We are looking for a portable ipad2 printer to take on the road...any ideas?

HP makes a neat, neat little printer - the OfficeJet 470. I have one and really like it. It has an optional battery pack it will run on, which I don't have. Problem is, I haven't been able to find any kind of print server that will function wirelessly and is compatible with the iPad. That would be neat. I have a Windows laptop that is running AirPrint (or something) which will print a document, or whatever, wirelessly, but the printer has to be connected via USB to the laptop.

Perhaps someone here knows of a module that would connect to the printer which could take the place of the laptop (print server of some kind).

Good luck.

Brian - Sent from my iPad using iPF

If you have the WiFi module for the OfficeJet 470 then you can use 'PrintNShare' to print to this printer. However, you'll need a router - or other similar device - to allocate IP addresses. The router doesn't need to be connected to the Internet to be able to do this. Many Members have used the Apple Airport Express because it's so compact but, basically most any router will work.

Tim

(For anyone who already read what I wrote just before me coming back and editing it .... well, I'm withdrawing my foot from my mouth.

I just found this: http://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-TL-WPS...5349216&sr=8-3 which looks like it would be exactly what is needed for a printer such as the Office Jet 470 which I just mentioned above.

(( It's not a VIDEO LINK, as it says. Not sure what that's about, but the link seems to go to Amazon and that product, as it should ))

I think I'm going to have to git me one of them thar thingys.

Brian - Sent from my iPad using iPF

Well, in thinking and researching that WiFi print server device for which I left a link above, I'm realizing that it probably won't work well with the iPad. The AirPrint solution that I have played with on my Laptop/printer combination works through an application which is running on the computer to form up the print job to send to the connected printer. My guess is that an application would also have to be installed on the iPad which specifically forms a print job to be sent as a PDF file (or the like) to the printer. Otherwise, any specific printer would require a driver to be installed on the sending device.

It's all kind of jumbled a bit in my own mind, as I'm not really sure how it all works exactly. I do suspect that as this iPad culture progresses, that such things as being able to send a print job to a WiFi printer will be common and easy.

Brian - Sent from my iPad using iPF

Apple have their own proprietary printing protocol called 'AirPrint'. Only a few printers support it at present - HP is one of those that do and you can see if your model is on the list at the Apple web site

Apple - iPad 2 - Print right from your iPad with AirPrint.


If it is there, then you can print directly under iOS 4.2 and 4.3 from apps that support in-app printing, such as Apple's iPad iWorks suite ('Pages', 'Numbers' and 'Keynote'). Not all apps support in-app printing, so you need to check out whether the app you're interested in does. For example, Apple's native iPad 'Calendar' app does not support in-app printing.

If your printer is not on the list then there are third-party apps that can help. Some printer manufacturers have released apps for PCs with their printers connected (i.e. Lexmark). On these models, an app on your PC or Mac 'pretends' to be an AirPrint printer and the app translates the AirPrint printing protocol into a form that the printer understands.

However, there are standalone apps for the iPad and 'Print N Share' is one of the best known. It can print directly from the iPad to a WiFi printer without any PC being involved. It does this by 'pretending' to be an AirPrint printer. It then, similar to the previous case, translates the AirPrint printing protocol to a form that your printer understands.

Most all WiFi equipped printers are supported by 'Print N Share' but even those few that are not are able to print via a PC using, again, a small (free) app that's available from the developers of 'Print N Share'. Once again, this app sits on your PC or Mac and links your iPad to the printer via your PC - meaning, too, that the printer can be WiFi, USB or even Bluetooth. The downside is that the PC has to be switched on.

One 'issue' that sometimes confounds users of 'Print N Share' is that this only works under iOS 4.2 or 4.3 - the iPad's 'multi-tasking' operating system (OS). 'Print N Share' needs to be loaded and running before you can print!! So, if you're going to be doing some printing, you need to first of all fire up 'Print N Share' and leave it running in the background. You can check whether it is running by double tapping the iPad's 'Home' button, to see the tasks that are 'loaded' in the 'Multi-task' menu bar. For various reasons, it's helpful if 'Print N Share' was loaded quite recently. If you haven't printed for a while, use the multi-task bar to 're-activate' it.

If you're happy to leave your PC switched on then another - and probably better - way forward is to use a PC program called FingerPrint. This is a program that runs on your PC and makes it 'look' like an AirPrint printer. It's as close as you'll get to plug-and-play printing for non-AirPrint printers. You simply download the program (there's a free 7-day version available so you can try it at no risk), install it, start the program (it automatically inserts itself into the PC's startup menu) choose the printers you want to offer to the iPad - it shows you the usual list that you get from a regular Windows print dialog box - and that's it. When you want to print on your iPad (there's no separate app for the iPad) you simply choose the print menu in apps that support in-app printing and FingerPrint makes your PC look like an AirPrint printer. You'll be offered, in the iPad, the choice of printers that you selected on the PC and off you go. FingerPrint receives the printing data from the iPad over WiFi and translates it into a form that your printer understands. I have it on my PC and it works just great.

Hope this helps, but don't hesitate to post any more detailed questions that you might have.

Tim
Scotland

Perhaps someone on this thread can help me.
I have an Ipad 2 running version 3 and wish to connect to a HP Officejet H470 printer. I need to use the combination of these two devices when I fly to remote location where there is not a network to connect to. In other words I need to connect directly from the Ipad to the Printer with going throw a router.
Both devices have WiFi so one would think that it would be easy to connect both together. I understand that the AirPrint format needs to be changed for the printer to read the codes etc.
Is there software available for the Ipad that will allow me to do this?

Originally Posted by Orf

Perhaps someone on this thread can help me.
I have an Ipad 2 running version 3 and wish to connect to a HP Officejet H470 printer. I need to use the combination of these two devices when I fly to remote location where there is not a network to connect to. In other words I need to connect directly from the Ipad to the Printer with going throw a router.
Both devices have WiFi so one would think that it would be easy to connect both together. I understand that the AirPrint format needs to be changed for the printer to read the codes etc.
Is there software available for the Ipad that will allow me to do this?

Hi All, after months and hours of searching as I'm sure all of you have done...this is the workflow I settled on. I wish I could've gotten away without the router but no deal!


IPAD => printer in a car
pre purchased HP470 (no bt or wifi)
Airport Express
Inverter for the AE.
Print Central Pro app


I can confirm this is a great little set up. It allows me to print wirelessly from inside the customers house back to the printer in the car. (your 12v jack will need to be live for this to work however)

Print Central Pro is a smooth/easy app to negotiate and I was up and printing in no time. Special note for super quick and 24/7 support!

All up this cost me:

HP470 (pre purchased)
AE $75 NZ(second hand)
PCP $13 NZ
Inverter $60 NZ

That's only $148 and you can plug any mobile (or low power drawing printer) to get you on the road and moving and connect to it wirelessly. (Printer is usb connected to the AE)


I hope this helps someone [IMG]imap://kstevenson@mail.energyoptions.org.nz:993/fetch%3EUID%3E.Sent%3E6499?part=1.2.2&filename=hap py.gif[/IMG]

Thanks again to this community for the support.