AirPrint: Print to HP printers from Apple devices
HP and Apple's new AirPrint technology allows you to print directly to an HP ePrint-capable printer from Apple iOS devices without downloading drivers.
HP this week unveiled AirPrint wireless printing technology for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, available with Apple iOS 4.2 as a free software update. With the embedded printing feature of applications running on devices, users can automatically search for HP ePrint-ready printers on Wi-Fi wireless networks and start printing at the touch of a button. They can do all this without having to install drivers or download software.
What makes HP’s existing and future ePrint-ready printers unique is that they support direct printing from iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch with AirPrint technology. Currently, no other printer vendor offers this capability. This allows HP customers to print anywhere, anytime, anytime - with no time or space constraints.
AirPrint technology is already included in many HP ePrint-ready printers available in Europe. These include e.g. Photosmart printers for home use, and Officejet / Officejet Pro and LaserJet Pro printers. AirPrint is currently available on 12 HP ePrint-capable printers, including the HP ENVY100 e-AiO. In the future, all HP ePrint-ready printers will work with AirPrint software.
Apple iOS application developers have been given the opportunity to add printing functionality directly to their applications using an SDK released by Apple in September. So this feature is expected to appear in more and more applications.
Wireless printing from Apple mobile devices with HP ePrint-ready printers is the second wireless printing solution from HP since the introduction of HP ePrint. With HP ePrint, users can print from anywhere in the world, from any Internet-ready mobile device, by sending e-mail directly to a unique e-mail address on an HP ePrint-capable printer.
With the introduction of AirPrint, HP is already supporting printing from mobile devices in three ways:
- With the cloud-based HP ePrint solution, you can print from any mobile device from anywhere in the world from where you can send email.
- AirPrint natively embeds printing functionality in an operating system that connects to HP ePrint-ready printers.
- And mobile applications and drivers provide the ability to print even where an embedded solution is not available.
