Computers, Laptops & Tablets > Apple How to Print From an iPad There are three ways to print from your iPad (with or without AirPrint) By 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. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on June 2, 2022 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email In This Article Expand Jump to a Section Step-by-Step: Use AirPrint Print Using Third-Party Apps Set Up a Server or Network Printer Frequently Asked Questions What to Know To use AirPrint, select the Share icon > Print. Choose a printer and select Print.Use Print n Share app: Select a category > tap printer icon > choose a printer > enter options > Print.Install an app on your computer such as Printopia (Mac) or OPrint (Windows) to create a networked shared printer. This article explains several ways to print from an iPad using AirPrint, a third-party app, or a print server. Most new printers support AirPrint, but you have other options. How to Print From an iPad Using AirPrint You need an AirPrint-compatible printer and a Wi-Fi connection to print from any iPad using AirPrint. Here's how: Open the app or web page you want to print and select the Share icon (a square with a vertical arrow). Scroll to the bottom of the Sharing menu and select Print. Choose your printer, which must be AirPrint-compatible for the iPad to recognize it. To print more than one copy of the page or image, select the + button next to 1 Copy. Select Print. Apple maintains a list of commercially available printers that are compatible with AirPrint. Most new printers support the protocol, but not all older ones do, How to Print From an iPad Using Third-Party Apps Most manufacturers—including Canon, HP, and Brother—produce their own apps. These apps can usually be downloaded from the App Store for free. Similarly, you can download a third-party app, such as Print n Share. Other popular printing apps include PrintCentral Pro and PrinterShare. In most cases, these apps print to Wi-Fi-enabled printers and USB printers. However, they can also link with AirPrint printers. These apps aren't generally available for free. For example, the Print n Share app costs $6.99. Here's how to use the Print n Share app. Other apps work similarly. In the app, open a file by choosing one of the categories in the left column. Options include Files, Email, Web Pages, Contacts, and Images. Then, tap the printer icon in the top right corner of the screen. Select an available printer from the list. Any printer using the same network as the iPad shows up here. The first time you select a printer, tap Printer Setup at the top of the screen and link the app with the printer. This is only necessary one time. On the print screen, select Printer Options to select the number of copies, paper size and other typical printing settings. Tap the Preview button to see a preview of the print document. Choose Print on either the Preview or Print screen. Print From an iPad With 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. 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. It costs $19.99. Similar software available for PCs includes OPrint and Presto. Like Printopia, these apps come at a cost, so try AirPrint first if cost is an issue. How to Print From an iPhone FAQ How do I print photos from an iPad? Open the Photos app. Select a photo and then tap the Share icon at the top of the screen to print via AirPrint. Do all iPads have AirPrint? All iPads running iOS 4.2 or later support AirPrint. It is incorporated in the operating system, so there isn't a separate app for the feature. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit