#AskJeffTech: How to print from an iPad

• Many printers compatible with Apple Airprint
• Google has a workaround%3A Cloudprint

LOS ANGELES — Cynthia from San Francisco has issues printing from her iPad.

She's not alone. Many of us have switched from laptops to tablets. They are great for entertainment, surfing the Internet and checking e-mail, but fall down when it comes to that most basic function — printing out coupons, movie tickets, Word docs, PDFs and more.

The good news is that there are now many ways to print from the iPad. But with so many different types of printers, it's not easy — and it does take some time to set up.

First of all, you need a current printer that has Wi-Fi and supports Apple Airprint, the tool for printing from the iPad. You can find a list of compatible printers on Apple's website — and there are hundreds of them.

You will need to have up-to-date software and a newer printer.

If your printer isn't compatible, I do have a great workaround for you. Download Google's Chrome browser, which is free in the App Store, and set up Google Cloudprint.

From Chrome, you can print anything that's in a browser. (You'll need to set up Cloudprint on your Windows or Apple computer before you can start printing from the iPad.)

Google Cloud Print can print to cloud-ready printers, which connect directly to the web and don't require a PC to setup. It can also connect to older printers that are plugged into a computer with Internet access.

That's the good news. What you can't print is anything from an app, an e-mail or a word doc.

So here's another workaround: Copy and paste your text into Google Docs, Google's free browser-based word processing program, then print from there.

Exhausted? If so, you'll probably want to buy a compatible printer. Last I looked, you have a whole lot of options starting at around $70.

Keep those questions coming in, folks, Look for me on Twitter where I'm @jeffersongraham and please use the hashtag #askjefftech so I can find you.