as the iPad. All AirPrint printers are wireless but not all wireless printers are AirPrint-enabled.


If you do not have an AirPrint printer, a number of workarounds exist that enable the use of any printer you normally use, even older ones that may predate AirPrint by decades. Search for the following products:


handyPrint (Mac only, donation-supported)

Printopia (Mac only, $19.95 with free trial)


These are utilities you install on the Mac you normally use for printing, enabling it to act as an AirPrint print server. The Mac must be "on" but may be asleep for them to work. The iPad needs nothing else, no iOS apps need to be installed and no configuration is necessary. If your computer can print, so can the iPad, using one of these utilities on your Mac.


Equivalent utilities may exist for PCs but I have no experience with them - I suggest https://www.collobos.com


You can also buy this standalone hardware print server, bypassing the need for a computer altogether:


http://www.lantronix.com/it-management/xprintserver/xprintserver.html

Otherwise you will need to buy an AirPrint printer or multifunction device.


The following are my recommendations


AirPrint compatible Brother laser devices


and


AirPrint compatible Brother inkjet devices


Read the reviews and choose wisely.

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Printing to brother printer not AirPrint capable

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