How to print from your iPhone

Printing from an iPhone is simpler than most people expect. There’s no driver to install and, in most cases, no app to download. If your printer is on Wi-Fi and supports AirPrint, you can print a photo, a PDF or a web page in about four taps.

This guide covers the basic steps, how to print from the apps you use most, what each print option does, and what to do when your printer doesn’t appear.

How printing from an iPhone works

iPhones print with AirPrint, Apple’s printing technology. It’s built into iOS and into most Wi-Fi printers sold in the last decade, including models from HP, Epson, Canon and Brother.

Your iPhone finds AirPrint printers on the Wi-Fi network it’s connected to. That’s why the one rule that matters most is: the iPhone and the printer have to be on the same network. The print job then travels straight from your phone to the printer over your Wi-Fi. It doesn’t need the internet and it doesn’t go through a cloud service.

Not sure whether your printer supports AirPrint? Look for an AirPrint mention on the box or in the specs, search your model on Apple’s AirPrint list, or use our AirPrint checker.

Print anything in three steps

These steps work in almost every app that can print, from Photos to Safari.

1. Open what you want to print

   A photo, a PDF in Files, a web page in Safari, an email in Mail. Make sure the printer is on and awake.

2. Tap Share or •••, then Print

   In most apps, tap the Share button (a square with an arrow pointing up) and scroll down to Print. In some apps, Print sits in the ••• (More) menu instead.

3. Choose your printer and tap Print

   Tap Printer and select yours from the list. Set the number of copies and any other options you need (see below), then tap Print in the top-right corner.

That’s it. The first time you print, your iPhone remembers the printer, so next time it’s already selected.

How to print from the apps you use most

Photos

Open the photo, tap Share, then Print. To print several photos, tap Select in your library, choose the photos, then tap Share → Print. In the print options, choose the Paper Size that matches what’s in the tray, for example 4 × 6 in for photo paper.

Files (PDFs and documents)

Open the Files app, tap the PDF or document to open it, then tap Share → Print. For a long PDF, use Range in the print options to print only the pages you need.

Safari (web pages)

Open the page, tap Share and then Print. Depending on your iOS version and Safari layout, the Share button may be inside the ••• menu. Web pages often print with menus and ads. If you only need the article, switch to the Reader view first (tap the page menu in the address bar and choose Show Reader), then print.

Mail

Open the email, tap the Reply arrow and choose Print. Attachments print separately: tap the attachment to open it, then use Share → Print.

Messages

Messages doesn’t have a Print option. You have two workarounds:

• Take a screenshot (press the side button and volume up together, or the side and Home buttons on an iPhone with a Home button), then print the screenshot from Photos. This keeps the bubbles and the layout.
• Copy the text. Press and hold a message, tap Copy, paste it into Notes, and print the note from its Share or ••• menu.

Print options, explained

After you tap Print, iOS shows the options your printer supports. You won’t see a setting your printer can’t use. Some options only appear after you tap Options.

Option	What it does	When to use it
Copies	Prints the job more than once	Handouts, forms you need to sign twice
Range	Prints only some pages, like 2–4	Long PDFs when you need one section
Black & White	Prints in grayscale	Saving color ink on text documents
Double-sided	Prints on both sides of the paper	Long documents, if your printer supports it
Paper Size	Matches the job to the paper in the tray	Photos on 4 × 6 in, documents on Letter or A4
Orientation	Portrait or landscape	Wide tables and spreadsheets

Check or cancel a print job

While something is printing, your iPhone keeps it in Print Center. It isn’t an app on your Home Screen. It only appears in the App Switcher during printing.

To open it, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause (or double-click the Home button on older iPhones), then tap Print Center. There you can see the job’s status and tap Cancel Printing. If a job won’t move, follow our guide to clear a stuck print job.

Printing from an iPad

The steps are the same on iPad: open the item, tap Share → Print, choose the printer and tap Print. The iPad also needs to be on the same Wi-Fi network as the printer.

If your printer doesn’t support AirPrint

A printer without AirPrint won’t appear in the iPhone’s print list. You still have options:

• Use the printer maker’s app. HP, Epson, Canon and Brother each have their own iPhone apps, which can print to many of their models, including some without AirPrint. Our brand pages explain which app fits: HP, Epson, Canon and Brother.
• Check the model first. Some printers support AirPrint only after a firmware update, and some budget models don’t support it at all. The AirPrint checker walks you through it.
• Check the connection. A printer connected to a computer by USB isn’t on your Wi-Fi, so your iPhone can’t see it, even if it supports AirPrint.

What a printing app adds

AirPrint covers the basics well: you can print anything that has a Print button. A printing app is useful for everything around that.

Printer, our app, works with any AirPrint printer and adds:

• A document scanner. Point your camera at a page; Printer finds the edges automatically and turns it into a clean PDF ready to print.
• Edit before you print. Sign a PDF, crop, mark up or rotate pages, and tick only the pages you want.
• More things to print. Notes you type, contact cards, web pages, photos, and PDF or Office files from Files, all from one screen.
• Little helpers. Turn a photo of text into editable text, make QR codes, and print a shopping list or a travel checklist.

There’s no account to create, no ads, and your documents stay on your iPhone. Printer is free to download. Printer Pro, a weekly or annual subscription with a 3-day free trial, unlocks unlimited prints and scans, the Pro tools and printing without a watermark.

What Printer doesn’t do: check ink levels, update printer firmware or put a brand-new printer on your Wi-Fi by itself (its Printer Wi-Fi setup screen shows the steps, but the printer joins from its own control panel or the maker’s app).