Modern technology is designed to make life easier for its users. One of these features is remote listing of files without getting up. It is suitable for all Android-based mobile devices. In this article, we’ll look at ways to connect a printer to a tablet and print a photo.
USB cable
The easiest way to connect to the printer is via a USB cable. Almost all models of modern peripheral devices have an input for this cable, so the use of equipment is greatly simplified. However, before operation, it is worth clarifying some features in order to connect the printer to the tablet via USB:
- First, you need to make sure that you have an OTG cable from USB to micro USB, but you need it in order to connect both devices. The standard adapters that come with the kit do not always work.
- Secondly, the mobile device must support OTG mode. This extension, created specifically for the USB port, which makes it possible to fully use it. Tablet computers with OTG are able to support a separate keyboard, mouse, joystick, gamepad, webcam.
If you need to organize a system with several components, you will need a USB-HUB. This device is for connecting two or more peripheral gadgets. In this case, the tablet must be connected to the network, since such a load leads to a fast discharge of the battery.
Many users cannot independently determine whether the tablet supports this mode. If the technical manual is retained from the device, information on the support of OTG should be indicated there. If not, you can search for it in various forums.
To work through Android, drivers are required, it is not at all easy to search for them yourself; installing the Printer Share application will help here. This software with drivers for a variety of devices that allows you to quickly connect printers.
Wifi
One of the most convenient ways to print photos or documentation from a tablet to a printer is to use Wi-Fi. All tablets have a connection function through this module. But in this case, a problem may arise with the printer, since there is Wi-Fi only in modern models.
After making sure that data can be transferred via Wi-Fi, they go to the Printer Share utility from the tablet and specify the Wi-Fi printer as the source. It is important that the wireless module is activated on two devices. In some cases, when connecting, you need to synchronize.
Bluetooth
The printout using Bluetooth is in many ways similar to the previous method, however, it is used much more often, since this function is more common in printers. For work, you will also need the Printer Share application or any other analogue. Next, you need to make sure that bluetooth is active on the printer and tablet, and proceed with the following steps:
- Launch the Printer Share utility and click the “Select” button.
- In the window that opens, they find and select the line Bluetooth-printer.
- Then the tablet searches for available devices and displays them in a list, you need to select your printer, and then the connection starts.
- After that, in the “Menu” tab, select the file to print.
Management is as simple as possible. If a good connection is established, the whole process is reduced to successive pressing of several buttons.
Google cloud print
Google’s developers have set up a service to print files remotely under the name Google Cloud Print. It allows using a mobile device to activate a printer at home or at work, provided it is connected to a computer. Below is a step-by-step instruction on how to connect the printer to a tablet and print:
- A Google Chrome browser is installed on the computer.
- The Google Cloud Print utility is downloaded to the tablet, and you must have an account registered in Google.
- Next, you need to open a browser and go to the menu located in the upper right corner of the page.
- In the window that opens, select the line "Settings", and then click "Show advanced settings" at the bottom.
- Find the line "Google Cloud Print" and click the "Add Printers" button, select your device from the results.
- After that, the Cloud Print program is launched on the tablet and synchronization is performed.
- It remains to select the desired document and click the "Share" button, among the proposed options, select Cloud Print and print.
ePrint
You can connect the printer to the tablet using the ePrint program. This is a special service that allows you to print files remotely via e-mail. For its implementation, the printer must have an e-mail address. It is enough to send files from your device for printing to the specified address. To do this, follow these steps:
- On the printer control panel, select the "Settings" section.
- Using the keys mark the item “Reports”.
- And then “Configuration Report”.
- They record the version number of the equipment and the IP address.
- They go to the official website of the printer developer and download software in the "Download software and drivers" section, and you will need to enter the data recorded above. After downloading the installer, it is launched on the computer.
- Go to the web menu by IP address and click the Enable button in the HP Web Service section.
- When the printer prints an information page, its identification number is found on it.
- By adding @ hpeprint.com. To it, they get the device’s mail address.
This instruction is necessary because the HP ePrint Center site is no longer active.
Other applications
For the Android OS, there are many different applications of this kind, the most popular of them:
- Canon Easy Photo Print. Canon has developed an application for Android. As the name implies, it is specialized in printing photographs of various formats.
- Brother iPrint Scan. An affordable and convenient application for "Android" with the function of scanning and saving the results on the device. You can print a maximum of 50 pages at a time.
- Epson Connect The company's developers offer an application with the most necessary features. On the device, you can save, scan and send files via e-mail.
- Dell Mobile Print. The main advantage of this program is the ability to print documents by connecting to a local network.
Connecting a printer to a tablet and printing immediately from an Android device is very convenient and saves time. But you should know that not all printers support wireless connection.