Printing & Scanning

Need physical copies of council documents or want to digitise paper forms? Your iPad makes it easy to print documents and scan papers without needing separate devices!

Setting Up Your Printer

1 Make sure your printer is compatible with AirPrint (most modern wireless printers are) or check if your printer manufacturer has an app in the App Store.

2 Connect your iPad to the same Wi-Fi network as your printer.

3 For non-AirPrint printers, download the printer manufacturer's app from the App Store and follow the setup instructions.

4 Test the connection by printing a simple document to make sure everything is working correctly.

Compatibility Tip: If your printer doesn't support AirPrint and doesn't have an app, you might need to set up printing through your computer or consider a print server like PrintCentral Pro.

Printing Council Documents

1 Open the document you want to print (PDF, email, web page, Word document, etc.).

2 Tap the share icon (square with an up arrow) usually found at the top or bottom of the screen.

3 Scroll down and tap "Print" in the share menu options.

4 Select your printer from the list of available printers. If your printer doesn't appear, tap "Select Printer" to search for it.

5 Adjust print options like number of copies, paper size, colour vs. black & white, or which pages to print.

6 Tap "Print" and wait for your document to print.

Paper-Saving Tip: Use the "Range" option to print only the specific pages you need, or select "2-sided" printing if your printer supports it to reduce paper consumption.

Scanning Documents with Your iPad

1 Open the Notes app and create a new note or open an existing one.

2 Tap the camera icon in the toolbar above the keyboard.

3 Select "Scan Documents" from the menu that appears.

4 Position your document in view of the camera. The iPad will automatically detect the document edges.

5 Tap the shutter button or let the iPad automatically capture the document when it's properly framed.

6 Adjust the scan area by dragging the corners if needed, then tap "Keep Scan".

7 Continue scanning additional pages or tap "Save" when you're finished.

Quality Tip: Make sure you have good lighting when scanning documents. The iPad can enhance scans, but starting with a well-lit document produces better results.

Working with Scanned Documents

1 After saving your scan in Notes, tap on the scanned document to open it.

2 Use the markup tools to add signatures, text, or highlights by tapping the markup icon.

3 Share the scanned document by tapping the share icon and selecting your preferred method.

4 Save to Files by tapping the share icon and selecting "Save to Files" to store in a more permanent location.

5 Export as PDF by tapping the share icon and choosing the appropriate option.

Organisation Tip: Create a dedicated "Scanned Documents" folder in the Files app to keep all your scans organised by type or meeting date.

Alternative Scanning Methods

Files App

In the Files app, tap the three dots in the top right, then select "Scan Documents" to scan directly to a location.

Mail App

When composing an email, tap in the body, hold, and select "Scan Document" to scan and attach in one step.

Scanner Apps

Apps like Adobe Scan, Microsoft Office, or Scanner Pro offer advanced features like OCR text recognition.

Continuity Camera

If you have a Mac, you can use your iPad camera to scan directly to your computer.

Printing and Scanning Tips for Council Work

1 Create PDF versions of all important council documents before printing to ensure they maintain their formatting.

2 Use the "Preview" option before printing to check the document looks correct and reduce wasted paper.

3 Scan signed documents immediately after meetings to keep digital copies of all approvals and decisions.

4 Consider creating templates for frequently printed council documents with proper margins and layouts.

Environmental Tip: Only print what's absolutely necessary for meetings. Share digital copies of agendas and reports when possible, and scan any handwritten notes or annotations after the meeting.