Printing From Your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch

A question we often get from customers about their new iDevice is, “Can I print from it?” This comes up so often because people are looking for a replacement for their old computer or laptop and they want to be able to replace it with something thin and light. The answer to this question is…yes.

There are two ways you can print from your iPad (all models), iPhone (3GS or later) and/or iPod touch (3rd generation or later): the Apple way (via AirPrint) and the AirPrint Activator way.

The Apple way is very simple and usually means getting a new printer (but not always). AirPrint is the wireless printing standard that Apple has created for people to be able to print wirelessly from their iDevice to an AirPrint-capable printer. No driver to install, no apps to manage it—just attach your printer to your home wireless network and like magic, you are able to print from within your apps on your device over the air to your printer. A list of all AirPrint-capable printers can be found here.

The AirPrint Activator way is a little harder and requires that you use your current computer, but doesn’t involve purchasing any new printers. First, you must download a program from the internet called AirPrint Activator. (Note that this is the Mac version; the PC version can be found here.) Install the program and make sure your printer in your System Preferences is set to “Shared.” The printer will appear in the list and then be available to use as an AirPrint-capable printer on your iDevice.

Those are the two ways you can print from an iDevice; I personally use the AirPrint Activator method because I found it easy and quick to set up, plus I get to use my own printer which I wasn’t planning on replacing any time soon. Both ways work just as well, so have fun getting the most out of your iDevice!