IPAD 2 and Blutooth Connectivity

[Wouldhe]

I cannot get my IPAD to connect to my printer using Blutooth. I have an HP Photosmart D7160 printer that has Bluetooth. I bought a BT adaptor (HP BT500), plugged it into the printer, kept the defaults, cranked up BT on the IPAD, nothing. Called HP and they said I needed the BT450 printer adaptor. Bought one of those plugged it in the printer and this time the adaptor went searching (blinking light on adaptor) but still no connectivity. I have been through all the settings numerous times. I can't attempt to "pair" the devices because IPAD just sits there cranking in search mode. Help anyone?

 

[twerppoet]

The iPad does not support printing via Bluetooth. Even if you somehow get the printer to pair, it still is not going to work.

Here are the only methods (so far and that I know of) to print from the iPad.



Some printers are directly compatible with AirPrint on the iPad. This includes several HP printers and a smaller selection of Canon and Epson printers. Be absolutely certain the printer supports AirPrint before buying. Some printers may require a firmware update to work. These are usually available on the manufacturers site. If you get this kind of printer you can print directly from within apps that support the feature, which is many.

iOS: AirPrint 101

Of course some of us already have printers and do not want to buy a new one. There are a couple ways to do this.

One is to use a printing app on the iPad. The current favorite is Print and Share. It will work with most wi-fi printers, and those that it won't work with can be made to work with an additional program on the computer. Print n Share is currently the only app that will work with the built in AirPrint feature in many apps. It must be launched before you try to print in the other app. Most (or all) other print apps can only print pictures and/or files that have been copied to that app via Open In or other method.

The second method is to load a program on the computer that will emulate an AirPrint compatible printer. Your computer must be on and have the printer available to it. The cheapest (free) is Airprint Activator. More features can be had with FingerPrint (mac and windows) and Printopia (mac only).

There is a third way. A few printers (mostly HP's again) can be set up with their own email address. PDF attachments can be sent via this address to be printed. The last review I saw (several months ago) said it could be quite slow (big files not recommended), and sometimes the emails got lost and never printed. The advantage was that you could literally send/print from anywhere you have an internet connection.

 

[Tim SPRACKLEN]

Good to hear from you. You’ll find a whole bunch of iPad enthusiasts in this Forum who are only too willing to help other iPad owners and to hear of their experiences. Don’t be afraid to post any questions you may have or use the ‘Search’ button near the top of the Forum web page. I usually find I discover one new interesting and useful piece of information about my iPad every day - and often not even what I was looking for!!

Hope to hear from you soon with your thoughts about the iPad.

Have fun and enjoy your iPad


If you don’t already have it you can download a copy of the iPad manual for free.

Apple - Support - Manuals

Please read the rules too!!

http://www.ipadforums.net/forum-rules-help-info/2119-forum-rules-everybody-please-read.html

Tim
Scotland

 

[nlmaltese]

Thanks for your welcome ... I just found out about AirPrint. I have an Epson Artisan 800 and wish that the firmware updates had included it! Maybe in the future?

Have had my iPad2 for 6 months and also an iPhone 4. Recently upgraded both to iOS 5. Love the iPad, but wondering if an iPad3 is coming. If so, what might the hardware or software enhancements be?