Print From iPhone to a Home Printer: AirPrint Explained

Learning how to print from iPhone to a home printer takes about a minute once the printer is on your network. Apple’s AirPrint is built into iPhones and iPads, so for compatible printers there is nothing to install. This guide covers the steps, the common snags, and what to check if you are choosing a printer for a home full of phones.

What AirPrint is

AirPrint is Apple’s driverless printing system. Your iPhone finds AirPrint printers on the local network and sends jobs in a format the printer understands, so you do not need a printer driver or the maker’s app. Many printers sold today support it. Android has a similar standard approach through Mopria-certified printers, and both build on the same family of network printing standards, including IPP Everywhere.

Before you start

• Check that the printer supports AirPrint. It is usually listed on the box, in the specifications or in the manual.
• Connect the printer to your Wi-Fi network using its control panel or setup routine. If you have not done this before, our step-by-step guide to connect a printer to Wi-Fi covers the setup wizard, WPS, the maker’s app and what to do when the printer cannot see your network.
• Join the same network on your iPhone. Apple’s support page says the printer and device need to be on the same Wi-Fi network. A guest network that isolates devices can stop them seeing each other.
• Wake the printer. A printer that has just been switched on may need a minute before it appears.

AirPrint does not use Bluetooth, and printers connected by USB to an Apple AirPort base station cannot use AirPrint.

How to print from iPhone or iPad

1. Open the document, web page, email or photo you want to print.
2. Tap the Share button or the Actions button (it may look like three dots).
3. Scroll down and tap Print. If you cannot see it, that app may not support printing.
4. Tap Printer and choose your AirPrint printer.
5. Set the number of copies, page range, colour and double-sided options where offered.
6. Tap Print.

Checking or cancelling a print job

While a job is printing, open the App Switcher and tap Print Center. Select the job to see its status, or tap Cancel Printing to stop it. You can also cancel from the printer’s own control panel.

If the printer does not appear

1. Confirm both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network, not a guest or a different band with device isolation.
2. Restart the printer and wait until it has fully started.
3. Turn Wi-Fi off and on again on the iPhone.
4. Print a network configuration page from the printer to confirm it has an IP address on your network.
5. Check the maker’s site for printer firmware updates.
6. If the printer still does not appear, the maker’s app may connect where AirPrint does not.

For deeper connection problems, a dedicated troubleshooting guide for your printer will go further than we do here; this site focuses on choosing and running a home printer.

When the printer loses the connection

A printer that worked last month and now does not appear on the iPhone has usually lost its place on the network rather than its AirPrint support. Common causes in a home:

• A new router or a changed Wi-Fi password. The printer still looks for the old network. Rerun its wireless setup from the control panel or app.
• The printer got a new IP address. Usually AirPrint copes, but some setups do not. Reserving an address for the printer in the router’s settings (often called DHCP reservation) keeps it stable.
• The phone joined a different network, such as a neighbour’s open hotspot, a mobile hotspot or a guest network.
• A VPN or privacy feature on the phone that routes traffic away from the local network. Pause it and try again.
• Mesh or extender quirks, where some access points keep devices apart. Try printing while the phone is in the same room as the printer.

Fix the network first; reinstalling apps rarely helps with AirPrint because there is nothing to install.

Printing photos from iPhone

AirPrint gives simple options for photos: paper size, number of copies and sometimes paper type. For the best photo results, set the paper type correctly and use real photo paper. If you print a lot of photos, a computer offers more control over colour and layout. See photo printing at home.

Choosing a printer for a phone-first home

If most printing in your home starts on a phone, check these before buying:

• AirPrint support for iPhones and iPads.
• Mopria certification for Android phones. In a mixed household, check both; our guide to print from an Android phone to a printer walks through the Android side, including the built-in print service and maker plug-ins.
• Wi-Fi Direct, which lets a phone connect straight to the printer when there is no router, for example in a holiday home.
• Cloud or app-based printing, if you want to print when away from home. This usually needs the maker’s app and an account.
• Automatic duplex, because phone print dialogues often make it easy to print many pages.

Driverless standards also mean computers rarely need the maker’s software these days; see do I need printer drivers. For the full buying checklist, read best printer for home use.

Saving ink and paper from your phone

Phone print dialogues default to printing everything. Set a page range, switch to black and white for text, and use double-sided where the option appears. Our guide to eco-friendly printing at home has more ideas.