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macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
63,194
30,135



Microsoft's Office for iPad apps, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint received their first major update today, gaining the printing capabilities that were notably absent when the apps launched back in March. The lack of an ability to print documents directly from the apps was a major complaint in initial reviews of the mobile productivity suite.

microsoftoffice.jpg
According to an official blog post, all three apps will gain the ability to print over-the-air to an AirPrint-compatible printer.
Your top request is here! You can now print Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations to an AirPrintTM printer. In Word for iPad, you can choose to print a document with or without markup. In Excel, print a selected range, a single worksheet or an entire spreadsheet. Of course, you can select the pages or slides you want to print.
Along with printing capabilities, the apps have gained a few other highly-requested features, including SmartGuides for PowerPoint and AutoFit for Excel. While SmartGuides help PowerPoint users align pictures, shapes, and textboxes on a slide page, AutoFit will let Excel users adjust the width and height of multiple rows and columns at once.

Each update also includes a number of bug fixes, along with a note from Microsoft outlining its commitment to continually improving its Office for iPad apps. "We're already working on the next update," reads the post.

All of the updates are currently available and can be downloaded from the App Store for free, but editing and creating documents requires an Office 365 subscription. Microsoft OneNote has also been updated with bug fixes.

- Microsoft Word for iPad [Direct Link]
- Microsoft Excel for iPad [Direct Link]
- Microsoft PowerPoint for iPad [Direct Link]
- Microsoft OneNote for iPad [Direct Link]

Article Link: Microsoft's Office for iPad Apps Gain Printing Capabilities
 

bingeciren

macrumors 65816
Sep 6, 2011
1,069
1,009
AirPrint compatible printer! An iPad (IOS) limitation that we have to live with.:mad:
 

Dribo

macrumors newbie
Mar 19, 2014
19
17
Roskilde, Denmark
This is great, and a feature that makes me want office even more. But I think it should have been here from the beginning.

Edit: I get this for 25$ a year at my school, so any addition and I'm happy.
 

puma1552

Suspended
Nov 20, 2008
5,559
1,947
Printing is great, a subscription is not.

Any software that requires a monthly subscription - not interested, will not use.
 

longofest

Editor emeritus
Jul 10, 2003
2,924
1,682
Falls Church, VA
We bought an Office365 subscription once Office for iPad came out so that my wife could use her iPad more for work, and from what she's told me, it has been pretty good. She tried to use the iWork apps and really struggled with them, finding them unintuitive and difficult to use in a tablet environment besides some pretty bad compatibility issues sometimes. So far none of those complaints from Office365, though she hadn't tried to print yet, so this update is certainly welcome.

For a subscription fee, Microsoft better not sit still.
 

ValSalva

macrumors 68040
Jun 26, 2009
3,783
259
Burpelson AFB
Office for iPad would be so much more useful if it wasn't just another data silo. Having to use OneDrive is a deal killer for me.
 

captain cadet

macrumors 6502
Sep 2, 2012
417
648
So i still need to fork out £80 for a new printer... I knew we wasn't going to get all the features as the surface has :(
 

Piggie

macrumors G3
Feb 23, 2010
9,107
3,969
Printing is great, a subscription is not.

Any software that requires a monthly subscription - not interested, will not use.

Why do you feel this for only computer software?

If there nothing else in your life you pay a small amount each month for?

TV, Car, Insurance etc etc.

Why pick computer software as the item you don't wish to pay for this way?
 

Chupa Chupa

macrumors G5
Jul 16, 2002
14,835
7,396
So i still need to fork out £80 for a new printer... I knew we wasn't going to get all the features as the surface has :(

Well that's more of a function, or lack thereof, of iOS, not Office for iOS. But you don't need to buy an AirPrint printer. There is inexpensive s/w that will let you print to any printer connected your Mac (I'm sure similar is available for PC too).
 

thekeyring

macrumors 68040
Jan 5, 2012
3,485
2,147
London
Printing is great, a subscription is not.

Any software that requires a monthly subscription - not interested, will not use.

It frustrates me that people write this off so much. You won't EVER rent software?

Adobe Flash Pro was upwards of £800 a few years ago, now it's <£20 a month with a 1-app Creative Cloud subscription. Much better!

You pay less and are constantly on the latest software.
 

Codestud

macrumors regular
Nov 1, 2011
125
137
To those people who complain about subscriptions - many Apple fans were content to pay MobileMe subscriptions for many years.

"But MobileMe was a service" you say. Well, Microsoft is moving its business model to Devices and Services, of which it sees Office as a Service.

I don't mind the subscription at all.
 

Chupa Chupa

macrumors G5
Jul 16, 2002
14,835
7,396
Why do you feel this for only computer software?

If there nothing else in your life you pay a small amount each month for?

TV, Car, Insurance etc etc.

Why pick computer software as the item you don't wish to pay for this way?

If you pay for a car or TV in installments at some point you own it and can decide when to upgrade, or not. You can lease a car, that is an option, but it's the only option to get Office for iPad. THAT is what people object to -- not having the option to just buy it at a reasonable price and be done with it for a few years. Traditionally consumer's purchased a license that let them use the software for life, not a month or a year. The OneDrive method can cost a lot more than outright purchase depending on one's use and upgrade cycle.

Insurance has never been something one makes a one time payment and is covered for the rest of their life.
 

Tiger8

macrumors 68020
May 23, 2011
2,479
649
Tut Tut, wasn't MS making fun of AirPrint during the surface vs iPad wars? what happened?

That's still the case. Windows still operates wider range of printers than the iPad. All what they are doing is giving iPad users the ability to Print, per Apple rules.
 

drewyboy

macrumors 65816
Jan 27, 2005
1,385
1,467
Why do you feel this for only computer software?

If there nothing else in your life you pay a small amount each month for?

TV, Car, Insurance etc etc.

Why pick computer software as the item you don't wish to pay for this way?

TV I own and receive OTA. Yes I do have netflix, but there is simply no way that I could afford the library I watch if I was to purchase out right.

Car. Hands down cash to own. I will NEVER have a car payment.

Insurance... that's a bit of a reach. You have no other option. The monthly fee is because I might switch Ins. companies, I could switch homes/cars/etc, I could increase/decrease liabilities.

The reasons computer software is the biggest sore thumb is because there never was an issue before buying it outright. MS Office $120. I'll have it for a few years (3 usually because I'm forced to upgrade due to extension changes). Computer software just isn't "expensive" enough to justify monthly payments. It's just been forced upon us to make more money. Plain and simple. New features are becoming less and less so they need something to make more. Look at all the people STILL using XP. Can you imagine if OS's were monthly payments?
 

dmunz

macrumors regular
Aug 24, 2010
192
53
Office for iPad would be so much more useful if it wasn't just another data silo. Having to use OneDrive is a deal killer for me.

This.

If I can't use DropBox I don't see the point. I like the apps but I don't want to have to move my stuff to another could site.

FWIW
DLM
 
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