In the corner of my office, on top of my filing cabinet, sits a cheap, reliable printer.

Alas, my trusty Brother laser jet doesn’t support AirPrint. This means even though my iPhone and iPad have the option of printing, they can’t “see” my printer and therefore can’t print to it.

But! There is a solution that doesn’t requiring buying a new printer (though it might be worth it for the toner). There are some 3rd-party applications that you can install on your Mac to enable printing from your iPhone or iPad. These apps work by sharing the printers your Mac has access to and allowing iOS to see those printers as being AirPrint enabled. Thus bridging the gap between your iPhone and iPad and the printer.

There are a few decent apps that give you this functionality (and some include more features than other). Of the options out there, Printopia is my favorite.

Printopia (my favorite)

Jun 23, 2014 handyPrint V 5.0.7 – Works with OSX Lion 10.7, OSX Mountain Lion 10.8, and OSX Mavericks 10.9. Free with 14 day trial. License for a minimum donation of $5.00. HandyPrint Pro 5.0.4 – This version is more advanced with the feature set for server users.

1. HandyPrint, previously AirPrint Activator, is a small application that will enable AirPrint, a hidden feature to allow your shared printer to be visible on your iOS 4.2+ devices, in Mac OSX 10.5, 10.6 and 10.7.
2. Handy print in Norfolk is a premier design and digital printing company, offering a full line of commercial layout, publishing, and printing services.
3. Full list of the top Desktop Enhancements apps that are similar to handyPrint, including TinkerTool, Right Zoom, Smart Scroll, Docker, BetterSnapTool, HyperDock, TotalFinder, TextExpander.

Of the apps I tried, Printopia is clearly the best AirPrint enabler out there.

There are several reasons.

The premier feature of Printopia is, obviously, that it allows me to print to my home printers. With Printopia running on my Mac, my iPhone and iPad can see my laser printer and print to it so long as my iOS device and my Mac are on the same wireless network. Tip: To print from iOS Mail, hit the “Reply” button and you’ll see the option for printing.

Additionally, Printopia can “Print” to any folder on my Mac. Printing to a folder is just like the “Save as PDF…” options in your Mac’s print dialog box. Using Printopia to print to a folder means that whatever it is you’re printing gets saved as a PDF to that folder on your Mac. You can save it to a standard folder, a Dropbox folder, or send the file to an application (such as iPhoto, Yojimbo, Evernote, etc.)

For example, if I’m triaging email from my iPad and a receipt comes in, I can save it to the “Receipts” folder on my Mac. And, with an app like Hazel, I can set up all sorts of nerdy actions to process the files I print to my Mac.

In addition to printing to a folder, Printopia also allows me to “print” directly to an application, such as PDFpen. This is like taking a document on my phone and opening it in an application that’s on my Mac.

Handyprint Mac Download

Though I mostly use Printopia for printing out documents, it’s helpful to have these additional features available when I do want to use them.

Presto (for Windows users)

What was originally called Fingerprint has now been updated to Presto. Fingerprint was the first app I came across that could solve my AirPrint conundrum. I discovered Fingerprint when helping a friend set up AirPrint for his Windows-equipped office — we were searching for AirPrint enablers that worked on Windows.

Fingerprint used to have both a Mac and a Windows version, but now it is Windows only. If your home or office PC is a Windows machine, this may be the solution for you. Presto costs $1.95/month and not only does it allow you to print to your printers, but it also lets you to configure folders that you can print to on your computer.

But there was one critical deal breaker for me: Fingerprint runs in the Menu Bar. I am ardent about having as few icons in my Menu Bar as possible, and therefore I kept searching for alternatives.

handyPrint (less features, less money)

If all you want to do is print, then handyPrint may be the app for you. It is a pay-what-you-want application (you have to donate at least $1) and it does just one thing: takes the printers your Mac is connected to and makes them available as AirPrint enabled printers.

If you’re looking for the least expensive option to simply enable AirPrint for your iOS devices, then check out handyPrint.

Wrap up

In short, Printopia is my favorite because it’s feature rich, easy to set up, and extremely reliable.

You can try it out for free, and a license costs $20. If you want to read more, Dan Frakes wrote a review for Macworld and gave Printopia a score of “5 Mice,” the highest score that Macworld awards.

The age of Smartphones has ensured that every command that we would do on the desktop like print, share, or just view, is accessible to the Smartphone user. It is indeed important that such integration hits markets swiftly so that all of us can use different operations while on the go. Most of us have a Smartphone helping, guiding, and guarding us. Well, virtually, almost. The use of new applications has enabled the average Smartphone user to make the most of the files stored in his handheld device. Today, Android and iPhone mobiles boast of the largest number of integrated applications. And with AirPrint Activator, you have a whole new world of iDevices opening up in front of you!

What Is AirPrint Activator?

AirPrint Activator is a new-age printing software that can be used to share and print any file or data saved in an iPhone or iPad, using a common desktop set-up. The software is available for free and allows you to integrate the handheld device connected to the laptop or desktop into which it is installed. You can then connect the files directly from your device to the printer or scanner connected to the system and take printouts.

How to Install and Use AirPrint Activator?

Arguably, the software is available for free and can be installed from the website. The program, once installed, creates a WiFi server for printing and sharing that is accessible via IOS devices. The iDevices compatible with the AirPrint Activator are those developed on iOS version 4.2.1 and higher versions. The program comes complete with an Uninstaller that you will use when you upgrade the existing version of AirPrint Activator. The program installation is easy and does not require one to install a traditional iOS application. The program downloaded is available for Mac, and Windows devices. Some devices with a robust antivirus refuse to allow the installation. The user must uninstall the antivirus before starting with installation of AirPrint Activator, in such cases.

Once printer sharing starts, you have a host of options in the activities that you want to undertake using the program. The options, which appear in the left pane, are as follows:

• DVD or CD sharing
• Screen Sharing
• File Sharing
• Printer Sharing
• Scanner Sharing
• Web Sharing
• Remote Login
• Remote Management
• Remote Apple Events
• Xgrid Sharing
• Internet Sharing
• Bluetooth Sharing

The user is required to check the box against the activity he or she is interested in, and the program automatically allows you to integrate the handheld devices logged into the system to connect to and command the printer. A small step that requires you to integrate the printer set-up in the iPad or iPhone makes the process of connecting complete. This program is best used within local network setups and do not allow more than one option to be checked. Checking on each option in separate windows is safe and therefore, ideal.

Airprint

Main Advantages of Using Airprint Activator

The program creates a unique server that allows you to select any number of equipments to be connected to the printer or scanner. By using the program, you can actually use non-local printers and print files on your iPad or iPhone without much trouble. Designed to be highly effective in terms of speed and user-friendliness, the interface has an on/off switch on the left of the pane and the right pane shows you the list of all printers connected to the set-up. Detecting the right printer that you want to use and adding it to the iPad or iPhone is a matter of four to five clicks, completed in a few minutes. You can also remotely select the file and order the print. When selecting the printer, you can select multiple printers and connect them to the device. At a later stage, if you do not need the extra printer, simply un-checking the box next to it removes it from your connected printers list.

Whether you are attending a symposium and need to make an urgent presentation, or are simply holidaying in the Caribbean’s, when a business call requires action, your printing, sharing, and broadcasting options are readily available once you have a set-up equipped with AirPrint Activator. With web sharing and internet sharing options, allowing you to integrate new machines and include them in the local network, the process becomes easy. Remote management and logins are best used when multiple computers and handheld devices are to be integrated into the same system.

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