Document writer for ipad?

[Szdfan]

Some kind of wireless. (I haven't seen their set up, and they haven't given me model info on any of it, either. (It's the business owner's brother who has been calling, for his sister.) They said they'd come by early next month. I actually encouraged them to consult someone else, because I know nothing about any Apple products. So trying to get some basic knowledge, to be more prepared.)

Hmm…maybe it’s some sort of internal network that doesn’t connect with the outside.

My understanding (or guess) of it so far is that the iPad and the printer both have some sort of wireless capabilities, and they connect on the basis of what in a wired Windows environment would be like using a network cable to connect a printer and a computer directly, w/o any network switch or router.

That makes sense. I find the ways that the Amish try to adapt to contemporary life while maintaining their values interesting.

Thirty years ago, my Amish great-uncle owned a backhoe because he used it for specific Bishop approved purposes.

[Ken]

How are they connecting the iPad to the printer? Bluetooth? A wired connection?

Some kind of wireless. (I haven't seen their set up, and they haven't given me model info on any of it, either. (It's the business owner's brother who has been calling, for his sister.) They said they'd come by early next month. I actually encouraged them to consult someone else, because I know nothing about any Apple products. So trying to get some basic knowledge, to be more prepared.)

Hmm…maybe it’s some sort of internal network that doesn’t connect with the outside.

You can use an iPad to create your own virtual WiFi and use that to connect to a WiFi printer. Or most WiFi printers like HP will create a virtual local WiFi that will turn the printer into a local WiFi that you can use to print to even if there is no internet connection.

In other words, the iPad and printer are using their WiFi radios to connect directly with each other with one pretending to be a WiFi router that the other connects to, without going through a regular internet WiFi router.

What you can’t do is connect directly to a USB printer with an iPad, even if you have an adaptor cable that goes from the Apple Lightning port to a USB because Apple doesn’t allow devices to install device drivers on iPads. So there would be no print driver on the iPad to drive the printer. If you want to use a USB printer with an iPad the best option would be to get an adapter to copy the file over to a flash drive and then print from the flash drive if the printer has a USB port that will read a flash drive. Then you probably need it to be saved as a .pdf to preserve the formatting.

[Josh]

An iPad will run Pages (which comes with it) just fine with no Internet connection and can indeed print just fine from that, too.

[Neto]

I'm back in contact with this potential customer again, and have some other questions:
I had him try to find the model name or number of the iPad they have, but he couldn't find anything. (He was looking on the program itself.) They got this iPad originally for his deaf brother, who was using an app called Words for Life. But he doesn't remember how long ago this was.

So, How or Where do you find the model info?
When did they start including this Pages app?
If it's on there, would it appear on the Home screen?

(Thanks for all of the help so far!)

[Ken]

1. Finding the model of your iPad can be confusing because the hardware model and software version are two separate things. Apple has instructions on how to convert the model number that is written on the back (or that shows up in settings) into an actual model year: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201471

2. Pages used to come pre-installed on all earlier iPads. It came on the 1st Generation iPads that I used teaching back 10+ years ago. It might be something you need to download from the app store today but it should be free. There may be compatibility issues running the latest version of Pages designed for current generation iPads on a really old iPad. You'll just have to experiment. Apple isn't particularly good about keeping current software compatible with older versions of its hardware. They want you to buy new stuff and have no incentive to keep supporting obsolete hardware.

But Pages is about the most slick word processing app you can get for the iPad since it is designed for it from the ground up with Apple's aesthetics.

[Josh]

I'm back in contact with this potential customer again, and have some other questions:
I had him try to find the model name or number of the iPad they have, but he couldn't find anything. (He was looking on the program itself.) They got this iPad originally for his deaf brother, who was using an app called Words for Life. But he doesn't remember how long ago this was.

So, How or Where do you find the model info?
When did they start including this Pages app?
If it's on there, would it appear on the Home screen?

(Thanks for all of the help so far!)

Pages has been around since the iPad was invented. If you are using an iPad that ancient, you might as well start talking about a manual typewriter, a quill pen, or a hammer and chisel.

If Pages is not present go to the App Store and download it.

Info about the model is in Settings -> About. You can also look up serial numbers on Apple’s support page for more info, or install the Apple Support app from the App Store.

[Neto]

I'm back in contact with this potential customer again, and have some other questions:
I had him try to find the model name or number of the iPad they have, but he couldn't find anything. (He was looking on the program itself.) They got this iPad originally for his deaf brother, who was using an app called Words for Life. But he doesn't remember how long ago this was.

So, How or Where do you find the model info?
When did they start including this Pages app?
If it's on there, would it appear on the Home screen?

(Thanks for all of the help so far!)

Pages has been around since the iPad was invented. If you are using an iPad that ancient, you might as well start talking about a manual typewriter, a quill pen, or a hammer and chisel.

If Pages is not present go to the App Store and download it.

Info about the model is in Settings -> About. You can also look up serial numbers on Apple’s support page for more info, or install the Apple Support app from the App Store.

Thanks. I told him (over the telephone - haven't actually met him yet) that the info might be in either Settings - Help - About, or Settings - System - About. (Just guessing based on Windows programs & OS. I have never had an iPad in my hands - not an Apple person. -Except for the real apples, like Jonathan, or Nacional in Brazil. KKKKKK)