Printing directly from your phone or tablet will save you precious time and effort. You will not need to download the documents, letters, or presentations you have created to your PC before you print them. You can print them using any printer that has a Wi-Fi connection.
Printing from your phone or tablet without the traditional data or network cables may seem a bit strange. But if you follow a few simple steps and use the right applications, printing from your mobile device could be a rather easy task.
1. Basic Requirements
To print successfully from any tablet or phone, you will need the following things:
- A printer with the capacity to connect and print from a wireless network
- A printing app that is compatible with the printer and the mobile device
- A wireless network
- An Internet connection to download any required applications (optional)
2. Check for Printer Compatibility
Before you attempt to print a document from mobile device to a printer, make sure you have the required applications or printer drivers installed on your device. Examples of applications that allow you to print with your mobile device include: Wi-Fi Direct, ePrint Wireless Direct Printing from HP, and AirPrint that allows you to use Apple’s mobile devices (like iPad and iPhone) to print to a wireless printer through a router.
The major advantage of applications like AirPrint is that you won’t need to install individual driver applications for a particular type of printer before printing. Once the printer is compatible with AirPrint, you will be able to use AirPrint to send documents to it. AirPrint allows you to specify the number of pages and a few other options before you send the content to the printer. Some of the printer brands that are compatible with AirPrint include: HP, Canon, Brother and Epson.
3. Download Printing Applications
If you have all the required applications to print from your tablet or phone, you can skip this step. But if you need to download apps, make sure you connect your mobile device to its charger because some downloads may take a relatively long time to finish and install. Go to the printer manufacturer’s website and search for the printing apps for your device’s operating system. Then follow the simple steps to download the printing app.
4. Connect to the Wireless LAN
Connect your mobile device to the wireless network in your home or office. This will allow it to communicate with your printer and send documents to it. Use the setup options on your device to connect it to the network. Set it to Wi-Fi mode; it will search and find the network you want to use for printing. Then highlight the name of the network and type in the required log-in details.
5. Send Content to Printer
After you have connected your mobile device to the network, you should load your document, and select print from the options menu. Make sure the printer is on and is ready for printing. Then you can use the appropriate print app to specify the number of pages and other important printing options before you send your document to the printer.
