How do wireless printers and what do I need to know, given that I'm not that teccy savvy!

PS I'm not that savvy, technically speaking.

We have a wireless printer. It's in the study but I can print from my laptop anywhere in the house and from my phone. Not sure what email printing is.

Ours was easy to set up!!

I have a Cannon wireless printer which I find good . When you buy one there will be instructions on how to set it up . First you will need to download the printers app from your android play store , then you’ll need to link it up with your passcode from your internet modem , once that’s done it’s easy as when you need to print anything out it will automatically link up through the printers app . The good thing about it is that you can set up your printer in one room and print out what you need when from another room . A wireless printer responds in the same sort of way as Bluetooth does . Hope this helps .

I have just got an air printer , it prints from my iPad or my phone from the kitchen to the spare room ok , but I’m trying to work out how to get several photos on the same page , I can get smaller prints by putting smaller paper in the tray , I was getting A4 prints one at a time till I found a packet of smaller photo paper lurking in my stash , I do think I will find it handy

We've an HP wireless printer. It came with its drivers that had to be installed (though probably you just download them these days) and it sets itself up really. Yu just follow the instructions

It will print from any device, anywhere in the house, that is set up with its drivers.
It can be a bit temperamental if the WiFi connection isn't working very well, but you can connect directly to it with a cable in an emergency.

We have a wireless printer but I don't use the wireless function. If I were to try to print the multiple pages that I usually need to produce all sorts of problems would occur. I have to be on the spot to deal with paper jams, running out of ink or paper and all sorts of other things! Then there are the occasions when you are printing photos etc and need to manually feed the paper.

If you have to go to the printer to collect what you've printed I think you might just as well take the laptop or whatever (if it's portable) and connect it up! I think you have better control of what's going on.

But maybe it's just that I expect too much of my printer.....

Most printers these days offer a wireless option for printing and they usually all come with step by step guide which helps you easily set it up to work with iPads, phone and laptop.

You’ll find it very easy

I used to have an Epson printer and it was so much trouble that I threw it away and I bought an HP and it was so easy to set up, virtually plug in and follow the instructions. As always there is Youtube to guide you through the set up process if you search for your printer type. To be safer you would need to change the router settings but that is a completely different topic. Due to the cost of ink, I always leave my printer switched on as every time it has to restart it prints a test page and always use XL ink cartridges as although they are costly they last a very long time, especially if you print mostly on draft.

My printer is connected to my pc but I can still print wirelessly from my iPad. I use hp’s service where for £1.99 a month I can print 50 pages and they send new print cartridges when needed - you can buy extra pages or have a bigger monthly allowance - no worries about costs or buying the right cartridge

I currently have a Brother, I got carried away and bought an A3 size which I certainly don't need, not in the habit of doing large posters! Any modern printer should come with a wifi option, and very easy instructions to set it up. You should also be able to scan documents in, either one page at a time, or a stack if it has an automatic document feeder. You can download the drivers online if not already installed. Just go to Printers and Scanners in your system settings and choose 'Add a printer' You wifi will pick it up automatically and you can link it up from there.

Most major manufacturers have an option where you email your print to a unique address on their server (e.g. [email protected]) and it automagically beams the page to your printer, if it's switched on.
Choosing a printer is mostly about the cost of ink, these days; they're all simple to set up (and complete &^%(&^&^%s when they go wrong...)

Hello Authoress,

I have a wireless printer but I haven't always used it like that. I used to have cables attached and then decided to go onto the Wifi. It's very easy. The screen at the front of the printer will tell you exactly how to set it up. I don't even have an instruction leaflet. What's lovely is that I can print from the sofa if I choose from my iphone to the printer. However usually I use it with my desktop PC. I'm sure you won't have any problems.

I’m also a fan of the HP Instant Ink scheme, I usually pay £1.99 a month for 50 pages ( any not used one month roll over to the next) but when I was sorting out mums paperwork after she went in a care home I needed to download lots of forms etc so upgraded to the next tariff to print 100 pages a month, very easy to change month by month.

I worked out that in the first year, I paid £24 on the scheme and had two sets of ink included - which would have cost almost £50 in the shops! The only additional cost is paper but I got a cracking deal of buy three reams and get two free so I bought a box and am steadily working through it. I also print a lot for my WI as I am the President and get sent flyers and forms each month by email so I’d be lost without a reliable printer.

I did have problems setting it up initially but the HP help desk was brilliant and sorted the problem very quickly and now I print from my phone, iPad and laptop anywhere in the house! When I was on a phone line with a router for broadband I had to have the printer next to the router which was in the hall so not the best location. But now I use cable, I can have the printer out of sight in my craft room.

Obviously you need to collect your printing and possibly add paper, which means walking to the printer, but I find it very useful if I’m browsing emails or Pinterest in bed to print immediately as otherwise I forget!

Thanks to all who responded.