AirPrint is a component of Apple iOS, version 4.2 or later, for printing via WiFi

WIFI

WIFI is a radio station broadcasting a brokered format. Licensed to Florence, New Jersey, USA, the station is currently operated by Florence Broadcasting Partners, LLC.This station was previously owned by Real Life Broadcasting...

, either directly to any AirPrint compatible printers such as HP's entire ePrint range, select Brother

Brother Industries

is a diversified Japanese company that produces or imports a wide variety of products including printers, sewing machines, large machine tools, label printers, and typewriters, fax machines, and other computer-related electronics. It markets its multifunction printers as Multi-Function Centers...

 models, all Epson models produced after fall 2011, or to non-compatible printers through a Windows, Mac

Mac OS X

Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...

 or Linux

Linux

Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...

 PC. AirPrint does not require printer-specific drivers.

Printer compatibility

Upon AirPrint's 2010 introduction, twelve printers were AirPrint compatible, all of them from the HP Photosmart Plus e-All-in-One series.

On August 31, 2011, Epson announced support for AirPrint support in "Epson inkjet printers launched from autumn 2011 onward." This represents 54 unique models World-wide.

In September 2011, Canon released firmware updates that add AirPrint support to three of their Pixma inkjet printers, the MG8220, MG6220, and MG5320.

For other printers, AirPrint support can be added to an existing CUPS Server with DNS

Domain name system

The Domain Name System is a hierarchical distributed naming system for computers, services, or any resource connected to the Internet or a private network. It associates various information with domain names assigned to each of the participating entities...

 based Service Discovery, by manually adding DNS-SD printer service discovery records to a name server.

This function to share any printer over AirPrint can be simulated by means of software applications that reside on the Mac, offering any printer as if it were a compatible AirPrint printer.