Printing From an iPhone/iPad

I was recently asked how to print directly from an iPhone or iPad.

Surprisingly, it is not sufficient to use a printer connected to an Airport Express or Airport Extreme wireless network.

To print directly from an iPad / iPhone you need an AirPrint compatible printer or another device to act as a print server.

Here's a list of AirPrint compatible printers  

If you want to use an existing printer, it is possible but requires third party products.

A Mac computer can function as a print server for iPhones/iPads if you buy Printopia or HandyPrint 

The Mac must be "on" but may be asleep for them to work.

You can also buy this standalone print server.

I recently AirPrint enabled my mother's household using an HP 1606dn Laser Printer which is AirPrint enabled.    It is very simple to use  and unlike software-based solutions, it is operating system version neutral.