Tag Archives: Google Cloud Print
Is Cloud Print Going to be Held Off on Chrome OS?
Posted on 27. Jul, 2011 by Daniel Cawrey. 
12 Comments
…And so how am I supposed to print on my Chromebook? Judging from this Chromium Authors issue submission, it looks like over the past week that the Google Cloud Print Service is going to be removed. I’m currently running Chrome Stable and Chrome Canary for the Mac and I can see Google Cloud Print on both browser instances.
Yet on my Chromebook I can still see the service in the “Under the Hood” tab in Settings. The fact that the issue submission says that the “Cloud Print component app should not show up on Chrome OS.” is a bit concerning to me to say the least.
No one every really said that Google Cloud Print is a slam dunk and ready for primetime. But this really blows out a lot of functionality when you consider that you might not be able to print from a Chromebook and you cannot watch Netflix.
I know I’m being critical here, but let’s be serious. Without some of these functions Chrome OS is likely not as useful as perhaps advertised. I get the feeling that the launch of the commercialized Chrome OS platform for Chromebooks was rushed into action far more quickly than it perhaps should have been. Am I grateful that they did not hold it off any longer? Yes, I am. But that still doesn’t take away from the drawbacks that the operating system is experiencing.
Since Chromebooks don’t have a printer port, I would see that removing Cloud Print, even temporarily, is a major problem. This would be especially true in a business environment. While I believe that there is serious potential for Chrome OS in the enterprise, the harsh reality is that those types of users have the disposition where they will need to print things whenever they can.
How do you feel about the overall development and drawbacks of Chrome OS since its commercialize launch? Let the discussion begin in the comments!
UPDATE: As it turns out, the answer asked in the headline for this post is a resounding “no”. It’s not that Google Cloud Print is being held off, as in the comments below you’ll see that it is actually the Cloud Print Proxy service. “They’re simply preventing cloud proxy code from being included with Chrome OS builds, this isn’t turning cloud print off on Chrome OS.”
via @kendfinger
Google Cloud Print Now Has Sharing Enabled
Posted on 02. Apr, 2011 by Daniel Cawrey. 4 Comments
The Cloud Print service has seen some updates in its UI recently, and HP has thrown its support behind the platform so that a large number of its new-model printers don’t need to be hooked up to a PC to print. Now, the ability to share out your printer to others in the cloud is now possible when you go into your Cloud Print dashboard.
When you hover your cursor over a select printer there is a menu that appears over to the right with a Share option.
You’ll then get a list of contacts in your Google Account that you can then share that printer with.
This would be useful if you know someone who doesn’t have a printer, or maybe just needs to print something out that is specifically for you. Whatever the case may be, it’s something added into Cloud Print that makes it more functional than the traditional way of printing at home by always having to hook your PC up to a printer.
What are some of the ways you would use sharing in Google Cloud Print?
HP Announces Google Cloud Print-Ready Products
Posted on 31. Mar, 2011 by Daniel Cawrey. 2 Comments
A few days ago it was noticed that the Google Cloud Print interface accessible through Chrome had been on the receiving end of a UI update which suggested that the service is nearing some sort of formal launch. Now, HP is announcing that they will be supporting this method of printing with their ePrint-enabled lineup of printers.
It appears that the whole consumer printing lineup from HP has ePrint and will thus support Cloud Print - Photosmart, Officejet, Officejet Pro and LaserJet Pro. All you need to do is register the printer with this Google service and you’re ready to print from any device that supports the service, whether that is you smartphone, Chrome notebook or other PC with Chrome installed.
Cloud print has only been available for Windows computers until today. Google has also announced that Chrome Beta users on Macs will be able to use the Cloud Print connector service. This makes it possible to print remotely if you have a Mac connected directly to the computer.
Another interesting tidbit is that Google is going to roll out printer sharing for users in the next few day. This means that people can share printing devices remotely from one another. That sounds like a good idea, especially if you need to print in a pinch. Hopefully we’ll be seeing more information on how that’s going to work.
Do you use Google Cloud Print right now?
via Google Chrome Blog, HP
The Cloud Print Dashboard is Starting to Look Functional
Posted on 30. Mar, 2011 by Daniel Cawrey. 2 Comments
The purpose of Google’s Cloud Print service is to take away any and all reasons why most people get frustrated with using printer peripherals. Instead of having to deal with software and drivers associated with printing, Cloud Print takes care of all that acting as a proxy in between you and the printer through a remote server.
It’s been something that Google has talked about, and anyone who watches this space is surely anxious about. Many printer manufacturers are also realizing that more simplicity with these types of products is better in the long run and will be creating products designed for its use. As of right now, however, you must use a Windows XP or better PC connected to a printer directly in order for it to work.
But we may be getting closer to the day when that’s not needed. Looking at the UI of Cloud Print, there’s a lot more there than was before. It now has two tabs to indicate your jobs and printers as well as allows you to search with an input box.
