Google Cloud print is going away…
What’s this native printing and how will Anseoid devices print in the future?
My last 2 printers have had Cloud Print, but I’ve never activated it. If my device is in my hand and my printer is next to me, why does the data have to travel a couple of thousand miles, through strangers’ hands to make the 30cm journey to paper?
I occasionally print from work… What I want to know is what is mechanism to print from an Android device after Cloud Print has ended. Do printers nowadays typically have standardised printing mechanisms like Postscript that any device can print to? My iPhone has Airprint so no problem there, but what about my Android tablet?
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Does this help?
I guess that really focuses too much on the Cloud Print… but toward the end they mention basically looking for a companion app for your printer in the Play Store. Hopefully that will be an option for you.
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Hmm… For some of my Android apps, Cloud Print is the only printing option in the app menu, but it gives access to the locally installed printer driver for my WiFi printer. As far as I know, the printing is being done locally rather than through the cloud, so I’m hoping it’s just an example of bad menu labeling, rather than something that’s going to be borked when Cloud Print goes away.
According to the article on the Register, Google are investing energy in adding a Cloud Print proxy into CUPS, so people will be able to set up their own local CP servers to act as the go-between.
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What about Chrome OS? It uses cloud print. So, I will not be able to print soon?
So just like downloading and installing a driver then…
I looked at the article. They apparently have a workaround.
I will say that installing a printer on a chromebook is a super, super pain right now.
It does not go as they claim it will, when you look at the instructions. It took me 2 hours to get it to work, and I had to use a WIndows computer to set it up, THEN it would work.
I tried to connect the Chromebook I got for my son to my printer thru cloudprint - I could not. He is getting it for Christmas, but I set up some things on it for him already.
It seems like 1 printer may only connect to 1 google account. He has his own account on that new Chromebook, and I just could not get it to work. And, Google has made a change on the most recent updates. Now, the instructions have changed, but it still didn’t work.
That is the ONE thing I hate about Chromebooks - installing a printer.
It doesn’t seem ideal. So on Android, I installed the Brother printer plugin and the Mopria print plugin - my printer supports Mipria for photos it seems. Both took a long time for print job to appear on the printer. However, the cloud print (local) option printed straight away no problem. I have a feeling the Brother printer plugin is still sending out of the local network first and back in to the printer.
Surely something similar to Airprint can be done. I mean, that just seems to work straight off.
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On Android using the manufacturer’s apps is clunky. My Canon I can print via the share-sheet. HP I can’t, you have to open their app and pick a doc (so not ideal for printing a webpage from Firefox, for example). Both I think use their clouds to do the print, its not local.
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There is tie-up behind the scenes between HP and Samsung for print drivers, but they seem to have separately developed Android apps. The HP one has been pretty flaky for printing to my HP printer, whereas the Samsung Print Services Plugin (even though it says it’s from HP Inc.) has been much more reliable with my printer. It might be worth your while adding it to your device. When you go to print, you can choose the device at top left of the print dialogue and if it’s correctly connected you should see your printer model in the list, but with an icon that says “Mopria” rather than “HP”. Give it a try.
Edited to say be careful when choosing a printer from the list, mine includes my neighbour’s HP printer as well, so it seems it doesn’t restrict itself to printers on the same network! 
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Thanks Clayton 
Prompted me to review my printers, and what I’ve got enabled. I’ve turned off Google Cloud Printing now.
I think that Samsung print service duplicates the default print service in Android, both look very similar, prob with added support for Samsung devices.
Not 100% sure if I’m just using WiFi now or WiFi Direct. You seeing your neighbours suggests it’s WiFi Direct?
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Ugh. Google!
The simpleset solution would be Airprint for Android. I believe it’s just an extension of Bonjour and runs without the cloud
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the way I do it is go to the Cloud Print console on the web page, invite the other google account to print on that printer, then go to that account and accept.
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Once my son gets his chromebook for Christmas and unwraps it, I will look into that. So, go to my Google account and look for a cloud print console? I do not remember seeing such a page (cloud print console). I will have to look again.
Thanks a million. I’ll look at that when I get on my computer at home.
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It could well be. I don’t recall much about the original setup unfortunately, but I think the printer is WiFi Direct capable. That would explain why I see a printer that isn’t on my network for sure.
Same as my other post: While I agree with the fact that Google does shutter services, however this one ran its course. Google now offers native printing services in Chromebooks, Android, and tons of Cloud enabled Printers. So this service did its job and it’s about time. I think I agree with this one. There probably isn’t much reason to keep this alive anymore.