How do I connect a wireless printer to an iPad Air.

Hi,

Would it be correct to assume that you have an AirPrint-enabled printer, and that the printer and the iPad are connected to the same network (Wi-Fi router)? If in doubt, please post back with the exact printer model.

About AirPrint - Apple Support

Use AirPrint to print from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

Make sure that you are using a Wi-Fi router. If necessary, and if supported by the router, use WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) for a wireless connection of the printer to the router. An AirPrint printer can also be wired by Ethernet to one of the LAN ports of a router (if applicable).

In case of a problem with AirPrint discovery for one or more devices, and if all settings are OK, you may want to try the following full procedure:

Power off the Wi-Fi router, the printer, the iPad, and all other devices/computers. Wait two to three minutes. Power on the router. Wait two to three minutes. Power on the printer. Wait a minute or two. Power on the iPad. Finally, power on all other devices/computers.

See:

• Use AirPrint to print from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support
• Connect an AirPrint printer to a Wi-Fi network - Apple Support

Apple AirPrint is a driverless connection protocol - that usually requires a compatible Printer to be wirelessly connected to your WiFi network. A high proportion of modern printers intended for Home, SoHo and Business environments now support AirPrint. Check your printer model against this list:

About AirPrint - Apple Support

If your printer is not compatible with AirPrint, there are alternatives…

Some printer manufacturers have a suitable companion App that provides Print capabilities for mobile devices, often using a web-based print service. Others can print directly if the App supports other network printing protocols. By example, some HP Printers use the HP Smart App - available in the App Store:

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/hp-smart/id469284907

You might also consider connecting a non-AirPrint printer to a PC or Mac computer - and install a “helper application” that allows the computer to emulate AirPrint capabilities; one such option is Readdle Printer Pro, for which suitable software for PC is available. A link to the PC software is included from this page:

https://readdle.com/printerpro

A further alternative is to consider installing a dedicated Print Server Appliance on your network - and connect your printer to this. One example is the Lantronix xPrintServer.

The remaining solution is to simply replace your printer with one that is AirPrint capable.