PrintoPrinto › Print to a USB printer from iPhone
How to print from an iPhone to a USB printer
An iPhone can't print to a USB printer on its own, because there is no way to plug one in and no driver to run. A computer in between solves it.
USB printers are some of the most reliable ones around, and many of them are still perfectly good. The catch is that they were built to be driven by a computer, not by a phone, and an iPhone has no way to use a USB printer driver.
With Printo the USB printer stays plugged into your Mac or Windows PC. The iPhone app sends the file to the computer over the internet, and the Printo computer app passes it to the printer exactly as if you had pressed Print on the computer. You get phone printing without touching the printer's setup.
Print to a USB printer in three steps
- Connect the printer to your computerPlug the USB printer into the Mac or Windows PC and make sure a test page prints from the computer.
- Install and pair PrintoInstall the free Printo computer app, then scan the QR code it shows with the Printo app on your iPhone.
- Send the documentIn Printo on your iPhone pick the USB printer from the list, choose paper size and copies, and print.
Good to know
Works with the drivers you have
Printo uses the printer's normal computer driver, so paper sizes, trays and quality settings come from there.
One computer, several printers
Every printer the computer can use appears in the app, USB and network printers alike.
Documents are not kept
The file is deleted as soon as it is handed to the printer, or after 25 hours at most if it can't be delivered.
Questions
Can an iPhone print directly to a USB printer?
No. An iPhone can't run USB printer drivers. Printo sends the file to a computer that is connected to the printer and prints from there.
Does the USB printer need Wi-Fi?
No. The printer only needs to be connected to the computer by cable. Wi-Fi on the printer isn't used.
What if the computer is turned off?
The computer needs to be on with Printo running. If it is off, the print waits and you will see the status in the app.
Print from your iPhone to the printer you already have.
Install the free computer app on the Mac or Windows PC next to your printer, then pair your iPhone.