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How to print a PDF from Android without Wi-Fi

If there is no Wi-Fi, you can still print a PDF from your Android phone over a USB cable. EazyPrint sends the pages directly to the printer, so no network, computer or cloud is involved.

By EazyLife Tech Solutions, the independent developer of EazyPrint for Android (com.eazyprint). Updated

The short answer

  • Connect the printer to the phone with a USB OTG cable, open the PDF in EazyPrint, pick pages and print.
  • The pages go straight from the phone to the printer over USB. Nothing is uploaded to print.
  • You can pick the PDF inside EazyPrint, or use Share / Open with from another app.
  • Only the HP LaserJet M1005 is tested. Other models are experimental.

How to do it

  1. Connect the printer to the phone with the OTG adapter and the printer’s USB cable. Switch the printer on.
  2. Open EazyPrint and allow USB access when Android asks.
  3. Tap Print and pick the PDF. Or open the PDF in another app and choose Share or Open with, then EazyPrint.
  4. On the Pages step, choose All, Odd, Even, tap pages, or type a range such as 1-3, 7.
  5. On the Options step, set copies, paper, orientation, fit and margins.
  6. Start the print and watch the progress as pages are sent. Cancel stops sending further pages.

Printing from another app’s Print menu

EazyPrint also registers as an Android print service, so it can appear when another app’s Print dialog is used. It does not send the job straight to the printer. It saves the document, shows a notification, and opens it in EazyPrint, where you print over USB as above. We have only checked this in the code, not on every phone.

What works offline

Printing does not need the internet. The app has permission to use the network, which is used for crash reports. The Wi-Fi in your home or office is not needed to reach the printer, because the printer is attached by cable.

The EazyPrint Pages screen showing page thumbnails and the page selection chips
The Pages step: thumbnails with All, Odd, Even and Custom.

What it does not do

  • EazyPrint is not on Google Play yet. Testers get a build by email.
  • Only the HP LaserJet M1005 has been tested on real hardware. Every other model in the supported printers list is experimental: the protocol is built, but not tried on that model.
  • Your phone needs USB host (OTG) support and an OTG cable.
  • It prints over a USB cable. There is no Wi-Fi or cloud printing.
  • The options screen has no colour or two-sided setting. It offers copies, paper size, orientation, fit and margins.
  • Sharing into EazyPrint works for PDFs. For Word and Excel files, open them from inside EazyPrint.

How to get EazyPrint

EazyPrint is not on Google Play yet. To get early access, email srv021@gmail.com and say which printer you have.

Email for early access

Questions

Can I print a PDF from my Android phone without Wi-Fi?

Yes, with a USB printer, a USB OTG cable and an app such as EazyPrint that has a driver for the printer.

Does EazyPrint upload my PDF to print?

No. The pages go from the phone to the printer over the USB cable.

Do I need an OTG cable?

Yes. The phone must support USB host, and you need an OTG cable or adapter to connect the printer.

Can I choose which pages to print?

Yes. Choose All, Odd, Even, tap individual pages, or type a range such as 1-3, 7.

Is EazyPrint on Google Play?

Not yet. Email for early access.

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