AirPrint for Windows...and every normal printer

At first I was going to write a scathing article about how fucking horrible Apple is to have created this new "AirPrint" bullshit and limited it to a select range of printers...but just then, I found the light!

Granted, this had nothing to do with my Apple fanboy friend telling me how "AirPrint will change the way we print since it doesn't require drivers" and all that. That's just completely untrue. Open print standards have been around since the dawn of printing. I guess I'm just saying I'm still pissed at Apple for coming up with their own way of doing things.

Anyway, let's get too it...

The basics come from this page [http://jaxov.com/2010/11/how-to-enable-airprint-service-on-windows/]. That will tell you how to install AirPrint for windows, make it a service, and setup your iOS device. The problem is...they expect you to install iTunes 10.1 to get this working!

I said, to hell with that! I wanted to set this up on my Windows Home Server, since it's the only machine I have which runs 24/7, and I'll be damned if I'm going to install full-blown iTunes on it!

Knowing that Apple is really only looking for the Bonjour service...I did some digging and found this. Bonjour Print Services for Windows is all you really need to get this AirPrint system working.

So, to rehash, do this before you follow the instructions listed in the aforementioned link.

First
Create a new shared printer. I'm not going to show you how to do this...if you don't know, look it up.


Second
Once you've got your printer(s) installed and shared, run the Bonjour Print Services for Windows installer you downloaded.


Third
Follow the steps in the previous link to create and start your new "AirPrint" service. I'm not sure why I had to do this first, but for some reason Bonjour couldn't find my printer until this was running.


Fourth
Open the Bonjour Printer Wizard from either your Start Menu or Desktop...depending on how you installed it. You should be presented with a list of Bonjour capable printers. Select and configure your printer following the screenshots below.


Fifth
Go print something from your iOS device! Seriously...open a web page in Safari, then click the "whatever the hell that is icon" and as long as you're on os 4.2 or later, you should see "Print." Your new "AirPrint" printers will show up just like any of the high-dollar lame shit Apple just released.