How to Print from iPhone and Android

Gone are the days when printing required sitting at a desktop computer with a USB cable running to your printer. Today you can print photos, documents, emails, and web pages directly from your iPhone or Android phone in just a few taps. Whether you are printing a boarding pass before heading to the airport or a recipe while standing in the kitchen, mobile printing is fast, easy, and supported by virtually every modern printer. This guide covers every method available so you can find the one that works best for your setup.

Print from iPhone Using AirPrint

AirPrint is Apple's built-in wireless printing technology. It requires no drivers, no apps, and no setup — as long as your printer supports AirPrint and is connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your iPhone, it just works.

Requirements

• An AirPrint-compatible printer (most printers made after 2012 support it).
• Both your iPhone and printer connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
• iOS 4.2 or later (every current iPhone supports this).

Step-by-step instructions

1. Open the document, photo, email, or web page you want to print.
2. Tap the Share button (the square with an upward arrow) or look for a Print option in the app's menu.
3. Scroll down in the share sheet and tap Print.
4. Tap Select Printer and choose your printer from the list of detected AirPrint printers.
5. Adjust settings like the number of copies, page range, and paper size as needed.
6. Tap Print in the top-right corner.

Supported apps

AirPrint works from almost every app on your iPhone, including Safari, Mail, Photos, Notes, Files, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Google Docs, and Microsoft Office. If an app has a Share button, it almost certainly supports AirPrint.

Print from Android

Android has a built-in print framework that works similarly to AirPrint. Most modern Android phones (running Android 8.0 or later) can discover and print to Wi-Fi printers without installing any additional apps.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Open the file, photo, or web page you want to print.
2. Tap the three-dot menu (or the Share button, depending on the app) and select Print.
3. Android will search for available printers on your Wi-Fi network. Select your printer from the dropdown at the top of the print preview.
4. Adjust settings including copies, paper size, orientation, and color vs. black and white.
5. Tap the Print button (the printer icon) to send the job.

If your printer doesn't appear

Go to Settings → Connected devices → Connection preferences → Printing on your Android phone. Make sure the Default Print Service is turned on. If your printer still does not show up, install the manufacturer's print plugin from the Google Play Store (see the next section).

Using Manufacturer Apps

Every major printer brand offers a free mobile app that provides more features than the built-in print services, including scanning, ink level monitoring, and direct photo printing.

HP Smart

The HP Smart app (available for iOS and Android) is HP's all-in-one mobile printing solution. It supports printing photos, documents, and web content, and includes a built-in scanner that uses your phone's camera. HP Smart also monitors ink levels and can order replacement cartridges automatically. See our HP printer guide for more setup details.

Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY

The Canon PRINT app supports wireless printing and scanning for Canon inkjet and SELPHY printers. It lets you print photos from your camera roll, documents from cloud storage, and web pages directly. The app also provides access to maintenance functions like nozzle checks and print head alignment. For more on Canon maintenance, visit our Canon printer guide.

Epson iPrint

Epson iPrint supports printing from your phone to any Wi-Fi-enabled Epson printer. It handles photos, documents, web pages, and email attachments, and provides access to Epson's Creative Print feature for collages, greeting cards, and stationery. The app also supports Epson's Remote Print feature for printing to an Epson printer anywhere in the world over the internet. Learn more in our Epson printer guide.

Brother iPrint&Scan

Brother iPrint&Scan works with Brother inkjet and laser printers. It supports printing photos, documents, and web pages, plus scanning directly to your phone. The app also lets you check ink and toner levels and access your printer's maintenance functions.

Wi-Fi Direct Printing

Wi-Fi Direct lets your phone connect directly to the printer without needing a router or existing Wi-Fi network. This is especially useful in locations where there is no wireless network available, or when you want a quick one-time connection.

