How To Connect A Printer To An iPad (Print from iPad)

Connecting a printer to an iPad is never rocket science due to two reasons, firstly, it is a daily life thing that you can learn easily secondly, the process to connect an iPad to a printer include very simple steps. You do not need any extraordinary skill to complete the task.

We complete so many tasks in our daily life and it is practically not possible to depend on someone else for small and simple things.

It consumes time and also makes you feel helpless, but not anymore. Here in this blog, you will learn about how to connect a printer to an iPad in the most understandable manner. 

How to connect a printer to an iPad with AirPrint? 

Yes, a printer can be connected to an iPad in two ways, with and without AirPrint. In this section, you will learn to connect your printer with the AirPrint. 

What is AirPrint?

It is a technology developed by Apple that can give a full-quality print of documents and photos from your iPad, Mac or iPhone. With the AirPrint technology, you do not need to install or download drivers. AirPrint is neither an app nor software, it is an inbuilt technology in your iPad that enables connecting to printers that are supported by AirPrint. In simpler words, you need an Airprint printer. 

Note – You can check on the website of Apple to see whether your printer is supported by the AirPrint technology or not. 

Steps to connect the printer to iPad with AirPrint

A few steps and you are done with the job, take a quick but careful look at the process below. 

• Turn on your printer and press the power button. (Skip it if the device is already on)
• Disconnect your Bluetooth or cable connection to your printer. To connect a printer through AirPrint technology, your computer cannot remain connected to a cable or Bluetooth. 
• Connect the printer to a strong Wi-Fi connection because that is important to keep both the devices, printer, and iPad connected during a print. 
• Now open iPad settings, and then tap or click on the settings app icon that looks like a grey color box with gears on it. 
• Now tap on the option Wi-Fi which is on the top left of the screen. This will open your iPad’s Wi-Fi menu. 
• Don’t forget, the iPad and AirPrint printer should be connected through the same network. If both are on different networks then tap on your printer’s network and tap join. You may need to enter the password. 
• Now open the app that has the item you want to print. For example – go to the Photos folder if you want to print a picture. 
• Tap and open the photo you want to print and tap the share icon that is usually visible in any corner of the screen. A pop-up will appear on the screen at the bottom. 
• Now tap Print visible in the pop-up menu. If you don’t see the print option, swipe the pop-up menu from right to left to find the icon. 
• Tap printer and it will show the printer type compatible with the AirPrint technology. The printer option is at the top of the menu. 
• Lastly, select your printer by tapping its name. 
• Tap on the Print option that shows at the top corner on the right side of the screen. The device will start printing the selected item. Within a few seconds, you will get your print. You can select the color option before printing depending on your printer type.  

Steps to connect the printer to iPad without AirPrint

Not every printer is supported by AirPrint, in that case, connecting a printer from an iPad may sound like rocket science and in fact impossible to some of you.

But technology has provided us with some of the tools and ways to connect a printer to an iPad despite the absence of AirPrint support. 

Here are several popular ways used to make your printer coordinate with an iPad without AirPrint.

The following methods apply to various types of printers like hp, canon, brother, etc. 

Bluetooth pairing

We all are aware of the old but popular method of connective devices through Bluetooth.

Here also, you need to try this conventional but effective method for the purpose. 

• Turn on your Bluetooth printer. 
• You will see relatable instructions on the printer. For example, you may need to download an app to facilitate the connection between the printer and the iPad. 
• Once you install the app, wait for further instructions on your printer. Wait for a while to see your printer in the iPad’s Bluetooth Devices list. 
• The moment you see your printer’s name on your iPad, connect the devices. 
• Now you can start printing the documents and pictures. 

Use a USB cable 

Using a USB cable along with a connector is another popular method but it may or may not work all the time.

However, at least you should get familiar with the procedure. 

• Take a USB cable and an adaptor and connect the cable to the iPad. 
• You will also need a printer manufacturer’s app because Apple technology does not support individual device driver installations. 
• Once you download and install the app connect the cable to the printer and wait to see a pop-up message on your iPad screen. 
• If everything supports properly, you can start printing. 

Third-party apps 

The apps let you connect to a printer that supports a MAC or PC through a wireless or wired connection.

While several apps facilitate a connection between both PC and MAC for printing purposes, some others support only MAC. You need to confirm it before installing such an app. 

How do I print from my iPad?

You will be amazed to see how simple are the steps to print from an iPad.

It is actually child’s play, if you go through the procedure once even a kid in your house can print from your Apple device. 

• Open the app on your iPad from where you want to print an item. 
• Now tap the app’s share icon to find the print option or you can scroll down and tap. 
• Tap select printer and choose your printer supported or connected from your device. 
• Choose the color, and the number of copies you want to print. 
• Now tap print from the upper right corner of the screen. 

Why can’t I Print from my iPad to my wireless printer?

Normally, Apple technology does not show any issues if you are following the right procedure.

But in case, your iPad is not giving the print, the following are the reasons that are mostly the causes behind such issues. 

