This requires iOS or iPadOS 15, but once you have it, it’s quick, simple, and free.
Even if you can carry a little printer with you everywhere you go, it’s not really useful. Most of us don’t print frequently enough from our smartphones or tablets for this to be a factor. But what if you don’t have a printer but still need to preserve a printout?
Let’s imagine, for illustration’s sake, that you’ve just finished a financial transaction and have the choice to print the receipt. Many websites that provide a print option don’t include a Save to PDF option. On a PC or Mac, you can find that option rather easily.
On an iPad or iPhone, however, all that iPadOS or iOS offers you is the Print button. We now know that when you don’t have a printer, the Print button isn’t really helpful.
Fortunately, there is a solution as long as you’re on iOS or iPadOS 15 (or later). Although strangely elusive, it is present.
Here’s one
I wanted to import a PDF since I’m working on an essay on how the iPad makes the best colouring book. It turns out that Crayola, the manufacturer of crayons, offers a tonne of free printable colouring book pages. This NASCAR graphic is one such webpage. As a huge fan of fast automobiles, I was eager to get it.
But as you can see, when I click the Print Now button, a standard printer dialogue box appears.In this case, I have no printer selected, but if you click on Printers to select a printer, there’s no way to print to a PDF.
The subtle ruse
Here is the sneaky ruse. As I previously stated, for this to function, you must be using iOS or iPadOS 15. Now press and hold the blue Print prompt rather than merely touching it. The concealed share card now appears:
Selecting Save to Files. Save options include iCloud and On My iPad. I selected On My iPad and then directed the file to the appropriate location for my intended use. The PDF can be saved wherever you choose.
