One of the problems with iOS 4.2 and AirPrint is the lack of compatible printers. As it stands right now, there are just 10 printers that can be printed on.
When iOS 4.2 for iPad was originally announced, we heard that all printers would be compatible if they could connect up to a Mac or PC and be shared. This of course drastically changed as shared support was removed with iOS 4.2 GM was released a few weeks back.
So what’s Printopia…
Whether you have an inkjet printer plugged into your Mac, a laser printer plugged into your router or even a network printer, if your Mac can print to it, Printopia will share it. Is your printer plugged into your AirPort or Time Capsule? No problem. Printopia translates for your printer, allowing it to speak to your iPhone or iPad even if it’s not an AirPrint-compatible printer. Printopia even supports many password-protected printers.
As well as being able to print to any printer on a network, you also have the ability to send documents to your Mac as a PDF of JPEG. If you’re a Dropbox user, you can print direct to Dropbox as a PDF or JPEG.
Printopia certainly looks to be the app that AirPrint should have been. We expect that more printers will be made compatible over the coming months, but to limit it to just 10 at the moment was just a big let down to be fair.
As for the cost of Printopia, it costs $9.95, but comes with a 7 day free trial allowing you to test and see if it works as you want it. Personally, I’m not too fussed about printing from my iPad to want to pay $9.95 for the privilege, but I also understand that some people could find this tool extremely handy, so for you guys it might be well worth taking that 7 day trial.
Via: TiPb
I was really looking forward to the 4.2 update. Too bad it doesn’t work as far as printing is concerned. Thanks, Apple.