Computers, Laptops & Tablets Apple How to Print From An iPad You've got 4 choices. Which one will you try? by Simon Chandler Writer 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. our editorial process Twitter LinkedIn Simon Chandler Updated on September 23, 2020 Justin Sullivan/Pixabay/Getty Images Apple iPad Macs Tweet Share Email You can print wirelessly from an iPad using several different methods: AirPrint, Google CloudPrint, and third-party apps or print servers. In this guide we'll show you how to do each. How to Print From an iPad Using AirPrint The most common way to print from an iPad is with AirPrint, Apple's protocol for enabling mobile devices like iPads and iPhones to communicate via Wi-Fi with AirPrint-compatible printers. As you might have guessed, you'll need an AirPrint-compatible printer to use AirPrint, as well as a working Wi-Fi connection. And while there is an almost dizzying number of printers on the market, Apple handily maintains a long list of all the commercially available printers that are compatible with the protocol. Assuming you have an AirPrint-compatible printer and a serviceable Wi-Fi connection, here's how to print from an iPad: While in the app or webpage you'd like to print, 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). From the bottom row of options, select the Printer icon. It will usually be discoverable in the row displayed in gray (rather than color), and you may have to swipe to the left to find it. Choose Select Printer. Choose your printer, which once again must be AirPrint-compatible for your iPad to recognize it. Select Print. If you'd like to print more than one copy of the page or image you're printing, select the + button next to "1 Copy" before selecting Print. How to Print From an iPad Using Google Cloud Print An alternative to printing from an iPad is to use Google's Cloud Print, which like AirPrint is a Wi-Fi-enabled protocol for communicating between printers and devices. It's not as easy to use the first time as AirPrint, but it does offer some versatility that the Apple service does not. Google Cloud Print only works from inside Google apps unless you also download PrintCentral Pro. It essentially functions as a third-party Google Cloud Print app for iOS. You'll also need a Google account to use Google's Cloud Print, as well as access to a Mac or Windows-based PC. Launch Google Chrome on your computer (again, not your iPad). Select the Menu button, indicated by three vertical dots in the upper-right corner of Chrome. Select Settings. Scroll down and select the Advanced tab. Select Google Cloud Print > Manage Cloud Print devices > Add printers. Choose the printer you'd like to associate with Google Cloud Print, so that its box has been checked. Select the blue Add printer(s) button. The need to associate printers with your Google account might make Cloud Print seem more complicated than AirPrint. However, one advantage it has is that it can be used with printers that aren't 'cloud-ready,' so it might be worth your while if you have an older printer. And once you've added your printer, using Cloud Print is as simple as using AirPrint. For example, if you have the Gmail app on your iPad, here's how you print using Cloud Print: Open the email you'd like to print Select the Menu button, indicated by three vertical dots in the upper-right corner of Chrome. Select Print > Google Cloud Print. Choose your printer and select Print. As mentioned, you can normally use Cloud Print only with Google apps. However, if you download PrintCentral Pro, you'll be able to use it with non-Google apps as well. How to Print From an iPad Using Third-Party Apps If you can't or don't want to use either AirPrint or Google Cloud Print, another option is to use the specific app available for some printers. Most manufacturers—including Canon, HP, and Brother—produce their own apps, and they can all generally be downloaded from the App Store for free. Similarly, you can download a third-party app, such as the aforementioned PrintCentral Pro. Other popular printing apps include Printer Pro, Print n Share, and PrinterShare, and in most cases they let you print using not only Wi-Fi-enabled printers, but also USB printers. They can even be linked with AirPrint printers, although they generally aren't available for free. For example, as of writing, Printer Pro costs $6.99. How to Print from an iPad: Set Up a Server One option that lets you print from an iPad is to set up a print server on your Mac or PC. By doing this, you can send print jobs from your iPad to the server, which then sends it to your printer. You'll have to download an app onto your Mac or PC first, something which may be preferable to downloading a third-party app onto your iPad, since it will avoid cluttering the relatively limited internal memory of your iPad with extra apps. Getty Images/Bruce Gifford If you're a Mac user, one of the best and most popular apps for this purpose is Printopia. Not only does this let you print from an iPad, but you can even use it to save iPad documents or files as PDFs on your Mac. However, as with third-party apps for your iPad, its full version isn't free, and will cost around $19.99. Similar software available for PCs include OPrint and Presto. Like Printopia, they come at a cost though, so if cost is an issue, do try AirPrint and Google Cloud Print first.