Printing from an iPhone

I live in a remote area that has very good 3G and Edge coverage. I have bought and returned every other device but NOTHING seems to have reception to ANY Internet except for an iPhone.

I have the HP B210 Photosmart All-In-One printer that says: "print, anytime, anywhere," but it will not. While it printed from the iPhone while I set it up, once it was not on WiFi, it would not. It possibly would in an area that is readily 3G to all devices, it will not in my "remote, stubbornly unfriendly to all-but-iPhones area."

Is there a Bluetooth option? Is there an Apple type printer that has something like an iPhone receptor to the internet? Is there any hope? Please help me. I need to be able to print. I have the app Print n Share (iTunes link), but that assumes that I have an Internet connection

Janice, you seem a little confused as to the distinction between a LAN (local area network) and the internet. A local network is essentially a bunch of devices interconnected, but not necessarily given access to the world wide web (hence the "local" moniker). Therefore, it doesn't matter if you live in a remote part of town or don't even have internet access. That's another, separate, process altogether.

To print wirelessly, you need to establish a connection with that printer. 3G/EDGE connects you to the cellular tower. This won't do because the cellular tower doesn't connect to your printer.

To connect wirelessly to your printer, you need to set up a LAN. This means getting a router (AirPort Expresses actually have dedicated ports just for printers). LANs don't have anything to do with the internet (that's a modem's job). They link devices together, nothing more.

No matter which route you choose, you'll need to put that printer on a network (not the internet, unless you want to print from a far off location) and connect to that network using your phone.

As for wireless printing from your iPhone, you can use the AirPrint protocol. Unfortunately, due to licensing issues, it only supports a handful of printers. But that hasn't stopped some from expanding it's functionality. Check out AirPrint Activator 2.0. It enables AirPrint on any printer and quite a simple product to use. Best of all, it is completely free.

To use an AirPrint printer the iPhone/iPad/iPod needs to be connected to the same local network that the printer is connected to. The printer can be connected via wifi or an Ethernet connection that connects to your wifi network.

If the iOS device is connected via the phone mobile data network then it can't print to using AirPrint.

Why is your iPhone not connected to the wifi network? Is it because you are trying to print to the printer when away from home? Or is it because you have a large property and you are out of range of your wifi network?

While you can't use the native AirPrint when not connected to your home wifi, you can use HP's ePrint service. This works by your printer having its own email address. You can email documents to the printer that it then prints.

The service is somewhat limited when compared to AirPrint, as you need to be able to get whatever you are printing into a document and be able to email it. So many apps that support AirPrint can't be printed from using ePrint.