Looking for a printer so I can print from phone without network

[DJTURNz]

I need to put a printer in my vehicle so that I can print an email attachment (it will be from an eFax type service once I find a good one).

I'd like to be able to go from phone to printer, and not need a laptop or a router in the truck. Is this possible? What FEATURE do I need to find in a printer? Or if you can recommend a printer, that works too. Trying to stay inexpensive here.


Moto RAZR MAXX HD if that matters.

 

[Mike.757]

I use HP ePrint to print from my phone. I looked at the app description and it says, "Print from your smartphone or tablet locally over Wi-Fi, virtually anywhere via the Cloud to a web-connected HP ePrint printer, or directly to an HP wireless direct supported printer."

I have only used it over a Wifi connection. I'll try it out tonight and see what happens. If it works, you can get an HP wireless pretty cheap. What kills is the ink.

 

[DJTURNz]

I just got a new HP wireless at work and I couldn't get it to connect to the company wifi. I wasn't even sure how to try to connect with my phone. It came today and I was too busy to mess with it.

 

[DJTURNz]

Did you get a chance to check that out with your printer? I can only get mine to work by using printshare app AND having it installed on my desktop computer as well at work. Though I know that this is probably because I can't get my new printer hooked up to the wifi at work, so I just used the USB. I think I need to get the IT guy to set it up and probably give permission.


One thing I was able to do was to print to another printer that is on the network here from my phone.


So now I'm thinking of just getting a cheap printer and a wireless router instead of a more expensive wireless/ bluetooth printer. A router can be had cheap, and it only need to reach from the front seat to the trunk. I think then the issue would be if I try to print something from my house I'd need to disconnect from my home wifi and connect to the Truck network. But I guess thats too difficult to work around.




I also need to find an app to receive a fax as an attachment, so I can print it in the truck on the road.

 

[Mike.757]

I was able to print to my printer directly from my phone without using the wireless network.

 

[DJTURNz]

I hope to get an EPSON this weekend. The EPSON print app has so much more functionality than the HP app.

 

[AECRADIO]

I use the HP 3512 series, and with the play app, I can print from my phone, or any WiFi direct connection I create.
I print remotely from my N7 WiFi tablet, Chromebook, all our phones and our main laptop.
My wife can print her data from the living room, and I can be in the shop working on projects, our son can be doing school work, and we all have direct access to the printer.
There have been issues to resolve with this printer, but nothing that can't be overcome.
Also, the cost of the ink cartridges is nowhere what they used to be, so we can all stop buying new printers when the ink runs out (you KNOW you did this).

 

[ntester]

I just joined this forum so I know this is a late reply but I thought I'd share. My HP features an email adress that you can set up (@hpprint). You can then email from your phone to that address and it will automatically print the file.

 

[FoxKat]

I think that what the member is trying to do is print to a printer completely without any connection to the web. In other words, as he described - in his car, no WIFI, no Internet, no LAN, just him, the phone and the printer. These phones DO have that capability with the RIGHT PRINTER.

From PC MAG (The 10 Best Wireless Printers | PCMag.com);

A small but quickly growing number of printers employ Wi-Fi Direct, a technology that has the potential to greatly simplify wireless connectivity. Wi-Fi Direct-enabled computers and printers can easily connect with each other without requiring a wireless access point. HP has come up with its own equivalent, which it calls Wireless Direct.

It appears this Wi-Fi Direct (or Wireless Direct for HP), will do what you want. What these printers essentially do is create their own WIFI network acting as the Access Point themselves. I believe they have DHCP and so they issue the IP address for the phone (or computer) themselves and you are essentially on a closed WIFI network that contains only the printer and the phone or computer.

 

[rudywilliams]

For the scenario where you want to switch where you are printing to I suggest getting the app "Smart Volume Control" which is much more than the name implies. In it you can set up different profiles that you can have automatically change based on either GPS locations or a specific WiFi. I use it to activate and deactivate the hands free function in the car as the updates made the Bluetooth range greater and it wasn't dropping when the car was parked in the garage. For that one I simply have it switch based on it finding or losing my home router.

 

[AECRADIO]

My HP-3512 does have the WiFi direct option, to print off the web using a direct connection via WiFi.
See the pic, below.

 

[MotoXGirl]

I have an HP Wifi printer asd it works pretty awesome too!