Print from phone direct via wifi or bluetooth with logging into a wifi network

[Charaldan]

The situation I have is that one of the ladies within my am-dramatic group doesn’t have a computer at home and does not wish for one. This has caused problems in the past because scripts etc are emailed and usually each member prints out their own copy . For this lady though another member usually has to print out a hard copy for her.

I have finally got her to purchase a Samsung Galaxy Sii and she has 3g network access to receive GMail with PDF and .doc attachments with it. However there is no home wifi network . Is there a way to print documents such as PDF’s to a printer directly from Device Wifi to Printer (via Wifi or Bluetooth) without having a wifi network for the printer to log onto. I know the bigger manufacturers seem to have their own apps for Android but it is difficult to tell whether these will work in the absence of a Wifi router/network hub (i.e device wifi connecting directly with printer wifi ). There is an app called Printershare which does appear to have it’s own drivers for a variety of supported printers for Wifi connection but again it is difficult to tell whether it will require a wifi network connection or will communicate directly with the printers wifi interface. Printershare will also connect via Bluetooth so this may be an option but advice on this would also be welcome i.e. will i be able to print pdfs, .doc etc via bluetooth or is it just picture files such as jpgs

Your help and expertise would be most appreciated for a) knowing whether it is possible and b) if it is what printer to buy.

Perhaps another option would be to buy a wireless router (i.e without built in broadband) and hook up both the printer and the galaxy s to it (basically creating an internal wireless network between the two). Or maybe some frigging around can be done using the phone as a wireless hotspot on it's 3G and logging a printer into that?

Cheers ears

[greenman]

Would it be cheaper for her to copy to an sd card and take it to a print shop?

[Charaldan]

Actually come to think of it I have an old wireless router hanging round so might try the following. Set up the router and log in both the phone and the printer to it (might have to use my laptop to log the printer in via usb cable for the 1st time but that's ok) . Now even though there is no broadband supply to the router both the phone and the printer will be linked on the same wifi network and surely both the oem printer apps and printershare (if it relies on a wifi network connection) would then work ?? Or am I just being a dilbert??

Thanks for the suggestion of the SD card BTW but the lady concerned is a complete techno phobe and taking SDCARD's in and out or copying files will be beyond her - I just want her to have a simple way of printing a PDF or doc file directly from the phone with as little fannying around as possible.

[greenman]

If she is a techno phone it's going to be easier just to print it out for her, or give a copy to photocopy.
Faffing around with wifi and the S2 can prove tricky.