printing from iPhone/iPad via cable

Question

printing from iPhone/iPad via cable

hi there

i have tried several printers, several iPhones, and several methods to print wirelessly from an iPhone to a printer. ALL of them sometimes work, sometimes don't. i am really tired of the fact that on the newest samsung and epson printers sometimes it works, sometimes not, using air print or their own aps. it simply works only sometimes - i have tried an iPhone 4 and iPhone 4s. before i throw the whole thing into the trash can i want to try to find out the very last (and by far easiest) option, which is

to connect an iPhone to a printer using a cable.

this could be any kind of cable, USB-connection or whatever. i would just like to plug a cable in when i want to print and then print without hassle, just like i used to do it since 30 years with all my apple laptops. plug in and print.

i can not understand apple does not make this simple wish possible - i know there are thousands of folks out there who want to do the same. maybe there is a third party whatever available, a trick or some magic - it can not be that difficult. or am i wrong?

i was very surprised, for example, how easy the sumUp credit card solution is to connect to the iPhone - just plug a cable in the AUDIO socket - it works in seconds (also using bluetooth of course), and it always works.

please, all the creatives out there - there must be a solution. and please don't recommend to use the wireless option - i have REALLY tried it, am an apple user since 30 years, and it is simple not reliable enough.

thanks a very big lot

george

iPhone 4S, iOS 8.3

Posted on Jun 16, 2015 10:30 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Phil0124

Level 10

217,178 points

Jun 16, 2015 10:49 AM in response to thaillapietra

There is no cable to connect an iPhone or iPad to a printer to print.

Such a connection would require drivers for the printer, which no manufacturer makes for iOs devices, and even if they did, there is no provision for installing drivers on iOS devices.

iOS devices are designed to print wirelessly. There is simply no way around this, because it is in fact the simplest method. A wired printing solution requires a slew of different mechanisms to work not the least of which is that each printer manufacturer and each printer is different to the next, which would require a different driver or way of communicating with the printer.

Its for this reason, that Apple made AirPrint, so there would be a global way to communicate with printers regardless of who made them.

If you are having issues with AirPrint, perhaps clarifying what "sometimes works and sometimes doesn't" means.

The principal connection for airPrint is the wireless network between the iOS device and the printer. If not properly set, this can cause communication issues so the iPhone or iPad cannot see the Printer and as such print to it.

For what its worth, I've never had issues with AirPrint, except when there's a problem with the network which is not something that can be blamed on either the printer or the iOS device.

Usually resetting the Wireless network and allowing the printers to reconnect solves this fairly quickly.

In fact looking for a different solution is just asking for more issues than what AirPrint can actually suffer from.

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Answer 2

Oct 26, 2017 2:35 PM in response to Phil0124

AirPrint worked perfectly... until it didn’t. Now we can get it to work once after resetting everything. After hours of trouble shooting the only idea we have is that the way xfinity partitions their user’s routers (into a private part and a public part) makes AirPrint see our router as “public” and therefore it will not use it. I also wish I could plug my phone in and print. We homeschool and AirPrint was HUGE blessing, and part of the reason we shelled out for the printer we have. But it’s been a couple of years or so now that I have to email myself, go find the laptop, and boot it up to print what I need.

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Answer 3

KiltedTim

Level 10

225,558 points

Jun 16, 2015 10:35 AM in response to thaillapietra

You're not talking to Apple. Use the contact us link at the bottom of the page to leave them feedback.

I have had 0 problems with AirPrint from the iPhones and iPads in my house.

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