Office for iPad updated with printing support and new features

Microsoft released Office for iPad just over a month ago without printing support, and that odd omission is being addressed today with the first update to the suite of applications. AirPrint printers are now supported, with Excel, PowerPoint, and Word apps all updated with options to print. Printing is rather basic compared to the full desktop Office apps, with a limited amount of options and no print preview support yet. Microsoft admits the printing support was the number one request from early Office for iPad users.

Alongside the printing update, Microsoft has also taken the opportunity to add two new features to Office for iPad. SmartGuides is now enabled in the PowerPoint app, a feature that helps iPad users align pictures, text boxes, and other shapes as they’re moved around a presentation slide. Microsoft has also added AutoFit to the Excel app, making it a lot easier to adjust the width of rows or height of columns. Similar options can be found in the Office 2013 desktop client, and it’s clear Microsoft is trying to find ways to bring these additional options to the iPad version in a way that makes sense for touch. The usual bug fixes and stability improvements are also included with this latest update, including a change in Excel to address problems with hyperlinks in workbooks. The version 1.0.1 update is available for all Office for iPad apps from Apple’s App Store immediately.