you’re an Android phone or tablet user and want to print files such as pictures, email, or documents, on your Android device, then you can do it easily with the help of Cloud Print app.
Cloud Print is a free android app developed by Google that lets you print directly from your Android phone. It supports most printers but for the best experience, a Cloud Ready printer is recommended. These types of printers can directly connect to the Internet and don’t need a computer for it to work. A full list of cloud-ready printers can be found on the Google website.
If your printer doesn’t have cloud capabilities, you can still connect your classic printer to Google Cloud Print via your computer. For this to work, you will need to add your printer to Cloud Print.
Adding your Classic Printer to Google Cloud Print
- Launch Google Chrome on your computer. If you don’t have one, you can download and install it from Google Chrome official page.
- Click the ‘Menu button’ at the upper-right corner of the window and click ‘Settings’.
- Click ‘Sign in to Chrome’ to enter your Google account. Make sure that you are logged on using the same Google account as you use on your Android device, because only then, the printer will be synced with your device.
- Click ‘Show advanced settings’. Scroll down to the Google Cloud Print section and click ‘Manage’.
- You will see an ‘Add Printers’ button under the Classic printers section. Click on it.
- A confirmation message appears on the next screen. Select any printer that is connected to the computer. Click ‘Add Printer(s)’ to confirm. That’s it.
Now the printer is accessible via Google Cloud Print. To be able to print from your Android. smartphone, you will need Google’s official Cloud Print app for Android.
Most smartphones that come with Android 4.4 or above already include the Google Cloud Print functionality. To enable it, navigate to Settings -> Printing and then turn ON the ‘Cloud Print’ service.
If your Android smartphone don’t have the service pre-installed, just head to the Google Play Store and download Cloud Print app for free. You can check whether it’s installed by opening the Settings app and tapping Printing. If it says “No Service Installed” means you don’t have Google Cloud Print. Tap the ‘Options menu’ in the top right-hand side and press ‘Add Service’. The Play Store will then open, select and install ‘Cloud Print’. Make sure Cloud Print is also enabled from the Printing menu in Settings app. Once completed, you’re ready to print from your Android device.
Before start printing, make sure that your PC is connected to the Internet that you are logged in to your Google account in Google Chrome, and that your printer is on.
Printing from your Android Phone or Tablet
Open any picture or document you want to print on your Android device. Tap the ‘three dot’ button on the top right and select ‘Print’. The file will then be loaded in the Cloud Print app. Use the drop down menu from the top and choose the printer you want to print from. Tap the printer icon and your document or picture will be printed.
Printing Web pages is also possible through Cloud Print. Just open your Android browser’s menu, tap ‘Share’ button, and select ‘Cloud Print’. From here, you can then print the Web page to any of your printers registered on Cloud Print.
As for printing Gmail messages, Google’s Gmail app for Android doesn’t have an option that allows you to print your mails. But, if you access your Gmail account through a Web browser app, you can print your mails. Just open a Gmail message in your browser, tap the arrow to reveal additional buttons, and select ‘Print’.