How to print a boarding pass without a printer
Most airlines are happy with a boarding pass on your phone. Some airports, some airlines and some border posts still want paper, and the moment you discover that is usually a bad time to be looking for a printer.
Do you really need paper?
You probably do if: the airline's app warns that mobile passes are not accepted at your departure airport; you are flying a low-cost carrier that charges for airport check-in; you are entering a country that asks for a printed onward ticket; or your phone battery is a gamble. When in doubt, print it. It costs almost nothing and takes five minutes.
Where to print it
- Your hotel. Front desks print boarding passes all day. Email it to them or show the PDF on your phone.
- The airport. Self-service kiosks print passes for most airlines, and the check-in desk will too. Low-cost carriers may charge.
- A library. Cheapest option on the way to the airport; many accept email-to-print.
- A print shop or shipping store. Email the PDF, pick up a minute later.
- Your Mac, anywhere. With Print@ installed, open the boarding pass PDF, choose Print@ Nearby, and it finds the closest place that prints and sends it there with a pickup code. The demo job in the installer is, in fact, a boarding pass.
Getting the pass as a file
In the airline app, look for "share" or "save as PDF" on the pass. In Apple Wallet, tap the three dots and share. If the airline only emails a link, open it in a browser and use the browser's print-to-PDF.
Print it right
One page per passenger, single-sided, plain paper, black and white is fine. Check that the barcode printed clearly; a smudged barcode means a trip to the desk anyway.
Print@ does this from the Print dialog on a Mac: pick Print@ Nearby, and it finds the closest shop or public printer, sends the file, and gives you a pickup code. From a phone, send a file to a Print@ Network shop.
Install on macOSPrint from the webAll guidesQuestions people ask
- Can I print my boarding pass at the airport?
- Yes, at the airline's self-service kiosk or the check-in desk. Some low-cost airlines charge a fee for printing at the airport.
- Will a hotel print my boarding pass?
- Almost always, often free. Email the PDF to the front desk or show it on your phone.
- Does a boarding pass need to be in color?
- No. Black and white is fine as long as the barcode is sharp.