How To Turn Off Airprint On Iphone

Printing has moved on a little. Image by Yuichiro Haga

This is what to do if the 'No AirPrint Printers Found' error message appears when you try to print wirelessly from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac using an AirPrint-enabled printer.

What is the problem?

AirPrint is a useful Apple technology that lets you print from an iOS device or Mac to a compatible printer with zero set-up. The technology is built inside many of the most popular printer models.

However, sometimes you may find the 'No AirPrint Printers Found' appear when you tap to print to a printer you've used before from your mobile device (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or even Mac).

AirPrint logo

Printers that support AirPrint will usually have an icon like this on the box

This problem is well-known. Most printer manufacturers (including HP and Brother) have created support articles describing what to do when you encounter such a challenge and made these available online.

Typically, you'll see this error if your printer and device are on different wireless networks — that's really the very first thing to check: Are both the printer and the Apple device on the same Wi-Fi network?

There may also be other reasons. To address this problem please follow these steps:

Try these steps first

Move the router closer to the printer and check for interference.
Check that the printer has its wireless connection switched on.
Ensure your iOS device is not in AirPlane mode.
Ensure all devices are on the same network.
Check that both the iPhone/iPad and printer are running the latest software.
Turn both devices off, wait 10 seconds, and turn them on again.

If none of these steps work then you should try the following steps in this order:

#1: Check the printer

Move directly to step two if you have used AirPrint on your printer in the past and this error message appears. If you are using a new printer then you should check with the manufacturer (see below) to ensure the printer supports AirPrint and check it is connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your device. Now may also be a good opportunity to check your printer is switched on and has ink.

#2: The basics

Confirm Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are enabled on your Apple device (you may have disabled these when switching to AirPlane mode, for example). You should also check to make sure that your device and your printer are on the same Wi-fi network and that they are near each other.

#3: Try this

Sometimes you can fix this problem by switching off Wi-Fi in Control Center and then switching it on again. It never hurts to try the old switch it off and on again trick for problems like this.

#4: What kind of network?

AirPrint does not work on public networks. It requires security protection be enabled on the network.

Sometimes you need a print doctor.

#5: Update everything

Install the latest software versions on all your devices and the printer.

#6: Switch it on and off again

If the software is up-to-date, the printer and device(s) on the same private Wi-Fi network and wireless printing is configured correctly on the printer and you are still seeing the error message, try restarting both devices.

On a printer this generally involves disconnecting the device from power, a Restart on a Mac, or a Force Restarton iPhone, iPad.

#7: Restart the router

I did say restart everything, right?

Now try restarting your Wi-Fi router and then restarting the printer. Try switching your iOS device's Wi-Fi bandwidth between 2.4 Ghz to 5 Ghz or vice-versa. You may see some success if you turn your printer's DNS settings to 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.

#8: Move closer

Move your printer closer to your router.

Hopefully these steps will resolve your problem. If they do not then you may need to contact the printer manufacturer, or Apple support.

Hopefully one of the above steps has already resolved your problem, so please take a moment to explore all my other tips — there may be something that helps you there.

How to print with an AirPrint printer on iOS

Tap the Share icon.
Tap the printer icon or print.
Select the printer (more here).
Choose the options (copies etc.) and tap Print.

The above video helps explain the importance of Apple to the use of fonts in modern graphic design.

AirPrint-enabled printers

There are three primary ways to set your printer up to work using AirPrint:

Connect your printer to an active Mac.

Connect your printer to a router, such as AirPort Express, which has now been discontinued and will only be available while stocks last.

Purchase a printer with built in support for AirPrint such one of these:

Canon MX492(Just $45)
Canon Pixmaseries printers
Brother HL-L2340DW(c.$99-$109)
Epson Epson SureColor P600($695)
HP DeskJet 2655(second user c.$40)

Apple hosts a (lengthy) list of AirPrint-enabled printers on its website. This list is updated every month.

How to buy an AirPrint-enabled printer

Print manufacturers sell printers like razor blades – you'll pick up the machine for what seems to be a song in comparison to the cost of cartridges. The market is also highly competitive, so do check for the best price deal, though other important considerations when purchasing a printer include:

What is the manufacturer's track record for providing software updates?
How much do ink cartridges cost?
How many pages do you yield per cartridge?
What is the speed of print?
Double-check AirPrint compatibility.
Don't buy the printer with your Mac or other Apple product, you'll find better deals elsewhere.
If you intend printing photographs then choose a printer that is capable of the highest quality photo output.

Useful links to print manufacturers

You can find more information about available printers on manufacturer websites. Here are links to some of the more widely-used printer manufacturers.

Brother
Canon
Epson
HP
Kyocera
Lexmark
Panasonic
Ricoh
Toshiba

#Tip:

Even if you don't use your printer very much, it still makes sense to keep one printer for photos and colors and a second for monochrome print jobs, mainly because you can ration your ink better this way. One of the best monochrome printers around (and it's not just me who claims this) comes from the ever dependable people at Brother, the Brother HL-L2350DW.

I very much hope this advice helps you solve this problem. Please feel free to explore my vast collection of tips here — there are hundreds to learn.

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