No need to go through a computer: all Android phones and tablets can print a file thanks to Wi-Fi, here's how to do it.
It was once said that the PC was dead, killed by smartphones. Then came the boom of smart working and the PC was reborn, but smartphones are always there, in our hands or in our pockets, while the PC is not: it almost always remains on the desk and, very often, is used almost only for one task: to print the files we receive via email or WhatsApp, or that we ourselves produce for work.
What many people do not know, however, is that you do not need to go through a computer to print a file: just the smartphone, even the Android one. Google's Android operating system, in fact, has been able to manage perfectly, in total autonomy from a computer, the sending of files to a printer. It is therefore possible to receive a file (or produce it directly on the smartphone or tablet) and send it to print with a few taps on the screen. You only need a quick and simple initial setup procedure on the Android device, while on the printer you won't have to do anything at all: it's already ready to receive files even from a mobile device. The only limitation: the printer must have a Wi-Fi connection (or, at most, must be connected to the Wi-Fi router at home or at the office) and must be connected to the same network to which the Android phone or tablet is connected. Once this condition is met, then, we can start printing from Android. Here's how to do it.
From Android to printer: how to do it
After making sure that the printer and phone/tablet are connected to the same Wi-Fi network, we can open the settings of the Android device and start the setup. Just go to Settings > Connected Devices > Connection Preferences > Print.
On the next screen we'll have to tap on "Default Print Service": we'll be shown all the printers connected to the network we're using. Usually it's just one and you just have to tap on it, otherwise we can choose which one to use. Stop, there's nothing else to do: now we can print from mobile or tablet.
A very interesting thing is that we can also preset different printers on different networks: for example the laser in the office and the inkjet at home.
Printing from Android: the practice
Now we are ready to send a file to print directly from the Android device. When we view a photo, PDF, Excel file or any other type of printable file we will be able to tap on the three dots in the top right corner and select "Print".
The printer that will be proposed to us will be the one we selected in the previous steps and we will also have the possibility to set some printing settings, such as the number of copies to print, the vertical/horizontal orientation and the color or black and white printing.
A few seconds after sending the file to print from the phone or tablet the printer will start working and will produce the desired result.