You can directly print any document or image from your Android phone without saving the file or transferring it to a computer. We’ll show you several ways to connect nearby printers to your Android phone and get printouts.
Content
- Connect Your Physical Printer with Its Android Plugin App
- Use Your Phone’s Default Print Option
- Use a Third-Party Cloud-Printing App
- Connect Your Android Phone to a Printer-Enabled Computer Using USB Cable
Connect Your Physical Printer with Its Android Plugin App
Depending on your printer brand, you can search for its official plugin app on Google Play. The exact app name will also be listed in the printer specifications manual. Personally, I prefer this method as the app works most smoothly with the actual physical printer.
For this example we will use the HP Smart app which is recommended by HP Store. The first step is to set up the printer in the app. You can do this via Wi-Fi, or Ethernet. If both your phone and the printer are on the same Wi-Fi network, they will sync. You can now take printouts directly from your Android phone.
Once connected, I just have to click Print Photos or Print Documents. I can select any file and further have a Print Preview. After a selection is made, click Print.
Other company printer plugins apps may request permissions like Bluetooth, location services, Nearby Share, or Wi-Fi Direct. For a Wi-Fi Direct printer, enable Wi-Fi Direct to sync your printer with the app automatically. There’s no need to set up Wi-Fi manually.
Note: For printing from your iPhone or iPad, follow the steps here.
Use Your Phone’s Default Print Option
Every Android phone has a default print option that can easily sync with a network printer. It’s very simple to use and can be accessed directly from a photo or document file.
You may have multiple photo editors and as many PDF readers on your phone. Once you open a file with any of these apps, look for a three dot option which will display a Print button.
The next screens will lead you to select a Default Print service for your device. You can now connect a printer using Wi-Fi Direct or a common Wi-Fi network.
After you add the printer for the first time, you can directly print any documents or photos from your Android phone in the future.
Also read: check out how to stop Android apps running in the background.
Use a Third-Party Cloud-Printing App
If your printer does not have an official plugin in the Play Store, you can use a third-party cloud-printing app such as Cloud Print – Canon, Epson, HP. After installing the app, the cloud printer will access your Google account.
To add a network printer to the app, you can Search for it on the same Wi-Fi network. Another method is to enter its IP address, and there are multiple ways to obtain it. In Windows, open the Command prompt and enter netstat -r. It gives all the network destinations, including printers connected to a Wi-Fi router.
If your phone is connected to the same network as the printer, you shouldn’t have any trouble locating the printer.
Once a printer has been added, it’s a simple case of selecting a photo or document for printing tasks. You can also adjust the print settings, such as layout, paper size, and margins.
Other cloud printing services that are useful for printing from an Android phone include:
- Smart Print – Air Printer app: it’s similar to Apple’s AirPrint technology, useful in ensuring proper printing even at distant locations.
- Easy – PhotoPrint Editor: Canon’s all-in-one app to take printouts of multiple photos including photo IDs, collages, and more.
Related: before printing images on Android, you may want to extract text from it.
Connect Your Android Phone to a Printer-Enabled Computer Using USB Cable
If you have an older printer which does not connect in wireless mode, you can connect your Android phone to a printer-enabled computer using a USB cable.
On a Windows PC, go to Settings -> Bluetooth & devices. The Android phone should be visible here. Also, ensure that the Android phone is visible on your computer’s This PC location.
Download PrintHand Mobile Print app and go to Add Printer -> Windows Shared Printers -> Scan for Windows Share Printers. If there are any printers connected to the Windows device, they will show up here. Sharing has to be enabled for the computer-connected printer.
Once the printer is set up, go back to your Android phone to perform the printing action.
In this guide, we saw all the possible ways to print documents from your Android phone. Do note that printing directly from a phone directly affects its battery life as it requires both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to be on, which consumes a lot of power. Printing also requires background tasks which leads to battery drain. To ensure your phone’s battery lasts longer, follow our tried and tested recommendations.
Image credit: Close-up of Businessman Holding Cellphone for Printing Graph Paper by DepositPhotos
Sayak Boral –
Staff Writer
Sayak Boral is a technology writer with over eleven years of experience working in different industries including semiconductors, IoT, enterprise IT, telecommunications OSS/BSS, and network security. He has been writing for MakeTechEasier on a wide range of technical topics including Windows, Android, Internet, Hardware Guides, Browsers, Software Tools, and Product Reviews.
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