Nowadays, most Android smartphones are perfectly capable of working on the move. But what about when you have to print something on old school paper? Thanks to the Google Cloud Print service, we can now eliminate the arduous PC middleman and print directly from our smartphones via Wi-Fi. Here’s the easiest way to print from your Android device.
The advantage of Google Cloud Print is that it works with virtually all printers and a ton of applications. With the help of your Android smartphone or tablet, you can securely send documents to your printer wherever you are, but initial setup can be tricky. To get the most out of your experience, you’ll want to use a “Cloud Ready” printer, that is, a printer that can already connect to the Web (see full list of supported printers if you are unsure), and you will also need to use Google Chrome. Do not worry if you do not have a compatible Wi-Fi printer, you can also use your USB printer, although you need to connect it to your PC or laptop under power to do this.
Most Android smartphones already include the Google Cloud Print feature. To check, go to Settings> Connected Devices and see if you can connect a printer here. Since the service is often pre-installed, access the options, click on “Cloud Print” and activate it. Each device will have its own interface, so some menu locations or words may be slightly different.
If the print option is not configured in your settings or if the service is not pre-installed, simply go to the Google Play Store, download the free software . Cloud Print Application and add a new printer from there.
Once you have selected “Add Printer” in the options menu, you will be taken to the Google Cloud Print web page (or to your Google Account page if you are not logged in).
The Cloud Print page is not very user-friendly, but the setup process is quite simple. Follow the steps for your specific printer, whether it’s an offline template or a “Cloud Ready” template, and Google will tell you in the end that you can now use this printer every time you sign in with the same Google Account. So, if you only use one account on your phone, you are ready to leave at any time.
Now navigate to the file you want to print on your Android device and in the options menu, where you can normally rename, view details, delete item, etc. You should also have the option to print it. Here’s how to proceed, step by step.
How to print from your Android phone with Cloud Print:
- Open the file you want to print (Google Drive documents or images stored on your phone).
- Select the Menu button (the three dots in the upper right corner).
- Hit Impression
- Select the & # 39; down arrow (next to Save as PDF)
- Select the printer you want to print. If you do not find it immediately, select All printers to display a list of options
- Once you’re done, click on the button Impression button (usually shaped like a printer).
Can I print text messages from my phone?
To print text messages in particular, the simplest option is to use an application such as the SMS Backup & Restore utility. This app simply backs up your SMS messages to your phone, email, or cloud service like Dropbox or Google Drive. Just save the desired conversations to your preferred destination (I found that backing up to Gmail works pretty well), then go to the file storage location. For example, save your files to Gmail, then go to your Gmail account and select the “Print” option in the options menu to print them.
That’s all we can say about it. Cloud Print is an excellent service often overlooked. It currently supports the following file types: pdf, jpg, jpeg, docx, ods, xls, xlsx, ppt, odp, txt, doc and xps. If you want a convenient way to print any of these from your device, I would strongly recommend you to check it out, and it’s free. For those who have already tried, let me know in the comments if this process worked for you.
