iPad/iPhone printing to HP Officejet 100 via Airport...
October 12, 2014 7:13 AM Subscribe
MobilePrintingFilter - I needed a diminutive printer, and only the HP Officejet 100 fit the bill. I've got it working fine from my Macbook via direct USB, via Bluetooth, and, having USB-connected it to the same Airport Extreme base station that delivers my internet connection, via Bonjour. Now all I'm missing is... printig to it from my iPad.
I was really hoping to crack setting up a way to print to it wirelessly from my our various iDevices - which famously can't use their Bluetooth for printing. I found this solution, which seemed ideal, but I'm having trouble replicating it, partly because it's unclear whether the same Airport base can be both as the Internet router AND for the IP of the printer.
Without resetting my Airport base, I've managed to reach the printer from my iPhone by typing the base's I.P 10.0.1.1:9100 (as found here) into the Safari address bar. It printed a page saying:
GET / HTTP/1.1
Host: 10.0.1.1:9100
Accept: text/html, application/xhtml+xml,application/xml;q=0.9,*/*;q=0.8
Accept-Language: it-it
Connection: keep-alive
Accept-Encoding: gzip, deflate
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 7_1_2 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/
This means at the very least that the iPhone sees the Printer over WiFi LAN created by the Airport Extreme. How to arrive at actual printing?
I was really hoping to crack setting up a way to print to it wirelessly from my our various iDevices - which famously can't use their Bluetooth for printing. I found this solution, which seemed ideal, but I'm having trouble replicating it, partly because it's unclear whether the same Airport base can be both as the Internet router AND for the IP of the printer.
Without resetting my Airport base, I've managed to reach the printer from my iPhone by typing the base's I.P 10.0.1.1:9100 (as found here) into the Safari address bar. It printed a page saying:
GET / HTTP/1.1
Host: 10.0.1.1:9100
Accept: text/html, application/xhtml+xml,application/xml;q=0.9,*/*;q=0.8
Accept-Language: it-it
Connection: keep-alive
Accept-Encoding: gzip, deflate
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 7_1_2 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/
This means at the very least that the iPhone sees the Printer over WiFi LAN created by the Airport Extreme. How to arrive at actual printing?
2nding Printopia. Why Apple didn't make it possible to automatically share Mac-connected printers to iDevices on the same network is completely beyond me. It seems to be such a simple, obvious thing for them to do, but they haven't done it. The oversight is Microsoft-level blindness to user needs.
posted by caution live frogs at 8:27 AM on October 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by caution live frogs at 8:27 AM on October 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I'd go for Printopia, but that's not going to be a solution when there's only iDevices in the house...
Is the first-linked workaround practicable with only one airport express (providing both internet plus an ip over wifi for the usb-connected printer), or does it need an Airport dedicated to that purpose only?
posted by progosk at 8:58 AM on October 12, 2014
Is the first-linked workaround practicable with only one airport express (providing both internet plus an ip over wifi for the usb-connected printer), or does it need an Airport dedicated to that purpose only?
posted by progosk at 8:58 AM on October 12, 2014
Why go though all the hassle, just buy an AirPrint compatible printer...
posted by Mac-Expert at 10:59 AM on October 12, 2014
posted by Mac-Expert at 10:59 AM on October 12, 2014
The AirPort can function both as a print server and as a router. Yours is currently, as a matter of fact (your IP test confirms this). The article you linked to was written up by someone who just wanted the AirPort to be a print server so it really doesn't help you out any. (As an aside, those instructions seem needlessly complex to me.. I can see no reason why you'd need to have a totally separate wireless network just for printing when the AirPort doesn't necessarily have to work as a router. It'll connect to a WiFi network and provide printing services just fine.) You may want to fire up the AirPort Utility app to make sure the printer sharing stuff is set up, but from your description it appears to be on.
