How to Print Something from Your Phone Wirelessly [2024]
- Even in our digital age, some documents still require physical copies, and printing from your phone is a convenient way to handle this.
- For Android, you can print wirelessly using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth by selecting the print option directly from your document. iPhone users can use AirPrint for compatible printers or the manufacturer's app if AirPrint isn't available.
- While printers have improved, they still face issues like expensive ink and maintenance. If you need one, budget-friendly options include the Brother MFC-J1010DW, the versatile HP OfficeJet Pro 9125e, or the high-capacity Canon Megatank GX4020.
Although we’ve mostly shifted towards keeping digital copies of nearly document in existence, there exist a few which you need to have in a physical form. Whether it’s your birth certificate, your driver’s license, an application form or your credit card, its seems humanity will never completely shift to a complete digital existence. Irrespective of the document, to achieve a physical existence, it must be printed.
Since most of us prefer to keep important documents on our phone for security and quick access, you’ll be looking to print the document through your phone. However, if you’re confused as to how can print a document through your phone, there’s no need to worry. We’ll be helping you out every step of the way. After all, it’s a rare occasion when one has to print documents through their phone.
Table of Contents
The Current State of Printers and Printing
Everyone’s considered buying a printer at some point in their lives, with half deciding against it after hearing complaints from the other half who went and bought one, about the tiresome maintenance they require and the expensive ink. Not to mention, the frustration of using the manufacturer’s software, which was often user-unfriendly. Well, there’s both good and bad news on that aspect.
The good news is that printers have improved in quality over the years. The bad news is that they still have to face the same issues, they did a decade ago, on a less frequent basis. That’s not to say that all printers are bad; some good ones have ended up lasting well over a decade. Still, why do printers still face the same issues as they did long ago? The answer can be narrowed down to 3 major reasons:
- Printers have a lot of moving parts, which causes a lot of wear and tear, requiring constant maintenance.
- Printer manufacturers are unwilling to improve on the printer’s quality, as they don’t really expect many people to buy them (on a consumer level). As such, a hybrid form of planned and unplanned obsolescence exists, where a printer may last a very short time, or if you’re lucky, several or more years.
- The ink cartridges/toner ink is expensive, and with each manufacturer’s printer accepting their specific cartridge, they can set the price to whatever they deem to be reasonable.
READ MORE: The 5 Best 3D Printers for Beginners in 2024 [All Budgets] ➜
How To Print Wirelessly via Android
While printers may not have seen substantial improvement, wireless printing sure has. Wireless printing has been around for a long time and has only improved in terms of ease and accessibility, especially when it comes to Android phones.
Today, you can wirelessly print via Bluetooth and Wi–Fi through your Android phone, or you can use the printer manufacturer’s app, although Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are more than enough to get the job done.
To print through your Android phone, follow the steps below:
- First off, make sure that both your printer and your phone are connected on the same Wi-Fi network. Alternatively, you can pair both your phone and printer via Bluetooth.
- Then, on your phone, open up the document you want to print. It should be a valid file format like .docx or a PDF file or an image file.
Open up the document that needs to be printed - Now, tap on the 3 vertical dots on the top-right corner and select the Print option.
Open the 3-dot menu and select “Print” - Depending on your device, it should take you to a preview of the file to be printed. Tap on the top bar which says “Save as PDF“.
Tap on “Save as PDF” - Select the “All printers…” option. Alternatively, if your printer is available on the list, choose that instead.
Select “All printers…” or, you can select your own printer if the option is present - If you chose the “All printers…” option, your phone should begin searching for nearby printers. Select your printer when it shows up.
Choose your printer when it appears in the scan - Choose your desired settings for printing and print the file.
READ MORE: How to Print Contacts from Android Phone ➜
Printing via iPhone Wirelessly
Printing wirelessly through iPhone is a bit tricky, as there are 2 options:
- Using Apple‘s built-in AirPrint feature
- Using the printer manufacturer’s app
For the most part, you can get by with AirPrint. However, some printers are a too old, or even if they’re not too old, they’re just incompatible with AirPrint. That’s where the printer manufacturer’s app comes in.
↪ Printing via AirPrint
To print via AirPrint, follow these steps:
- First, open up the document that needs to be printed on your iPhone.
Open up the document for printing - Now, tap on the Share icon on the bottom center.
The Share icon is a square with an arrow emerging through it - Next, scroll down to find the Print option.
