How PrinterShare Lets You Print Remotely — Quick Guide

How PrinterShare Lets You Print Remotely — Quick GuidePrinting from a phone, tablet, or a distant computer used to be a chore: device incompatibilities, driver hassles, and networks that refused to cooperate. PrinterShare simplifies that by creating a bridge between your device and the printer — wherever the printer is located. This guide explains how PrinterShare works, what you need to get started, common use cases, setup steps, security considerations, troubleshooting tips, and alternatives to consider.

What is PrinterShare?

PrinterShare is a remote printing application and service that enables you to print documents and photos from virtually any device to a printer located elsewhere. It supports printing from smartphones (Android, iOS), tablets, Windows and macOS computers, and even Chromebooks. The core idea is to make remote and local printing seamless by handling driver translation, network traversal, and secure connections so the user sees the printer almost as if it were directly connected.

Key features

• Cross-platform support for Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and Chromebooks.
• Remote printing over the internet as well as local-network printing.
• Support for common file formats: PDF, DOC/DOCX, XLS/XLSX, PPT/PPTX, images (JPG, PNG), and more.
• Print directly from apps via share/print menus or via the PrinterShare app interface.
• Secure connections with optional authentication to control who can print to your shared printer.
• Option to share a printer temporarily or permanently with other users.
• Print settings controls: paper size, color vs. grayscale, number of copies, orientation, and quality.

How PrinterShare works (simple overview)

1. Install the PrinterShare app on the device you want to print from (phone/tablet/computer).
2. Install the PrinterShare software or the PrinterShare Host (on the PC/macOS where the physical printer is attached) if you plan to print to a printer connected to that computer.
3. The app discovers available printers on your local network and lists any printers shared to your account remotely.
4. When you send a print job, PrinterShare routes the print data through its service (or directly peer-to-peer when possible), converts the document into a printable format if necessary, and delivers it to the target printer or host computer which then passes it to the physical printer driver.

This architecture means the printing device doesn’t need the printer’s manufacturer driver installed — PrinterShare handles much of the compatibility layer.

What you need to get started

• A PrinterShare account (there is a free tier and paid options for more features).
• The PrinterShare app installed on your sending device.
• If printing to a printer connected to a computer: PrinterShare Host software installed and running on that computer.
• A physical printer connected to the host computer or available on the same network as your sending device (for local printing).
• Internet access for remote printing (unless both devices are on the same network).

Step-by-step setup (typical)

1. Create a PrinterShare account in the app or via the PrinterShare website.
2. On the computer connected to the physical printer, download and install PrinterShare Host (Windows/macOS). Start the host and sign in.
3. On your phone/tablet/computer, install the PrinterShare app and sign in with the same account.
4. In the app, refresh the printer list: local printers and remote shared printers should appear.
5. Select the target printer and choose a file or app content to print. Set print options (paper size, orientation, color).
6. Tap Print. The job will be sent to the host or printer and printed.

Notes:

• For printing from an app on mobile, use the share or print option and choose PrinterShare as the destination.
• Some printers with built-in cloud-printing capabilities may appear without needing a host.

Common use cases

• Home users printing from a smartphone to a home printer shared from a PC.
• Remote workers printing confidential documents to an office printer while traveling.
• Families sharing a single home printer among multiple household members’ mobile devices.
• Small businesses allowing staff to print from personal devices without installing many drivers.
• Photographers or event staff printing photos on-site from multiple devices.

Security and privacy considerations

• Use strong, unique account passwords and enable any available two-factor authentication.
• Only share printer access with trusted users; temporary sharing is safer for ad-hoc access.
• Be aware that print jobs travel over the internet when printing remotely — check PrinterShare’s documentation for current encryption and data-handling practices.
• If printing sensitive documents, prefer printing over a trusted local network or use end-to-end encrypted methods if available.

Troubleshooting tips

• Printer not found: ensure host software is running, both devices are signed into the same PrinterShare account (or the printer is shared to you), and the host computer isn’t blocked by firewall rules.
• Print job stuck or fails: restart the host software, check the printer queue on the host computer, and verify printer drivers on the host are working.
• Quality or formatting issues: confirm paper size and orientation settings; try printing as PDF first to verify layout.
• Slow or delayed printing: remote printing speed depends on internet connection quality; large images or high-resolution files take longer.

Alternatives to PrinterShare

When PrinterShare is a good fit

• You need to print from multiple device types to one or more printers without installing many drivers.
• You require remote printing while traveling or working from multiple locations.
• You want a relatively simple way to share a printer with family or colleagues.

When you need strict enterprise-grade security, centralized IT-managed printing, or guaranteed SLAs, consider enterprise print-management solutions instead.

Quick checklist before printing remotely

• Host software running (if using a PC-hosted printer).
• Both devices signed in to PrinterShare (or printer shared to your account).
• Stable internet connection for remote jobs.
• Correct paper and print settings selected.
• Printer online and not displaying errors (paper jam, low ink).

If you’d like, I can write a shorter quick-start checklist you can print and keep near your printer, or create step-by-step screenshots for a specific platform (Android, iOS, Windows, macOS). Which platform should I focus on?