Driverless Printing Explained: AirPrint, Mopria and IPP

If you have added a printer recently and never installed any software for it, you have already used driverless printing. Instead of each printer maker writing a driver for every operating system, the printer and the device speak shared, open standards. This guide explains what driverless printing is, the names you will see for it, and how to use it on Windows, Mac, ChromeOS, Android and Linux.

What driverless printing means

A traditional printer driver is software from the printer maker that translates a document into the printer’s own language. It has to be written for each operating system and processor type, and it has to be updated when the operating system changes.

With driverless printing, the printer advertises itself on the network, tells the device what it can do (paper sizes, colour, two-sided printing, trays) and accepts jobs in standard formats. The operating system already contains everything needed to talk to it. Microsoft’s description of Windows Ready Print sums up the benefit: printers communicate with PCs without drivers, which it says improves security, compatibility and reliability.

The standards behind it

Name	Who it is from	Used by	Based on
AirPrint	Apple	iPhone, iPad, Mac	IPP and Bonjour network discovery
Mopria	Mopria Alliance (printer and software makers)	Android, Windows (Windows Ready Print)	IPP printing and eSCL scanning
IPP Everywhere	Printer Working Group (PWG)	Listed by the PWG for ChromeOS, CUPS, Linux, macOS and Windows	IPP/2.0, DNS-SD, PWG Raster

According to the PWG, an IPP Everywhere printer must support IPP/2.0, DNS-SD discovery and the PWG Raster format, plus JPEG for colour printers, with PDF and IPP-USB recommended. Microsoft describes Mopria as an alliance that defines standards for IPP printing and eSCL scanning, and Windows Ready Print as designed for Mopria certified printers. The overlap is large: a printer that supports one of these usually supports others.

How the printer and device find each other

Driverless printing has two halves. First, discovery: the printer announces itself on the local network with multicast DNS (also called Bonjour or DNS-SD), so phones and computers can list it without you typing anything. Second, printing: the device asks the printer over IPP what it supports, then sends the job in a format from that list, such as PDF, JPEG or a raster format.

This is why driverless printing depends on the network more than on software. Discovery only works when the printer and the device are on the same local network, which guest networks, separate extender networks and some mesh settings can break. If a printer does not appear, our guides to printers on guest Wi-Fi and printer network ports explain what to check. When discovery fails but the printer is reachable, adding it by IP address still uses IPP and still needs no driver.

Check whether your printer supports it

• Box, manual or product page. Look for AirPrint, Mopria or IPP Everywhere.
• Mopria certified products list. Search mopria.org for your exact model.
• An Apple device. If an iPhone lists the printer in its Print options without any app, it supports AirPrint. Apple’s About AirPrint page explains the requirements.
• Windows 11. Our guide to Windows protected print mode shows how Windows marks compatible printers in Printers & scanners.

Very old printers, USB-only printers without IPP-USB, and some specialist models (label, receipt and large-format printers) may still need a driver.

Use driverless printing on each platform

Windows 11. Open Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Printers & scanners and select Add device. For a compatible printer, Windows sets it up through Windows Ready Print without downloading the maker’s driver. Microsoft has also announced an end of servicing plan for legacy third-party printer drivers, so driverless printing is the direction Windows is moving. See add a printer in Windows 11 for the full steps, and printers on Windows 11 Arm PCs for why this matters on Arm laptops.

Mac. In Printers & Scanners, choose Add Printer. If the Use menu shows AirPrint, macOS is using the driverless route. Our guide to adding a printer on a Mac covers both AirPrint and maker drivers.

iPhone and iPad. AirPrint is the only built-in method; see print from an iPhone.

Android. The built-in print service, based on Mopria, finds most network printers; see print from Android.

ChromeOS. Google says IPP is the supported protocol for most printers, and a Chromebook usually finds network printers automatically. When it does not, you can add a printer manually with its IP address, protocol IPP and queue ipp/print; see add a printer to a Chromebook.

Linux. CUPS supports IPP Everywhere. Desktop settings usually pick the driverless option automatically, and on the command line lpadmin uses the everywhere model, as shown in our guide to adding a printer from the Linux command line.

What you might miss without a driver

Driverless printing covers normal printing well: paper size, type, colour, quality, two-sided and tray selection. What you may not get from the operating system alone:

• Scanning features. Basic scanning often works through eSCL, but some advanced features need the maker’s app. Microsoft notes that a multifunction printer’s scanner may be unavailable in Windows protected print mode if it is not Mopria certified.
• Maintenance. Nozzle checks, cleaning and alignment are usually on the printer’s own menu or in the maker’s app.
• Firmware updates. These come from the printer or the maker; see update printer firmware.
• Special options. Some office features such as stapling or secure release may need a maker’s driver or a Print Support App on Windows.

When to install a driver anyway

Install the maker’s driver when the printer is not certified for any driverless standard, when a feature you need is missing, or when the printer only connects by USB and is not detected. Our guides to installing a printer driver in Windows 11 and installing a printer without a CD cover that route. Whichever way you add it, print a test page to check the result.