Select “Print” - On the next screen, you’ll be able to configure some printing settings. Set them as per your requirements.
Set the printing settings as per your requirements - Finally, tap on the Printer option to select your printer.
Tap on “Printer” - Your iPhone will begin searching for compatible AirPrint printers in the vicinity. Select your printer when it appears and print your document.
Select your printer when it appears in the scan
The images for this section were taken from HOWTECH‘s channel on YouTube.
READ MORE: How to Print Documents & Photos from iPhone Easily [2024] ➜
↪ Printing via the manufacturer’s app
Some printers aren’t compatible with AirPrint. That’s where the printer manufacturer’s app will help you out. Besides allowing you to print documents wirelessly, you can also configure some settings on your printer through the app. To print a document through the printer’s app, follow the steps below. For the sake of this guide, we’ll be using the HP Smart app:
- Download the HP Smart app from the App Store.
Download the HP Smart App from the App Store - Create a HP account and use it to login to the app.
- Next, connect your printer to the app by following the instructions on the app.
- Once the printer is connected, scroll down and select Print Documents.
Select “Print Documents” - Next, you can import your documents from your cloud storage by linking your accounts to your HP account, or choose a local file. Select your desired option.
Choose the option from where you’ll be picking out your files - Next, select the file to be printed.
Select the file to be printed - You’ll now be shown a preview of what the printed output will be. Hold and drag the gray line upwards.
Hold down and drag the grey line upwards - You’ll now be able to configure your printed output settings. Choose the desired options.
Choose your desired options - Finally, scroll down and tap Print.
Your file will be printed - If the print operation was successful, you should see the following message where the Print button was present.
The following message will be displayed if the operation was a success
READ MORE: How to Setup and Configure a Wireless Printer in Windows 11 ➜
Best Wireless Printers for Your Phone
If you’re looking to print wirelessly on a regular basis, you must naturally be considering buying a printer. And as we said earlier, not all printers are bad nowadays, so hopefully you won’t have to face many problems after getting a new one. That said, it’s best to do some research before buying any electronic device, and printers are no different. So here are our top picks for the best printers you can get:
Best Printer under $100: Brother MFC-J1010DW
The Brother MFC-J1010DW is a budget-friendly printer designed mainly for home use. It has Wi–Fi, Bluetooth, and AirPrint capabilities, therefore making it really easy to print with. It’s also really easy to use, has both color and black-and-white print capabilities, and has decent enough print quality. The major downside is that it has no duplex scanning.
Best Printer under $300: HP OfficeJet Pro 9125e
The HP OfficeJet Pro 9125e is a mid-range all-in-one printer with a 2.7–inch touchscreen, both color and black-and-white, print capabilities, along with Wi–Fi, Bluetooth and AirPrint, even Ethernet connectivity and the option to print directly off a USB drive. Duplex scanning is also supported, and the best part is that it requires minimal maintenance. Unfortunately, it is only compatible with HP’s ink own cartridges.
Best Printer under $500: Canon Megatank GX4020
The Canon Megatank GX4020 is a powerhouse for its price. It’s main feature is its large ink tank, that allows you to print hundreds of pages without needing a refill. It also prints quite fast, and has great quality prints, although you might need to tinker with the settings a bit. With Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet and AirPrint capabilities, it might be a bit expensive, but at least you can do reprints without worries.
READ MORE: What Are the Best Types of Paper for Printing in 2024? ➜
Conclusion
For most of us nowadays, we don’t need printers that often and buying a printer is often redundant. Therefore, in the long run, it’s just best to use your local library or the local UPS print service to get all your printings done. At any rate, we know that printing can be quite a chore, so we hope that this helped you out.
FAQs
The proprietary monopoly over ink cartridges, constant moving parts and the manufacturer’s unwillingness to improve on the shortcomings are why printers are still quite terrible today.
On Android, you can make use of the built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities of both the phone and printer to print via system option, or you can also use the printer manufacturer’s app. For iOS, you can use the AirPrint feature with compatible printers, or use the printer manufacturer’s app.
The Brother MFC-J1010DW, at less than $100, is well worth its price. Meanwhile, the HP OfficeJet Pro 9125e costs less than $300, and is incredibly versatile. Finally, the Canon Megatank GX4020 has large inktank which allows you to print hundreds of pages before needing a refill.
In an age where most of our documents are stored in a digital format, there’s really no need to buy a printer, unless your job demands one. For the most part, use your local library or UPS service to get your prints done.
