Print Directly from your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad via Wi-Fi

Printing directly from your mobile is practical, quick, simple and effective. And with more and more people now using their phones to take and store photos, to view web pages and to check their e-mail, it seems logical to cut out the computer and make printing easier for everyone. A selection of downloadable applications allow you to do just that, with high-quality results from various brands of inkjet printer. Sounds too good to be true doesn't it? So what's the catch?

These applications can only print photos

Direct printing applications are simple, easy to get the hang of and free to download. They basically allow you to use a wireless connection to print photos stored on your mobile. And for the moment, at least, they can only be used to print photos, as no application allows you to print documents or other types of file. Such applications are, however, very easy to use. When you launch the app it displays your phone's photo library, then all you have to do is hit 'Print'.

Just look how easy it is:


We reckon pretty much anyone can handle that, even the most novice users. It's just a shame that the iPhone camera still isn't really good enough to print photos in A4 format, nor even 10x15 cm for that matter. Some Android phones can do better, but direct printing applications are still few and far between for the Google OS.

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Canon: iPhone Easy-Photo Print  (IEPP for those in the know) Only for Pixma printers! Once you've downloaded this application, you'll be able to print photos directly from your iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS or iPod Touch (OS 2.2.1 or later). Note that it's only compatible with Pixma printers with a wireless connection. You can select the paper size, with nine formats to choose from, as well as the type of paper and whether or not you want a border. The application is easy to get the hang of and use. Price: Free Publisher: Canon Inc.

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Epson: iPrint Doesn't work with all the brand's printers! The iPrint application allows you to print directly from an Apple mobile device on Epson's Stylus Photo and Stylus Office printers, as well as its Artisan and WorkForce models. Note that it's not possible to print via USB, Bluetooth or 3G: you have to connect the device and the printer to the same Wi-Fi network. With iPrint, you can choose the paper size (10x15 cm/13x18 cm/A4) as well as choose whether or not you want to print pictures with borders. Not that you won't be able to make calls while the phone's transferring data to the printer. Price: Free Publisher: Epson

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Lexmark: Lexprint Compatible with all models of Lexmark printer It's good to see this application is compatible with all models of Lexmark printer. It's just a shame you have to install a special extra application on your computer in order to establish communication between the printer and your mobile device. You'll therefore have to download LexPrint Listener onto your computer first (Mac and Windows versions available). This application has more options than other manufacturers' apps, as you can select print quality (draft, normal, photo) and the photo format (eight to choose from), as well as resize the image and choose the number of copies you want to print. Pice: Free Publisher: Lexmark International Inc.

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HP: iPrint Also available in Nokia's Ovi app store HP has developed a free application that lets you to capture, retouch and print photos on compatible HP printers directly from your iPhone or iPod Touch. It's also possible to resize photos by pinching them with your fingers. Four file formats are compatible with the application (jpg, png, tiff and bmp), and you can select photo paper or regular paper, as well as whether or not to print with a border. Price: Free Publisher: Hewlett Packard