AirPrint from any printer

    A few days ago I started to look for ways to print from iPhone 4S. I am not really sure why, it just seemed like something I should be able to do. As it turns out Apple want's you to use only those printers that support "AirPrint". As with everything Apple related, there is always another way. I found two.

    Finger Print, from Collobos Software is by far the best application I have found for getting around the limitations set by Apple. As you can see, I have used the evaluation version, but at only $9.99 for both osX and Microsoft Windows, it really is a great deal. It not only allows you to print, but also lets you open documents on your computer, save to dropbox, or if you have a Mac, open an image directly in iPhoto. The best thing about Finger Print is that it just works.

    However, there is also a free solution.

    Air Print Activator from Netputting.com is a free PrefPane application. The only limitation is, it just prints to a printer. While Finger Print has many more "print options" that fall in to the "nice-to-have" category, Air Print Activator is completely free to download, but is also only available for osX. Once installed you will find it in System Preferences. If you don't see your printer listed right away, give the application two or three minutes to really get working. 

    Air Print Activator also gives me a warning about running my Firewall in stealth mode, but my iPhone 4S had no trouble locating the printer and using it once it turned up in the list. 

    So there, you have it. You have two options for using AirPrint with your iOS devices without the need to purchase a special printer. 

    Until next time ....