How to Turn Any Printer Into an Airprint

If you want to print from your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, but don’t have a printer that is AirPrint-compatible, you can use your computer to fill in the gap. Installing a small utility program to your computer can turn any printer connected to it into an AirPrint printer. The process takes only a few minutes to set up. Ensure that the printer is shared from the computer and that your computer is on the same wireless network as your Apple portable device.

Sharing a Printer

Connect the printer to your computer. Ensure that it has adequate paper and is turned on.

Click the “Start” button, then “Control Panel.” Type “network” in the search field. Click “Network and Sharing Center,” then select “Change Advanced Sharing Settings” in the left menu.

Click the “Arrow” button beside your network profile. Select “File and Printer Sharing,” then click “Turn on File and Printer Sharing.” Click “Save Changes.” Enter your administrator password, if prompted.

Click the “Start” button and select “Devices and Printers.” Right-click the printer name and select “Printer Properties.” Click the “Sharing” tab, then click the “Share this Printer” check box.

Installing AirPrint to a PC

Ensure you have the most recent version of iTunes installed on your computer. If you don’t have iTunes, download it from apple.com/itunes.

Click the Windwos “Start” button. Go to “C:\Program Files” if you are running the 32-bit version of Windows 7. If you are running the 64-bit version go to “C:\Program Files (x86)” and add a new folder named “AirPrint.”

Open a new Web browser window. Type “mediafire.com/?x1vyiuhw7nj1da8” in the address bar, press "Enter" and click the “AirPrint.zip” download button from the resulting screen. Save the file in the “AirPrint” folder.

Right-click the “AirPrint.zip” file and select “Extract All” from the drop-down menu.

Configuring AirPrint

Click the Windows “Start” button. Click “Run,” then type “cmd” in the text field. Right-click “Cmd.exe” and select “Run As Administrator” from the drop-down menu.

Type “sc.exe create AirPrint binPath= "C:\Program Files\AirPrint\airprint.exe -s" depend= "Bonjour Service" start= auto” in the text field if you are using the 32-bit version of Windows 7. If you are using the 64-bit version, use “Program Files (x86)” instead. Press “Enter.”

Type “sc.exe start AirPrint” in the command line text field and press “Enter.” A Windows Firewall dialogue box opens; click “Allow Access.”

Turn on your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch. Ensure it is connected to the same wireless network as your computer by tapping the “Settings” icon, then “Wi-Fi.”

Open any file, such as a document or photo, or open Safari. Tap the “Share” icon, then tap “Print.” The new printer is displayed as an option. Tap it to print the page or document.