• Check that your printer is on. 
• Refresh your iPad’s Wi-Fi connection. 
• Check that your printer and iPad are both on the same network. Unknowingly when both are on different networks, obviously it is impossible to connect. 
• Restart your printer, a trick that usually works with most devices or any technical glitch. 
• Reboot the iPad. 
• Confirm that your printer is supported by your iPad. 

How to add a printer to an iPad pro?

Simple! Just explore the following steps and you will never ask again how to add printer to an iPad pro?

Let’s start – 

• Turn on the printer and connect it to your Wi-Fi network, now make sure that your iPad is also connected to the same network. 
• Tap the app. compatible to AirPrint 
• Now, tap the envelope icon. 
• Tap Print
• Now tap on the select printer and you will get the printout. 

Where are the printer settings on the iPad?

Many people are even not clear where exactly are the printer settings to take a print of a picture or document from your iPad.

Whether it is about the color settings or the number of copies, to add any instruction, you will have to know the location of printer settings on your device. 

• Open your iPad and then open the app to choose the item you want to print for example a picture or a document. It can also be an e-mail or a webpage that you want to print. 
• Open the item you want to print. 
• Tap the share button on the top right side of the screen and you will see a list of varied apps and you will see Printer option. 
• Your printer that is connected to the iPad will show and you need to select it. 
• Tap on the printer option and you will see the printer settings such as color options like colored print or black and white, number of copies, and size. 
• Now tap on print on the right side on the top of the screen. 
• After you press print, your printer will give a printout according to your instructed settings. 

How to connect a canon printer to an iPad?

Besides, the generic process, printer users are always curious to know how the steps to connect to an iPad work in the case of the printer model they have.

Read below the process to connect canon and iPad. 

• Turn on your printer and connect it to LAN which is a local network. 
• Now go to the application software of your device tap the operation icon and the device will display the menu options. 
• Tap print from the menu options. 
• Now select your printer model from the Printer Options such as Canon MG5400 series-4, Canon MG 7700 series – 3, Canon MG 6800 series-4, etc. 
• Set the printing setting as required for your document, for example – color settings that are the double-sided color or black and white and several copies, etc. 
• Lastly, tap print, and your printer will give a printout according to the settings you instructed the printer. 

How to connect an HP printer to an iPad?

HP printers are also known for their smart and user-friendly technology and thus you will not experience any confusion while connecting your printing device to an iPad.

Let’s delve into the process. 

•  Set up the printer network connection and make sure that the iPad and your printer are on the same Wi-Fi network. 
• If you have a touchscreen control panel on your printer– Go to the WIRELESS icon and then select or touch the NETWORK SETTINGS or  SET UP menu to check the network connection status. 
• In case you do not have the touchscreen panel on the printer, you need to check the light adjacent to the Wireless icon. It should be ON. 
• If your printer fails to connect then bring it in the Wi-Fi signal range and try again to connect to the network. 
• Now to start the printing process, first of all, open the item which is a picture or document that you want to print. Then tap on the SHARE option or select the menu option. 
• Scroll the down screen to select the PRINT option from the list. 
• The screen will now show the printer options from where you will have to select your printer.
• Now select and set the printing job settings such as the number of copies, page range, and page size. If you take print of the same type every time, you do not need to change the settings, otherwise, check before printing and change the last settings you did last time. 
• Tap PRINT and you will get the printout. 

How to connect a brother printer to an iPad?

Among millions of brother printer users, most people have the same question.

The following simple process will help you to understand easily how to connect a brother printer to an iPad. 

• Install the brother’s free app iPrint&Scan from the Apple App store. 
• Turn on your printer and keep it in the range of your Wi-Fi network. Both the printer and the iPad should be on the same network. 
• Open the printing app iPrint&Scan on your iPad. 
• TAP on the PRINTER ICON. 
• Select the PHOTO folder on your iPad to find the image that you want to print. 
• Now select the picture you want to print. 
• Now select the PRINT option and the printer will give a printout of your picture. 

How to connect the printer to the iPhone?

It is again a cakewalk if you pay attention only to some basic details because today the devices are already user-friendly.

Take a look at the following steps and you can know how to connect the printer to the iPhone. 

• Open the app on your phone from where you want to print an iPrint, for example – the photos app or Files folder from where you want to print the app. 
• Find the print option by scrolling down the share icon on the app. 
• Tap and select the printer supported by AirPrint. 
• Select the settings such as the number of copies, colors, etc. 
• Now tap on the print icon that shows on the right side on the top of the iPhone. 

Also Read:

4 Ways to Get Your Printer Online

How To Connect Brother Printer To WiFi: Not Difficult as You Think

How to find WPS Pin for HP, Epson and Brother Printer?

HP Printer Problem: How to put ink in a HP Printer?

Conclusion 

You have read the process above for connecting any printer to an iPad and now you know that there is no deep secret behind it. Through some basic steps, you can easily connect a hp, canon, or brother printer to an Apple device. However, it is vital to mention here that if you connect a printer to an iPad without AirPrint, the methods will be similar. By using the printer manufacturer’s app or Bluetooth or via USB cable, you can connect and print.  Also, learn to add a printer to your iPad pro, connect a printer to your iPhone and get to know the possible reasons if your printer is not connecting to your iPad. 

FAQ’s