AirPrint

Print. Scan. Copy. Fax. We may not do this stuff as often as we used to (thank you, PDFs!), but most of us still need these capabilities from time to time.

Consequently, we still need all-in-one, aka multifunction, printers. And GearXS.com has a mighty sweet deal on one: the Canon Pixma MX512 wireless all-in-one printer for $79.98 shipped. That's after applying coupon code CNET-10 at checkout (which effectively saves you the usual $10 shipping charge). You'll need to click Apply Discount Code to reveal the field where you paste that code in.

The Pixma sells elsewhere … Read more

I'm so in love with today's deal, I want to bring it home to meet my parents.

Wow, was that terrible. I was going to go with the slightly raunchier, much funnier version of that line, but then I remembered this is a family blog. No Chris Rock-style material here; the best I can give you is Bob Saget.

Anyway, for a limited time, and while supplies last, GearXS.com has the Canon Pixma MG4220 wireless multifunction printer for $49.99, plus $12.99 for shipping. That's after applying coupon code CNET-40 at checkout (click Apply Discount … Read more

Airprint Activator, now known as handyPrint, is an app that lets you put Airprint support on older printing devices that do not natively support this protocol. Designed to run on iOS and Mac OS X, handyPrint may be a great solution for those who either have older printers, or find that Airprint support has been lost during an OS upgrade. We couldn't find handyPrint on the App Store, but there are several sites, including the publisher's (netputing.com), that offer downloads.

handyPrint installs on your favorite iDevice easily enough. It integrates with the menu bar, adding a new &… Read more

School is back in session, meaning students have folders full of syllabi, schedules, and other paperwork you're likely to reference as the semester goes on. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to carry all of it around with you all the time, without overloading your backpack?

Thanks to a handful of iOS apps, you can scan whatever paper documents you might need easy access to and store them on your iPhone, in the cloud, or on your computer with just a few taps.

I've found five apps that will help you quickly scan and organize documents. … Read more

Some say that printers are soon to be extinct. Others rant about their hate for the dead-tree format. And most recently, research has shown that printer companies are, in fact, experiencing a slow and steady demise.

But if you're a student, connoisseur of Pinterest printables, or just appreciate hard copies, the printer still holds a very important place in your home or office.

Thing is, you might not necessarily be at your desktop computer when you realize the need to print something out. If more of your time is spent on your iOS device, like an iPhone or iPad, … Read more

If you got yourself an AirPrint-enabled printer and printed an Instagram photo from your iPhone's Camera Roll, then you were undoubtedly disappointed with the result. AirPrint assumes any and all photos in your Camera Roll are rectangular. So, when you print a square Instagram photo, the top and bottom of the photo get clipped.

With PrintYourInsta, you can print your Instagram photos in their entirety. Actually, PrintYourInsta creates a 4x6 postcard centered around your Instagram photo. (The photo itself is 3.25x3.25 inches.)

The free app lets you print out a basic postcard, which features no background pattern. … Read more

Convenience and versatility are the focus of the four new printers Canon announced today. Taking advantage of all the ways that consumers connect to a printer (cloud, Wi-Fi, smartphones), the Pixma MG4220 Wireless, Pixma MG3220 Wireless, Pixma MG2220, and the Selphy CP900 compact photo printer all entertain new features that encourage creative projects and photo sharing.… Read more

AirPrint Activator is a free download, although the developer politely asks for a small donation, making it a much more inexpensive option than the $20 Printopia. It looks very similar to Printopia, with an on/off switch on the left and a pane on the right showing the available printers. And like Printopia, it does not require you to install an iOS app. You just need to be running iOS 4.2 or later. Unlike Printopia, however, it does not feature virtual printing to your Mac.

As long as everything is connected to the same network, AirPrint Activator should find … Read more

Ever wish you could beam a photo from your iPhone or iPad to your printer?

That's the promise of Apple's AirPrint technology, which debuted way back in iOS 4.2. Unfortunately, few printers support AirPrint, meaning most users are stuck copying photos to their PCs and then printing them.

A little over a year ago, I posted a workaround: Make AirPrint work with non-AirPrint-compatible printers. It works for some printers, but not all--and it's kind of a hassle to implement.

For example, I recently dug out an old HP Photosmart 475 "lunchbox" photo printer, harboring dreams of churning out snapshots right from my iPhone. Alas, my workaround didn't work. And the Photosmart 475 isn't supported by HP's ePrint app.

Then I found FingerPrint, a clever utility that turns nearly any printer connected to your PC into an AirPrint-enabled printer. It works, and it's pretty cool.… Read more