How Wi-Fi Direct works

When Wi-Fi Direct is enabled, the printer creates its own mini Wi-Fi network. Your phone connects to this network the same way it would connect to any other Wi-Fi hotspot. Once connected, you can print just as you would on a regular network.

When to use it

• You are in a hotel room, office, or classroom without access to the local Wi-Fi.
• Your home router is down but you need to print something immediately.
• You are at a client's location and need to use their printer without joining their network.

Setup steps

1. Enable Wi-Fi Direct on your printer. This is usually found in the printer's Network Settings or Wi-Fi Setup menu.
2. The printer will display its Wi-Fi Direct name (e.g., DIRECT-xx-HP OfficeJet) and password.
3. On your phone, go to Wi-Fi settings and connect to the printer's Wi-Fi Direct network using the displayed password.
4. Open the file you want to print, tap Print, and select the printer.
5. After printing, reconnect your phone to your regular Wi-Fi network.

Note that while connected via Wi-Fi Direct, your phone will not have internet access since it is connected to the printer's network instead of your router.

Print via Email

Several printer manufacturers let you send documents to your printer via email. The printer has its own email address, and anything you send to that address gets printed automatically. This works from any device with email, including phones, tablets, and computers.

HP ePrint

HP assigns a unique email address to each connected printer (e.g., yourprinter@hpeprint.com). Enable HP ePrint through the HP Smart app or the printer's control panel. Then simply email your document or photo to the printer's address and it will print automatically. You can customize which email addresses are allowed to send jobs to prevent unauthorized use.

Epson Email Print

Epson Connect provides a similar feature. Register your printer at the Epson Connect portal to get its email address. Attachments and the body of the email will both print. Supported file types include PDF, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and common image formats.

Other brands

Canon offers a similar service through its Canon PRINT app, and Brother provides Brother Web Connect for cloud-based printing. Check your printer's documentation or the manufacturer's app to see if email printing is available for your model.

Troubleshooting Mobile Printing

Mobile printing is usually straightforward, but here are solutions for the most common issues.

Phone can't find the printer

• Verify both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network. This is the most common cause.
• Restart both the printer and your phone. This refreshes the network connection and clears temporary glitches.
• Make sure the printer's Wi-Fi is enabled and connected. Many printers have a physical Wi-Fi button that can be accidentally turned off.
• Move closer to the router. Weak Wi-Fi signals can prevent device discovery.

Print job sent but nothing prints

• Check the printer for error lights or messages — it may be out of paper, ink, or have a paper jam.
• Open the manufacturer's app and check the print queue for stuck jobs.
• Power-cycle the printer: turn it off, wait 30 seconds, then turn it back on and try again.

Poor print quality from phone

• Check the print quality settings. Mobile print dialogs often default to "Draft" or "Normal" quality. Switch to Best or High Quality for important documents and photos.
• For photo printing, make sure you are using photo paper and have selected the correct paper type in the print settings. The wrong paper type setting can cause smudging and dull colors.
• If colors look off, you can use our RGB to CMYK converter to preview how your screen colors will translate to print.

App crashes or freezes during printing

• Update the manufacturer's app to the latest version from the App Store or Play Store.
• Clear the app's cache (on Android: Settings → Apps → select the app → Clear Cache).
• If the app continues to crash, uninstall and reinstall it.
• As a workaround, use the built-in print service (AirPrint or Android Default Print Service) instead of the manufacturer app.

Verify Your Mobile Print Setup

Once you have mobile printing working, it is a good idea to print a test page to confirm everything is set up correctly. A test page verifies that the connection is stable, colors are accurate, and print quality meets your expectations.

• Open our color test page in your phone's browser and print it to verify that all colors come through accurately.
• Print our black and white test page to check text sharpness and grayscale gradients.
• For photo printing, try our photo quality test page to evaluate color reproduction, shadow detail, and highlight clarity on your chosen paper.

If the test pages look good, you are all set. You can print anything from your phone with confidence that the output will match what you see on screen.