The release of AirPrint was Apple’s way of minimizing the work involved in printing documents from your iDevice, but its restrictions on compatible printers make AirPrint hard to find when you’re on the go. Universal app Breezy makes the process a bit easier.
By installing printer software (for now, only PCs are compatible, but Mac is coming soon), Breezy account holders can open documents in Breezy, and print directly from iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. Anyone can print on his or her home printer free, but documents will have a Breezy watermark.
To print via the app, users should hold down the attachment and select to open the file in Breezy. It appears that Breezy only includes printing of attachments right now, but I’d love to see the addition of support for website or email printing. I tested Breezy on two attachments in Mail. The first, an OpenOffice text file, launched the app without issue, but I couldn’t get Breezy to open when I tried an attachment created in Word. I restarted the app as well as Mail, but had no luck. I also couldn’t find a list of supported files, so I’m unclear if this is a glitch or simply an unsupported file type (but c’mon, it is a .doc file, so no support would be pretty silly).
Back to the good stuff. Breezy’s real benefit is in its network of 1,000-plus partners, accessible through the “Nearby Printers” button. Most of the options I found in Chicago were at hotels, but this could still prove useful for someone on the go. Free account holders will need to purchase credits to use these partner printers — credits are 10 for $1.99, and most jobs cost three credits apiece. Credits can also be used to send a fax via the app.
Users who think they’ll rely on Breezy often should consider the subscription plans that run $2.99 per month, or $29.99 per year. Premium account holders get watermark-free prints and don’t have to pay for partner printing, which Breezy says is growing in number.
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