iPad printing from cloud app

[eastwestauto]

My company uses a SaaS cloud app for generating quotes and contracts on windows desktops. To send the contract to the customer, we follow the print function and use free pdf virtual windows printers, like cutepdf, to create the pdf of the contract and then email it to the customer.

The cloud app printing function is built only for windows. when we access it from ipad, we can navigate the app and create the contracts, but can't execute the print function since it doesn't see any windows installed printers.

My goal is not to print to network, wireless, or local physical printers, but to find an iPad app that will emulate a windows printer so that our cloud app will allow us to "print" the contract, ideally to create a pdf file locally on the iPad and then we can email it to the customer.

Most of the iPad printing utilities seem to let you print a web page, photo, or office file locally on the iPad. These do not address my issue where this cloud app was built for a windows platform and expects to see windows printers installed so you can point the print job to the windows printer. I need to fake that out so it will see a virtual printer on the iPad and ideally, one that will allow us to name and create a PDF file that we could save locally or on google drive, or other cloud storage.

 

[twerppoet]

There is no way to install a virtual printer on the iPad. At least not without jailbreaking. And I'm not sure you could do it even then.

Knowing almost nothing about the Saas app, and not knowing what you've already tried; here are the approaches I'd try first.

Are you in an Office environment with a wi-fi connection for the iPad?

If you're SaaS app has AirPrint built in there are several solutions that will enable you to emulate an AirPrint printer on your network. A couple of these will allow you to print to a file (usually a PDF). One of my virtual printers goes to a folder in DropBox, which allows me to generate a PDF, then go to my DropBox app to see/download it.

It's an old workaround. I have other workflows now. But it may work for you.

I use Printopia, but you need a Mac for that. OPrint should be able to do the same thing for Windows, or there are more business oriented solutions. Check out the forum link below for a more complete description of printing options for iOS.

iPad Printing Solutions, and Stuff

If you see the action icon (box with up arrow) when you are outputting the contract, there may be other options. There are quite a few PDF conversion apps that offer action or share sheets. Those may work. There is also the Workflow app which you can use to make custom scripts/actions.