Want to try Cloud Print yourself? Go into your Options menu under the wrench. At bottom of the Under the Hood tab there is a button for signing into the service.
How soon could Cloud Print arrive? It’s been part of the browser since version 9, so it is being tested by Google. It would make sense that any sort of Chrome OS release would coincide with Cloud Print’s launch, since users will want to be able to print from these laptops.
As explicitly stated on their help page about the subject, you cannot connect a Chrome OS device to a printer directly.
Are you eagerly waiting for Google Cloud Print?
via ChromeStory
Will Using Google Cloud Print Always Require Chrome?
Posted on 25. Jan, 2011 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
Yesterday, Google announced that its Cloud Print service is now available for mobile devices loaded with Android 2.1 and up as well as iOS 3 and up. That’s great since you’ve already been able to use it on Chrome notebooks and now it is being rolled out to other platforms, but it makes one wonder how it is going to function in the future.
As it stands right now, you must have a computer hooked up to a printer in order for Cloud Print to work, and you also must have at least Chrome 9, which is currently in beta.
Sure, it’s early in Cloud Print’s development. But the fact that you must use Chrome makes one wonder how this will work once printers are cloud-capable. Google has said that they expect to see Chrome in all sorts of devices. Does that mean printers could come with Chrome in order to sync with Cloud Print?
Cloud Print can be enabled in the Under the Hood tab.
The way that this service is set up right now, that seems to be the case. When you enable Cloud Print, you’re doing it through Chrome’s settings menu, not through the web directly as most other Google services are configured.
Is Cloud Print only going to be available to Chrome users in the future? As of right now, that’s the way it’s set up. Is this the best way for Google to implement cloud print by only allowing Chrome users to be able to print through the service?
Cloud Print Proxy Service Available in Labs
Posted on 07. Dec, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 1 Comments
Okay, so it’s not really called Chrome Labs anymore, more like Chrome Experiments. Regardless, if you’re using Chrome 9 you can head over to the Experiments page by typing “about:flags” into the Omnibox. You can then head over to the Google Cloud Print service page and then use your cloud-enabled printer. That is, if you have one.
We were concerned about the availability of Cloud Print at Chrome OS’s launch. TechCrunch’s MG Seigler is speculating that Chrome will run in three separate versions just like ever other build of Chrome: Dev, Beta and Stable. If that ends up being the case, which seems probable, then Cloud Print would work once Chrome OS Dev hits 9.
Google Cloud Print Requires Chrome 9
Posted on 06. Dec, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 32 Comments
Google’s printing service for Chrome and Chrome OS is called Google Cloud Print. Unbeknownst to me, it is already in Beta, but you’ll need to have Chrome 9 in order for it to work. Does that mean there will be no printing on initial previews of Chrome OS devices that may be happening tomorrow. At this point it’s hard to tell.
Cloud Printing Emerges in Chrome OS
Posted on 05. Aug, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 4 Comments
When Chrome OS was first announced, one of the many issues brought up was the ability to print. The question was asked, “how are you going to be able to print with a cloud device”? Thus, the era of cloud printing was born out of necessity. And perhaps this new method of producing the digital into paper form will be better than the way we do it now.
DownloadSquad’s Lee Matthews discovered recently a cloud print dialog box in a Chromium OS build, and he’s anxious to start printing out some stuff right now.
I have already written at length about how this will be done, complete with video. I have to admit it is probably going to be easier to rely on the cloud for printing services. That’s because in instead of dealing with drivers and hardware connections with printers, they will just work like they are supposed to using servers specially designed to do so.
I’ve had to deal with printers in the past that make me want to turn them into a hot pile of plastic, Office Space-style. Here’s hoping cloud printing will be an elegant, easy to use solution. Now if someone could get rid of those stupid ink cartridges that cost hundreds of dollars that would be great too, but I won’t push my luck.
What’s the Solution to Printing in the Cloud?
Posted on 16. Apr, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 1 Comments
Of the many perils associated with cloud computing, one that could potentially be very problematic is the issue of printing. Sure, we don’t print as much as we once did as documents go the way of “paperless” solutions. But the reality is that printing is not going to go away any time soon. A recent Chromium Blog post addresses this issue, announcing that Google will be working on a project called Google Cloud Print, which gives developers a peak at how this might work.
The service is going to run on Google servers, sending the printing information from a webapp to them and then to printing devices which as we all know requires drivers and sometimes other special software in order to work depending on the type of printer. There may be some concern about having to send documents directly to Google and then routing that information back to a printer, but I’m not sure how else printing is going to be accomplished.
In fact, this solution has already been proposed by another company called Cortado that has an application you can use to print things from an iPhone. Clearly you are unable to install print drivers on an iPhone, so this app is pretty cool. The concept is still the same, however, in that another machine somewhere with the correct software installed is doing the work of being the interface to the printer:
This still begs the question: are you concerned that the cloud will affect privacy? Or does it not matter anymore in an ever-transparent world that we live in?
