AirPrint lets you print wirelessly from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Handy, because you can use AirPrint to print without needing printer drivers. Here you can read exactly on which printers it works and how you use it.
AirPrint in a nutshell
- Print wirelessly from your iPhone and iPad.
- No drivers or other software required.
- Works with all known printer brands.
AirPrint is Apple's proprietary mobile printing technology. You can print from your iPhone, iPad and Mac without the need for a cable. AirPrint is suitable for photos, documents and other files, but you need a suitable printer for it. We've listed everything about AirPrint for you.
- What is AirPrint?
- Suitable printers
- What can you print?
- Making AirPrint Prints
What is AirPrint?
AirPrint makes it possible to make high-quality prints on your printer, without having to install drivers or need a cable. You start the print from any iOS or macOS app. This works through the global sharing menu, so any app that lets you print something is also AirPrint-enabled. All you have to do is choose the desired AirPrint-enabled printer on your local wireless network. You need at least iOS 4.2 on one of the following devices:
- iPhone 3GS or later
- iPod touch third generation or later
- iPad (all models)
A printer with WiFi is not automatically suitable for AirPrint. Airprint is a special protocol that allows you to send print jobs from your Apple devices, without the need for additional software. If your printer only supports WiFi, you often need a separate app such as Printer Pro from Readdle. Some apps require you to install software on your Mac to use your iPad for wireless printing. Printer manufacturers also sometimes have their own apps. For example, you can install the Epson iPrint app to print wirelessly from your iPhone and iPad.
Eligible printers with AirPrint support
Initially, AirPrint was only available on HP printers, but the range has now been expanded. Certain printers from Brother, Canon, Dell, Epson, Fuji Xerox, Kyocera, Lenovo, Lexmark, Olivetti, Ricoh, Samsung, Sharp, Toshiba and Xerox now also support it. You will find a complete overview of all suitable printers on the Apple website.
You will also find AirPrint-compatible printers at all well-known retail chains:
- AirPrint printers at Coolblue:
- HP printers with AirPrint
- Canon printers with AirPrint
- Epson printers with AirPrint
- Brother printers with AirPrint
- AirPrint printers at Bol. com:
- HP Printers with AirPrint
- Canon Printers with AirPrint
- Epson Printers with AirPrint
- Brother Printers with AirPrint< /li>
What can you print with AirPrint?
With AirPrint you can wirelessly print:
- Photos (e.g. via the default Photos app)
- Email (e.g. via the Mail app)
- Maps (e.g. via the Apple Maps app)
- Web pages (e.g. via the Safari browser)
- PDFs and documents (via apps like Documents by Readdle)
- Articles you can read later want to read (via apps like Instapaper and Evernote
Create AirPrint prints
You can print directly from iOS apps such as Mail, Safari, Camera, Maps, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. Third-party apps such as Dropbox, Evernote, Instapaper, Wikipanion, and Documents by Readdle also support AirPrint. You will find the necessary button in the share menu.
How to make a print with AirPrint:
- Make sure the printer is connected to the same network as your iPhone or iPad. Therefore, first choose via Settings > Wi-Fi the correct wireless network.
- Then choose the document, for example a photo or web page.
- Open the sharing menu and choose Print.
- Press Choose printer and select the desired printer.
- You may now see even more print options, such as the number of copies, paper size, print quality, black and white/color or double-sided printing.
- At the top right, tap Print.
AirPrint Limitations:
- The printer and the iOS device must be on the same Wi-Fi network.
- AirPrint printers connected to the USB port of an Apple AirPort Base Station or Time Capsule are not supported.< /li>
- Some WiFi-enabled AirPrint printers may take a few minutes to connect to a WiFi network after the printer is turned on. So be patient, even if it doesn't work right away.
Printing to Mac using AirPrint
It is also possible to print from the Mac using AirPrint. This works the same as printing as you were used to. iMacs and MacBooks with at least OS X Mountain Lion (10.8) are suitable for it. The difference with the usual way of working is that you don't have to install printer software and drivers if you want to print something. You can add nearby printers via System Settings > Printers and scanners. If AirPrint is enabled on the printer, macOS will automatically add the printer without you having to download and install printer software. Via Archive > Print Print, you can then start a print job from any program.
It is also possible to get AirPrint working on Windows computers.
Print wirelessly on non-AirPrint printers
If you look at the range of printers that support AirPrint, there are hundreds of models. So there is a good chance that your printer is already suitable for AirPrint:
- Inkjet printers with AirPrint
- Laser printers with AirPrint
If If this is not the case, you can still use software to ensure that your printer can print wirelessly. You need third-party apps for this. Examples include PrintCentral for iPhone and iPad, PrinterShare, Printopia, and HandyPrint, formerly AirPrint Activator.
The image below shows Printopia, an app that allows you to make any printer (old or new) suitable for your iPhone and iPad. You don't need a mobile app for this: just launch Printopia on the Mac and you're ready to print from your iPhone or iPad. Of course, this requires your Mac to be turned on; but you don't need to be logged into the Mac. Via the app you can adjust paper size, color, print quality and the like if your printer supports this. This saves you the purchase of a new printer!
More iPhone printing tips , iPad and Mac, you can read here:
- Print photos from iPhone or iPad: these are your options
- All about iPhone photo sizes: this is how you can normal, square and print panoramas
- How to print in landscape view on your iPad
- How to print lists in Reminders from your iPhone or iPad
See also 
Print photos from iPhone or iPad: these are your options
The easiest way to print photos from your iPhone or iPad is via AirPrint, a mobile printer, or a specialized printing app . This tip explains how to easily print photos.