How to Connect Your Phone to a Printer With Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Or NFC
If you’ve ever wanted to print from your phone, there are a few different ways you can do so. You can use Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or NFC to connect your phone to your printer.
Wi-Fi
Most printers support wireless printing using the Wi-Fi connection method, so you can easily connect your iPhone or Android phone to a printer without having to worry about wires or connections. All you need to do is make sure that the printer you want to connect your phone to is on and that you have it connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your phone.
iOS
Apple’s iPhone and iPad have a built-in printer service called AirPrint that allows them to connect to a wide variety of supported printers. This is a great option if you’re trying to print photos, documents or webpages.
Android
Many printers have a plug-in or app that you can install on your phone that will allow you to print directly from it. These apps are usually free and work with most printers.
If you have an HP printer, for example, you can download the app called HP Smart on the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store and get started right away. Once you’ve installed it, you can scan, print, and order cartridges or toner, among other things.
Android phones have an OTG (On-The-Go) USB port that can be used to attach the cable from the printer to your phone. Check that the printer is compatible with this cable first, then insert one end of the cable into your printer and the other end into the OTG USB port on your phone. Once it’s plugged in, you should see a plugin message on your phone. Select OK to accept the plugin.
Once the plugin is installed on your phone, you can start printing by navigating to the desired image or document in its location and selecting Share, then choosing Print. You’ll be given the opportunity to choose the output quality and paper size for your printed item.
You can also print photos directly from your phone using the HP Smart app on your computer or tablet. This can be particularly helpful for taking and printing pictures from social media platforms like Facebook or Dropbox.
How to Connect Your Phone to a Printer with NFC
Some printers come equipped with Near Field Communication, or NFC, which makes it easy to connect your Android phone to a printer. This process is a little different for each model, so it’s best to check the user manual before starting.
In most cases, the NFC scanner on your phone will detect the printer and automatically pair it to the phone, so you don’t have to do anything else. This can be especially handy if you don’t have an Ethernet port on your printer, or if you’re in a different room from your printer and can’t use the Wi-Fi connection method.
If you’re running an Android device with NFC, all you have to do is tap the printer in the right spot and it will pair automatically. The exact location varies from app to app, but it should be easy enough to find.