Printing to kodak printer and can you get a virus on your ipad 2

[churchunited]

Hi had my iPad 2 a week can I print to my wireless Kodak printer? And is true that you can't get a virus on the iPad ?
Cheers

 

[Tim SPRACKLEN]

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 - 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.

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

No viruses!

Tim
Scotland

 

[churchunited]

Cheers tim thanks for your help

 

[b00bie]

No viruses but you can get a worm

 

[churchunited]

Cheers bOObie
How would i Get a worm and would you say it safe to do banking and shopping online on the iPad cheers

 

[Tim SPRACKLEN]

Apple took the decision to 'sandbox' the programs (apps) in the iPad. This means that apps have only a very limited ability to interact - and this interaction is *absolutely* controlled by the operating system (iOS). So if you tried to write a 'virus' program for the iPad it would have no effect, because it couldn't interact with any other program or the operating system.

That, inevitably, has other consequences and places restrictions on what programs can do. In Windows, for example, applications (programs) can interact and this can be very useful. So some (clever) programmers found a way to 'jail break' the iPad and remove this restriction (effectively 'jailbreaking' means your iPad can 'run' non-Apple approved apps from the Cydia website, where they make such non-approved apps available). They can now run 'unauthorised' apps on the iPad that 'take advantage' of the removal of this restriction. The downside - technically a 'jail broken' iPad could be vunerable to viruses.

But don't worry - a 'regular' (non jail broken) iPad is not vunerable to any 'viruses' that a deviant programmer might write to 'infect' a jail broken iPad. So your IT manager need have no worries - if your iPads are not 'jailbroken' they are absolutely safe from viruses.

Basically, if you accept the restrictions that Apple place on your iPad and don't jail break, you're completely safe - a virus cannot 'infect' you.

Additionally, any 'app' that a normal (non-jail broken) iPad can download will have been thoroughly checked and approved by Apple, so could not contain any malevolent code...

OK - I'll get 'hacked' by the iPad 'jail breakers' - sorry for the 'pun' but, basically, you're safe.

Apple have a number of 'white papers' and other documents on their web site that address this issue if you'd like the links...

Tim