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It's safe to say, at this point, that most people consider printers a necessary evil rather than something they want to use, unless perhaps you're talking about a 3D or photo printer. I know I rarely have to print anything, unless perhaps it's a shipping label, or something I have to show to the government or a doctor. And yet I still have to deal with hassles like stuck Windows queues, not to mention the extortionate price of replacement ink.
If you pull things off right, at least, one thing you can get around is the need to sit in front of a Mac or PC to print something that's already sitting on your phone. There are a variety of steps you need to take to make this happen — but the good news is that once they're completed, it should be ridiculously easy to print off anything you might need, no matter where you are in your home. You might even be able to stuff that printer in an out-of-the-way corner where it belongs.
Putting your printer on Wi-Fi
Why not USB?
Yes, in certain scenarios, you may be able to connect a printer directly to your smartphone via USB, but this is less convenient than you might think. Some printers may still rely on USB-A — the rectangular format — instead of USB-C, which all recent smartphones use. If so, you'll need an adapter or adapter cable. If you have an older iPhone with Lightning, you'll need to find something to bridge with your printer's USB tech.
The real catch is software. Printers typically depend on specific software drivers for wired connections that are missing on a phone. There are ways around this with third-party apps, or maybe even some apps produced by printer makers, but you'll have to search the web to discover what's compatible with your particular printer model.
There's one more obvious hassle involved: you'll have to tether your phone whenever you want to print something, and you won't be able to walk away until the job is complete, assuming you want your phone with you. Whenever possible, it's best to put your printer on Wi-Fi.
A direct Wi-Fi connection
Most recent printers should have some form of built-in Wi-Fi. This is potentially cumbersome to set up. In a worst-case scenario (so to speak), you'll have to navigate your printer's on-device menus to select your Wi-Fi router, then enter its password. If a printer doesn't offer a touchscreen keyboard, typing in a complex password can take a while.
There have been attempts to simplify the process. Apart from touchscreens, some printers will let you press a button (or button combo) on your printer to initiate Wi-Fi pairing, then complete the process by pressing a WPS button on your router. It may also be possible to establish a “handshake” between your phone and a printer via Bluetooth, NFC, or a technology called Wi-Fi Direct. Once this handshake is complete, you should be able to use a maker's mobile app to complete setup, or in some cases print right away. If a printer supports Wi-Fi Direct, you'll need to know its SSID (network ID) and password to connect, most likely via your phone's Settings app.
Note that for wireless printing from an iPhone, a printer needs to be compatible with Apple's AirPrint.
Some printers may allow connections entirely over Bluetooth, but this isn't preferable in the long run. The first issue is range. While Bluetooth 5.x can reach up to about 800 feet (240 meters), the practical distance is usually much shorter, and some devices may still use 4.x. You may find yourself having to get closer before printing will succeed. Bluetooth also lacks bandwidth — at best, you're going to get about 2Mbps, whereas even a slow Wi-Fi 5 link should hit 100Mbps or higher. The difference won't matter for small print jobs, but faster is always better.
Note that for wireless printing from an iPhone, a printer needs to be compatible with Apple's AirPrint. The good news is that AirPrint is an old standard, dating to about 2010. You'll be hard-pressed to find an incompatible printer that's still working.
If I've been vague, it's because you ultimately need to look up the instructions connected to your particular printer model. There's no universal solution here.
A network-attached printer
If your Wi-Fi router has a free USB port, this may be the ideal solution. Once a printer is connected this way, it should automatically be discoverable as long as your phone is connected to the same SSID. Indeed, it should be discoverable to any device on the same network, including tablets and computers. Check if there are specific setup requirements for your printer.
The only real downside to this approach is that people often stash their router in place that's inconvenient to put a printer, such as their living room. This is frequently by necessity, since there may only be one coaxial port for a modem to connect to. If so, it's probably worth putting up with the trouble of direct Wi-Fi.
How to print wirelessly from your smartphone
Android
Once your printer is ready, printing from an Android device is simple, but potentially dependent on the app you're using. In some apps, you can simply select a triple-dot or triple-line menu icon when something you want to print is onscreen, then tap Print. If that's not present, you can try Android's built-in Share menu, often represented by branching dots. A Print icon will appear if the option makes sense for the media you're looking at.
The Android printing interface lets you choose formatting and color options, as well as the number of copies to make, and the page range to print. I want to take a second to stress the importance of narrowing range as much as possible — lot of websites and text documents include miscellaneous junk or blank pages. Don't waste ink, toner, or paper on them.
If you don't see your printer available, you may need to search for the Print or Printing menu in the Settings app. There, you'll see options to add a service or peripheral, including ones with Wi-Fi Direct.
iPhone
The process of printing on an iPhone is virtually identical to the one for Android, except that the iOS Share icon is a square with an upward arrow. Once you've tapped it, you may need to tap More and scroll down to reveal the Print command.
Apple notes that in some apps, the Print option may be available not just under triple-dot menus, but sometimes in arrow menus, such as drop-downs. You'll have to explore, or else consult an app developer's web guide (if it has one).
Again matching Android, you should see formatting, color, copy, and range options before you start a print job. Once things are underway, you can use the app switcher to open Print Center and monitor status. If you want to cancel a queued job, select it, then tap Cancel Printing.
