Does iOS 4.2's "airprint" print to a printer attached to an airport extreme?
I know my question will be answered when I get home for the day and update my iOS devices with 4.2 but im wondering if the airprint utility works with printers that are attached to an airport extreme base station.
I have a newer HP printer (a year old) that is not wireless but I have it connected to my airport extreme base station to make it wireless. It seems that it would be fairly simple for apple to make it work, but for some reason I have a feeling apple would have been advertising that so they can get people to buy the airport/ time capsule routers.
I know they stated that it works with printers attached to a mac or pc (at least they did at first, im not sure if they ironed out that kink or not) so I suppose it being attached to a router is the same, if not better.
Anyone test it out yet?
I have a newer HP printer (a year old) that is not wireless but I have it connected to my airport extreme base station to make it wireless. It seems that it would be fairly simple for apple to make it work, but for some reason I have a feeling apple would have been advertising that so they can get people to buy the airport/ time capsule routers.
I know they stated that it works with printers attached to a mac or pc (at least they did at first, im not sure if they ironed out that kink or not) so I suppose it being attached to a router is the same, if not better.
Anyone test it out yet?
Comments
BUT...
...only if you have a turned-on-and-not-sleeping computer on the network that the Airport Extreme is generating, which to my mind, somewhat defeats the purpose of printing from one's iPhone. If I have my laptop on and open in the same house as the iPhone, I can easily just print from it rather than the iPhone (and have more options from which to use in the print dialog box).
What needs to happen, eventually, is for the necessary Airprint "server" info to be put into a firmware update for Airport Extreme base stations and Express units. Then, a computer would be out of the loop. Don't know if that's possible, but it seems like it could be. I sure hope that's the direction in which they are moving, since there are many times my laptop (the only computer in the house) is off and in a backpack when I decide there is something I would like to print from my iPhone to my network connected HP 1200.
I know my question will be answered when I get home for the day and update my iOS devices with 4.2 but im wondering if the airprint utility works with printers that are attached to an airport extreme base station.
I have a newer HP printer (a year old) that is not wireless but I have it connected to my airport extreme base station to make it wireless. It seems that it would be fairly simple for apple to make it work, but for some reason I have a feeling apple would have been advertising that so they can get people to buy the airport/ time capsule routers.
I know they stated that it works with printers attached to a mac or pc (at least they did at first, im not sure if they ironed out that kink or not) so I suppose it being attached to a router is the same, if not better.
Anyone test it out yet?
Yes, AirPrint will work with any printers attached to an Airport Extreme Base station (assuming you've done the "hack" which involves changing 3 cups-related files -- you can find the instructions with a little web searching),
BUT...
...only if you have a turned-on-and-not-sleeping computer on the network that the Airport Extreme is generating, which to my mind, somewhat defeats the purpose of printing from one's iPhone. If I have my laptop on and open in the same house as the iPhone, I can easily just print from it rather than the iPhone (and have more options from which to use in the print dialog box).
What needs to happen, eventually, is for the necessary Airprint "server" info to be put into a firmware update for Airport Extreme base stations and Express units. Then, a computer would be out of the loop. Don't know if that's possible, but it seems like it could be. I sure hope that's the direction in which they are moving, since there are many times my laptop (the only computer in the house) is off and in a backpack when I decide there is something I would like to print from my iPhone to my network connected HP 1200.
While it would be a great feature and one I have been hoping they will announce, the answer is no, AirPrint will not print to an Airport printer unless you have a Mac or PC that is sharing it out (and using the hack). The ability to print to an AirPort printer would mean no need for a Mac/PC to act as the intermediary. The fact that you need one, shows that you are not technically printing to an airport printer, but instead are printing to a printer shared by a computer, regardless of how it is connected to the printer (wifi, ethernet, USB, etc).
This would be the killed feature to put into AirPrint. Airport already makes its printer discoverable via Bonjour, which is how AirPrint find them. It would be a matter of a firmware update to Airport, and probably a pretty large one as it would have to include whatever universal driver they are using. Because of this, I doubt they will do it, but would love for them to prove me wrong.
If it needs a hack/jailbreak... then, as an APPLE touted feature, it doesn't work.
It seems odd that Apple (with access to private API's) couldn't pull this off, while third party apps (even "legitimate" ones) have been able to print from iPhones and iPads since... well... since forever.
While it would be a great feature and one I have been hoping they will announce, the answer is no, AirPrint will not print to an Airport printer unless you have a Mac or PC that is sharing it out (and using the hack). The ability to print to an AirPort printer would mean no need for a Mac/PC to act as the intermediary. The fact that you need one, shows that you are not technically printing to an airport printer, but instead are printing to a printer shared by a computer, regardless of how it is connected to the printer (wifi, ethernet, USB, etc).
It makes sense that the process would be more complicated if it had to go through a computer but with the airport extreme it only connects to that. No computer needs to be one. The neighbor could use it.
It would make sense that the airprint feature could pick up wifi printers in general, rather than the special HP eprint or whatever they are called. But its obviously more complicated than we all think or else apple would be on top of it.
Unless its a conspiracy and HP is giving them kickbacks . . . im going to go with the former since i like to think conspiracies are rare/ nonexistant.
In other words, AirPrint doesn't work.
If it needs a hack/jailbreak... then, as an APPLE touted feature, it doesn't work.
It seems odd that Apple (with access to private API's) couldn't pull this off, while third party apps (even "legitimate" ones) have been able to print from iPhones and iPads since... well... since forever.
I'm fairly disappointed in AirPrint.
I have an AEBS and my printer is hooked up to it. It sucks that I can't print from it from my iPad. I guess I could get a new AirPrint printer but I'd really rather not.