How to print from your Android phone or tablet with Google Cloud Print

Sometimes you just gotta have a hard copy, so here's what you need to do for printing success.

Credit: Derek Walter

As much as you may try to live in a paperless world, there are bound to be times when you need to print. 

You can do that right on your Android phone or tablet rather easily. It’s getting the printer connected that’s the tedious part. Your best option is to connect your printer to Google Cloud Print. Here’s what you need to do.

Google Cloud Print

The most straightforward method is to add your printer to Google Cloud Print. This ensures you can access that printer from wherever you’re signed in to your Google account: the couch, coffee shop, or baseball park. 

This first step is best done on a computer that’s on the same network as your printer. In Chrome go to Settings > Show Advanced Settings > Google Cloud Print. Then click Manage.

Google Cloud Print tools can be accessed from the Chrome browser on your desktop.

Under New Devices look for a printer that is attached to your network. Click Add Printerto join it with your Google account.

Add a printer to Google Cloud Print and it will be available from anywhere.

If you have an older printer that isn’t pre-certified to work with Google Cloud Print it’s still possible to add it, though it requires extra trickery. See this Google help page for more details.

Start printing

Now you’re ready to try it out from your Android phone or tablet. For our example I used Gmail. Tap the overflow button (three dots) and select Print. 

Then, touch Save as PDF and you’ll see a menu that lists out your printers. Choose the one you wish to print with.

Once your printer is added to Google Cloud Print, it’s ready for all your printing needs.

Once you touch the Print icon, your printer should fire right up.

As an alternative to Google Cloud Print, you should check with your printer documentation, as many companies have their own proprietary printing apps (like HP ePrint).