Since 2010, AirPrint has been Apple’s driverless printing technology, allowing iPhone, iPad and Mac users to print wirelessly to compatible printers without installing specific drivers for those printers.
It’s a handy feature for Apple users, since it makes mobile printing from an iPad, iPhone or Mac super simple. But on the flipside, organizations may need additional print management to scale AirPrint securely across multiple networks, users and locations. That’s the tricky bit. Hopefully this AirPrint guide gives you everything you need to know about Apple’s Airprint technology.
What is Apple AirPrint?
AirPrint is a technology that lets Apple devices discover and print to compatible printers over a network, without the hassle of traditional print drivers. It’s been part of the iOS feature set since November 2010.
With AirPrint, rather than downloading and installing clunky software for a specific printer, users can just select Print from a supported app, choose an AirPrint-enabled printer, and send the document. Wham, bam, etc.
AirPrint works across most Apple devices, including iPhone, iPad, and Mac computers. For home users, this makes wireless printing pretty straightforward. In businesses and schools, however, there can be a few extra considerations around aspects like network configuration, network security, printer access, and managing large numbers of BYOD devices.
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How does AirPrint work?
AirPrint uses network discovery to find compatible printers and send print jobs over a configured IP network. The device can be connected via Wi-Fi or ethernet. It bypasses traditional driver installs by using standard network protocols. In other words, your Apple device and AirPrint-enabled printer speak a common language. No need for a translator (aka print driver).
In a typical AirPrint workflow:
- The Apple device connects to the network.
- AirPrint discovers compatible printers available on that network.
- The user selects Print from a supported app.
- They choose an available printer.
- The job is sent to that printer.
The important bit to remember is that AirPrint is not a complete print management system. It handles the driverless printing side of things, but it doesn’t provide the centralized authentication, access, encryption, logging, or print security controls that a comprehensive print management system does.
When was AirPrint introduced?
Apple introduced AirPrint in 2010 as a way to make wireless printing from iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices easier.
The goal was less about creating a brand-new form of printing and more about removing one of the biggest barriers to mobile printing: the need to install printer-specific driver software. Over time, AirPrint support became common across major printer manufacturers, making driverless printing increasingly standard for consumers and Mac-friendly organizations. These days, it’s unusual to find an MFD from a reputable brand that doesn’t support AirPrint.
How do you use AirPrint?
If you have an AirPrint-compatible printer and your Apple device and printer are connected to the same network, printing is easy.
How to print from an iPhone or iPad:
- Open the app containing the document, photo, email or webpage you want to print.
- Tap the Share or More button.
- Select Print.
- Tap No Printer Selected or the printer field.
- Select your AirPrint-compatible printer.
- Toggle your print options.
- Tap Print.
Keep in mind, not every app supports printing, so the Print option may not necessarily appear. This is one of AirPrint’s limitations – while it’s great, it’s not a universal miracle print machine.
How to print from a Mac:
- Open the document or file.
- Select File > Print.
- Select an AirPrint-compatible printer.
- Toggle your print settings.
- Select Print.
Why can’t I find my AirPrint printer?
If your AirPrint printer isn’t appearing, some of the most common causes include network connectivity, printer compatibility, printer status, or network segmentation.
If you see ‘No AirPrint Printers Found’, check these areas first:
Are the devices on the same network?
AirPrint relies on network discovery, so if the Apple device and printer are on different networks, or isolated VLANs, they may not be able to see each other.
This is a big one for business and education environments, where wireless clients, printers, and guest devices may be separated into different network segments (which is usually security best-practice).
Is the printer AirPrint-compatible?
If you’re on the right network, the next step is to check that the printer actually supports AirPrint, and that this feature is enabled. Apple has a handy list of AirPrint-friendly models, if you need to check your machine.
Is the printer connected and ready?
When in doubt, double-check your printer’s network connection, power and status. A printer that’s offline or disconnected from the network obviously won’t be able to AirPrint.
Are multiple subnets preventing discovery?
Large organizations often divide their networks into multiple subnets or VLANs. AirPrint discovery may not always work across these boundaries (at least, without the appropriate network configuration).
This is one reason AirPrint can be easy to use at home but a bit of a hassle to deploy across a large organization.
AirPrint uses Bonjour (Multicast DNS or mDNS) to discover printers. And by default, mDNS is local to a subnet, so an iPhone on a staff Wi-Fi VLAN (for example) won’t automatically see an AirPrint printer on a separate printer VLAN. Enterprise networks may need to use a Bonjour gateway or other service-discovery configuration to make Bonjour services available across larger networks.
How can businesses scale AirPrint?
AirPrint works great when a small number of users need to print to a small number of printers. That’s its sweet spot. Enterprise and education printing environments are a whole different ballgame: how do you make simple driverless printing work across hundreds or thousands of users and devices and segmented networks?
IT teams may need to manage:
- Multiple offices, campuses or locations
- Wi-Fi networks and VLANs
- Large fleets of legacy printers
- Printer access by department, class or user
- Secure release of sensitive documents
- Mobile and BYOD printing
- Print costs and usage
- Troubleshooting and support
Enterprise print management sits between users and the physical printer fleet, providing centralized control while maintaining a simple printing experience. With the right vendor, it’s also AirPrint compatible.
The result is a pretty good combo: AirPrint provides the driverless user experience, while print management provides all the backend admin stuff, access controls, encryption and visibility needed to operate printing at scale.
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Is AirPrint suitable for business and education?
Very much yes. AirPrint can be very useful in business and education, since users can print from iPhones, iPads, and Macs without installing traditional printer drivers. The catch is that AirPrint alone may not provide all the controls your organization needs.
For more complex environments or mixed device fleets, on the other hand, you might need to combine AirPrint with appropriate network configuration and print management tools, to control access, protect sensitive documents and boost your print visibility.
This is especially relevant for BYOD environments, where employees or students may be printing from their personal iPhones, iPads, and Mac computers.
Think of it this way: AirPrint makes printing easier. Print management is what makes it manageable – and safe.
AirPrint did change the game for mobile printing in 2010, helping establish driverless printing as a genuine, practical expectation: open a document, select Print and choose a nearby printer.
For organizations, the challenge is still in how to extend that simplicity across a complex environment, without sacrificing any security, visibility or control. That’s where print management comes in.
Want to configure AirPrint in your business? Give us a call and we’ll tailor a solution to fit your needs.
