Computing has changed over the years. Now, a significant portion of browsing is done not from desktops but from phones, laptops, and tablets. The ease of use, versatility, and portability of these devices have made them incredibly prevalent in modern society. At first, people were satisfied with them not being able to do everything a desktop computer could. Times have changed now. People would prefer that these devices be as unlimited as possible with regards to their functionality.
Companies trying to muscle in on a larger market share have listened to consumers and responded appropriately: Apple has integrated printing directly from an iPhone or iPad using their bundled program, AirPrint. AirPrint isn’t an application you can find on its own. It’s integrated with Safari, Mail, and Photos.
Using AirPrint is fairly simple as long as you have a WiFi printer that is compatible with the iPad. Most newer printers are AirPrint-enabled, with Hereon having a good list of AirPrint-enabled printers. When shopping for a printer, make sure to ask if it is both WiFi-enabled and AirPrint-enabled. If someone’s trying to sell you a printer that isn’t a WiFi-enabled one, but they say it’s AirPrint-enabled, they are misleading you. AirPrint is done exclusively over WiFi.
Now that you’re certain that you have a compatible printer, the next steps are extremely straightforward.
First, make sure that your device is connected to the same WiFi network that the printer is configured to. Ensure you aren’t using mobile carrier data or on the wrong network, or else you won’t be able to successfully print any documents.
Next, look at the bottom bar of your iPhone after finding something you’d like to print. Press the button in the middle that looks like a square with an arrow coming out of the top.
Now, there are two menus – the top one that connects to other applications like Messenger or Facebook and the bottom one. On the bottom menu, scroll to the left until you see Print. Tap on that button.
Lastly, your printer will show up if it’s compatible. Select the printer and how many copies you’d like of the document, tap print, and then go collect your newly minted documents from the printer.
This feature isn’t limited to the iPad. Nearly all mobile Apple devices now allow you to use AirPrint. Using AirPrint on the iPad, however, is the easiest way to properly make use of the function, since the size of the device is very close to the size of an actual sheet of paper, making formatting much easier than on the tiny screens of an iPhone.
Over time, I get more and more excited as to what our devices will be capable of doing that was previously only in the realm of bulky computers. In fact, there are even some printers now specifically designed to work with the iPad that are much smaller and are downright portable. Innovation drives our lives and I’m extremely content with how easy it is now to accomplish tasks digitally from anywhere in the world.
Image: Print From iPad from Kaspars Grinvalds/Shutterstock