Printing from an iPad

Printing from an iPad - Catch 22

7 Mar 2012 14:52:28

Mick Burrell

I've recently been asked to help a lady who could not print from her iPad. My first suspicion was that she had bought a printer which was not one of the special ones (mainly HP) which can use the Air Print system with an iPad but this was not the case.

Previous printers I've dealt with could either detect your wireless network automatically or allow you to enter the details manually. Once they've joined it, printing from the iPad is simple. This printer however (I don't believe it was far up the range) had no facility in its menu to join your network. You had to insert the supplied CD into your main computer and load the printer drivers onto your machine. At that point the software detects the wireless printer and asks you if you want it to join your wireless network. You of course reply yes and it then asks for permission to use the network password from your keychain. Again you allow it. The printer then joins your network and all is well.

So why Catch-22? What if you don't have a computer other than the iPad? You're stuck until you can find a friend who can bring their laptop and perform the routine above. Luckily, I had my laptop with me!