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Do you have an old printer laying around at home? You still have to plug into it just to print directly from your desktop computer. You probably would print from your tablet all the time, but the printer is not wireless. It works perfectly fine so there is no reason to get a new one. But, you still can’t print comfortably often tablet unless you use a print on canvas service.
Most people are in the same situation. They have a mobile device or tablet. They could use the convenience of printing from all devices, but they have an older printer. And, it is just not worth the extra $100 or $200 to upgrade it just to print photos of Kings Park easily.
How can you avoid e-mailing everything that needs to be printed to your desktop computer? A development company, ImageTech, is looking for a $10,000 kickstarter investment to fund two devices to enable WiFi printing on all printers. Yes, that includes your old printer at home that works on a USB connection and you probably consider vintage.
Here is how it works. They want to develop a couple devices that allow any devices to send information to your printer via fast or slow internet speed. They are planning to do this in one of two ways, each by a different device.
PrintWiFi
PrintWiFi allows multiple devices to connect to a printer wirelessly. Connecting to the printer via USB, printWiFi then connects to a smart phone or tablet via the custom printView app. This app connection, of course, is via WiFi and integrates with mobile software.
PrintUSB
Similar to the first device, printUSB allows smart phones and tablets to send information to any printer, old or new. However, instead of using a wireless network through an app, it lets the mobile device or tablet connect via another USB wire, acting as a adapter of sorts.
Obviously, this is a great solution for anyone who has an old printer and your devices. However, the project may be short-lived as new printers are part of the Internet of things. Also, cloud printing is growing in popularity too.
So, if this project does get off the ground soon, they better price everything cheaply. I do not believe we will pay $50+ for a device that could be easily replaced with a new printer for a bit more than that, except for, perhaps, masters in education students on a budget. How much would you pay for the device? Or, would you pay zero because you already have a printer that uses WiFi?
Buying A Wireless Printer
As consumers continue to buy newer, more modern printers, they are opting for wireless printers. Although many wireless printers have been around for years, the newest printers have Wifi capability that offers much more flexibility. Now, you can place your printer almost anywhere in the house or office. However, first you will have to compare the various features of wireless inkjets, lasers and all-in-one printers. Here is your guide to choosing a printer.
Installing Wireless Printer Software
Once you have purchased a wireless printer, you are going to need to download wireless printing software. It is much the same process as installing free FTP software. To install wireless printing software, all you need to do is follow the on-screen instructions. Then, you will be prompted for “Connection Type” You are going to make different selections depending on what kind of software you have. However, you should select something that references “wireless,” “network,” or “through the network.” Then, follow the rest of the on-screen directions. Once it is complete, you have successfully learned how to install wireless printing software.
Image from http://w3.efi.com/about-efi/image-library/enterprise-mobile-printing
