If you don’t have an AirPrint-enabled printer, you’re pretty much out of luck. Luckily, there are several ways you can convert any printer into an AirPrint-enabled printer.
In this article, I’ll talk about how to use third-party tools to print from your iPhone or iPad to your locally attached printer or network/wireless printer.
Requirements
Secondly, you need to have the application installed on your computer. The application is available for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Once you have the application installed, open it and sign in with your account. Finally, you need to set up a print job. To do this, first select the document that you want to print from your computer and then click on the “Print” button in the application. On the next screen, select “Print using AirPrint” and then enter the details of the printer that you want to use. Finally, click on “Print” to start printing your document. ..
To print from your Apple device to a non-AirPrint printer, you’ll need to keep the computer on at all times. The third-party software basically acts as a proxy and all the print jobs go to the computer first. ..
Finally, you’ll have to spend some money to get the best printing results from your printer. It’s worth considering bypassing all of this trouble and buying a new AirPrint-enabled printer as they are pretty cheap these days.
There are several programs that can be used to print from a computer. In addition, there are some hardware devices that can also be used as print servers. I’ll mention a few of these programs and devices below. ..
Windows AirPrint
The most popular Windows program is O’Print. It costs $19.80 and you can download a free 30-day trial to make sure it works properly with your printer and system. Overall, I found the program’s interface to be a little outdated, but the functionality was excellent.
Once you have installed the software, the main interface of the program will show you all the printers that are connected to your system.
If you do not see any printers in the list, it means that you have to go to System Preferences – Printer & Scanners and add the printer to OS X first. Once the printer is added, go back to O’Print and it should show up in the list.
If you have a printer that uses a different port than the standard port, you can change the name of the printer by clicking on the Edit button (paper with pen icon). ..
When you go to print from your iPhone or iPad, you should see all the O’Print printers listed under Other Printers. The name of the computer will be listed next to the printer name. ..
If you’re looking for an alternative to the Windows 10 default printer, you may want to check out AirPrintActivator. This free software requires a bit more technical setup, but it’s completely free. ..
Mac AirPrint
If you’re looking for a printer that is easy to use and doesn’t require a donation, I recommend Printopia. It’s $19.99, but the PRO version requires a $20 donation.
To install HandyPrint, first download the DMG file and then drag the icon onto the Applications folder.
When you run the program, it’ll detect your printer and show it in the list. You’ll also need to make sure that the toggle button is set to On.
If you have an iPhone or iPad, you can now see all HandyPrint printers listed under “Other Printers.” ..
Printopia is a website that allows users to print documents from their computer. It is essentially the same website, with the same appearance and functionality, as other websites that allow users to print documents. ..
Printopia also has a Send to Mac printer, which is a convenient way to print a document directly to your computer. Both programs worked very well in my tests, so I don’t really see any reason to spend $20 when you can get HandyPrint for $5. ..
Printer Pro
Printer Pro by Readdle is a desktop program that runs on Mac or Windows that can be used to print documents. It is $7 in the App Store, and the desktop app is free.
The desktop app and the smartphone/tablet app are both great options for printing. The desktop app is more professional, but the smartphone/tablet app has more features. ..
According to the website, it is possible to print directly from within the app to most printers without the additional desktop app. Overall, this is a good option and not too expensive.
Lantronix xPrintServer
I own a Lantronix xPrintServer that I have found to be an excellent print server. However, the only downside is that you need to be sure your printer is supported and it can cost a hefty $200.
This is a great solution if you are in a small office environment with many Apple users and few printers. It doesn’t make sense for a home with one or two printers.
There are a few ways to print documents to a printer on your network that are not enabled by AirPrint. If you only want to print from Chrome or other Google apps, you can easily set up Google Cloud Print and not worry about any of the programs. If you have any questions, feel free to comment. Enjoy!