This, however, is the real test of whether or not it works: does it show up when you try to print something from one of your iOS devices? If it doesn't, then.. you're pretty well stuck. The AirPort devices let you share a printer out wirelessly but you still have to have a driver on the other end of the equation there. If you're really committed to that printer you'll have to put Printopia on your MacBook to get your iDevices to print to it. If not (or if the MacBook you mentioned isn't actually yours or something), you'll need to replace it with a printer that does support AirPrint.
posted by mrg at 12:22 PM on October 12, 2014
This, however, is the real test of whether or not it works: does it show up when you try to print something from one of your iOS devices? If it doesn't, then.. you're pretty well stuck. The AirPort devices let you share a printer out wirelessly but you still have to have a driver on the other end of the equation there. If you're really committed to that printer you'll have to put Printopia on your MacBook to get your iDevices to print to it. If not (or if the MacBook you mentioned isn't actually yours or something), you'll need to replace it with a printer that does support AirPrint.
posted by mrg at 12:22 PM on October 12, 2014
AirPrint with a non-AirPrint printer? No guarantee of Macs in the house? You want an AirPrint server. Lantronix xPrintServer is probably what you're looking for.
posted by Talez at 12:36 PM on October 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Talez at 12:36 PM on October 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
Connecting the printer to the network just makes it available, you still need to install printing software on your computer. Portable devices a limited in this regard. Thats why the industry settled on AirPrint.
Yes indeed if you don't have a computer on your network that can run Printopia or a similar software 24/7 you need an AirPrint server like like the one Talez suggest.
posted by Mac-Expert at 12:59 PM on October 12, 2014
Yes indeed if you don't have a computer on your network that can run Printopia or a similar software 24/7 you need an AirPrint server like like the one Talez suggest.
posted by Mac-Expert at 12:59 PM on October 12, 2014
Response by poster: Thanks, talez - since I am committed to the OJ 100 for now, that xPrintServer looks cut out for the job. But before I shell out for it: what exactly does it do that my Airport-Extreme-as-print-server wouldn't (and that the Airport Express with static IP in the linked solution seemed to)?
posted by progosk at 1:43 PM on October 12, 2014
posted by progosk at 1:43 PM on October 12, 2014
Thanks, talez - since I am committed to the OJ 100 for now, that xPrintServer looks cut out for the job. But before I shell out for it: what exactly does it do that my Airport-Extreme-as-print-server wouldn't (and that the Airport Express with static IP in the linked solution seemed to)?
It translates AirPrint into something your printer can understand.
posted by Talez at 2:00 PM on October 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
It translates AirPrint into something your printer can understand.
posted by Talez at 2:00 PM on October 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
If you know someone who's handy with Linux, you can buy a Raspberry Pi for 30 euros to perform the same job.
posted by Monochrome at 4:58 PM on October 12, 2014
posted by Monochrome at 4:58 PM on October 12, 2014
Response by poster: Ok, AirPort Extreme doesn't "speak" AirPrint - but then how does AirPort Express work in the linked solution? She configures it to have a static IP, connects the printer to its USB, and then connects her iPad via WiFi to that IP and is able to print. Where's the iPad's AirPrint instructions being translated? (I ask because I might be able to source an Express cheaper than the xPrintServer.)
Monochrome, R Pi is out of my league, but there's just been a Maker Faire here, I'll chase up some local leads, thanks!
And re:Printopia - I've seen Handyprint (formerly AirPrint Activator) suggested as a valid alternative - any experiences to the contrary?
posted by progosk at 11:37 PM on October 12, 2014
Monochrome, R Pi is out of my league, but there's just been a Maker Faire here, I'll chase up some local leads, thanks!
And re:Printopia - I've seen Handyprint (formerly AirPrint Activator) suggested as a valid alternative - any experiences to the contrary?
posted by progosk at 11:37 PM on October 12, 2014
The guide doesn't specifically mention AirPrint. As a matter of fact, one of the replies asks the poster what print app she uses.
posted by Monochrome at 5:45 PM on October 13, 2014
posted by Monochrome at 5:45 PM on October 13, 2014
Response by poster: I haven't really dedicated enough energy to replicating the first-linked, seeming direct-printing solution, and I've so far decided not to invest on the xPrintServer Talez suggests - but (also for the sake of closure): currently Handyprint is a fine solution for the job that Printopia also promises, and it's donationware.
posted by progosk at 1:32 PM on November 15, 2014
posted by progosk at 1:32 PM on November 15, 2014
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Mac-Expert at 7:21 AM on October 12, 2014 [1 favorite]