Oh, no sir! There's lots of printers you can use (I use a wireless Canon).
But, rather than me going through a whole bunch of details, we actually have a sub-forum here that's all about printing from the iPad. It's here: AirPrint . Browse through the topics there and I can almost guarantee you you'll find some answers.
I'm also moving this post over there to that forum - get more printer "expert" eyes on it.
Marilyn
P.S. And welcome to the forum! Good to "see" ya here...
Here's Apple's latest list of AirPrint printers. There should be something there to support your needs. Unfortunately, older printers are not supported. There are workarounds, but require a computer and app.