How to Print From an iPad

There are three ways to print from your iPad (with or without AirPrint)

By
Simon Chandler
Simon Chandler
Simon Chandler
Writer
  • University of Reading
  • King's College London
Simon Chandler is a former Lifewire writer who covered cryptocurrency, social media, AI and other topics. His work has appeared in Wired, TechCrunch, and The Verge.
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Updated on December 4, 2020

You can print wirelessly from an iPad using several methods: AirPrint, third-party apps or print servers. Most new printers support AirPrint, but we'll show you different options.

How to Print From an iPad, iPad Air or iPad Pro Using AirPrint

The most common way to print from an iPad is with AirPrint, Apple's protocol for enabling mobile devices like the iPad and iPhone to communicate over Wi-Fi with AirPrint-compatible printers.

You need an AirPrint-compatible printer to use AirPrint, as well as a working Wi-Fi connection. And while there are many printers on the market, Apple maintains a list of the commercially available printers that are compatible with AirPrint.

If you have an AirPrint-compatible printer and are on the same Wi-Fi connection, here's how to print from any iPad, iPad Air or iPad Pro:

  1. Open the app or web page you'd like to print, then select the Share icon (generally presented as a square with a vertical arrow rising out of it). In some cases, you may have to select the More icon instead (often represented as three horizontal dots).

  2. From the bottom row of options, select the Print icon. It is usually discoverable in the row displayed in gray (rather than color). You may need to swipe to the left to find it.

    Pressing the Share button to print on an iPad

  3. Choose Select Printer.

  4. Choose your printer, which must be AirPrint-compatible for the iPad to recognize it.

  5. Select Print. To print more than one copy of the page or image, select the + button next to 1 Copy before selecting Print.

How to Print From an iPad Using Third-Party Apps

Most manufacturers—including Canon, HP, and Brother—produce their own apps. These apps can generally be downloaded from the App Store for free.

Similarly, you can download a third-party app, such as PrintCentral Pro. Other popular printing apps include Printer Pro, Print n Share, and PrinterShare. In most cases, these apps print to Wi-Fi-enabled printers and USB printers. These apps can also be linked with AirPrint printers. However, these generally aren't available for free. For example, Printer Pro costs $6.99.

How to Print from an iPad: Set Up a Server or Network Printer

Another option that lets you print from an iPad is to set up a print server or network a shared printer on your Mac or PC. This way, you can send print jobs from your iPad to the server or network printer, which then sends the job out for printing.

An iPad connected to a Mac and a printer

Bruce Gifford / Getty Images

You must download an app onto your Mac or PC to set up a print server. On a Mac, one of the best and most popular apps for this purpose is Printopia. This app prints from an iPad and saves iPad documents or files as PDFs on a Mac. However, as with third-party apps for your iPad, its full version isn't free and costs around $19.99.

Similar software available for PCs includes OPrint and Presto. Like Printopia, these apps come at a cost, so try AirPrint first if the cost is an issue.

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