Google Cloud Print will be deprecated in December 2020.
Whether you’re a home-user or system administrator for enterprise, education or healthcare, know your options.
Google Cloud Print is a cloud-based print management platform that connects your printers to the web. It allows you to send a print job from any connected device to your connected printer wherever you are in the world. It essentially allows you to submit and manage print jobs via the internet.
Whether a home-user or a system administrator for enterprise / educational institutes, Google Cloud Print promised a ‘print from anywhere to anywhere’ mantra.
Furthermore, with G Suite administration, Google Cloud Print helped businesses manage their printer deployments across their organization.
With the ability to manage and share printers with individual users, groups, or indeed publicly it seemed that Cloud Print was the future of printing.
While Google Cloud Print claimed to be enterprise-ready, it was clear to larger enterprises, small-to-medium businesses (SMB), and educational institutes that Google Cloud Print wasn’t a true print management solution. It was missing too many must-have features and it never graduated from its beta status.
Cloud Print appealed to and was used widely by consumers, especially Chromebook users, although it was never without issues.
Google Cloud Print has spent its entire 10-year life span in beta and has always had some quirks. However, it was once crucial for Google because Chromebooks didn’t support native printing (CUPS), therefore Cloud Print was required for Chromebook’s to print.
Chrome OS now has native printing (CUPS) capabilities built-in, therefore Google Cloud Print is no longer a necessity for Chromebook’s to print, which might explain why Google has decided to bring it to an end-of-life status.
According to Google’s support forum, Google Cloud Print will be deprecated in December 2020 with the recommendation that an alternative solution is sourced before then.
As Chrome OS has native printing (CUPS) capabilities built-in, you can now print from your Chromebook using most printers that are connected to a Wi-Fi or wired network, alternatively USB printing is also supported. This support article from Google will help you get up and running.
Alternatively, you can use the home software provided by directprint.io, it’s free and has proved to be a hugely popular method. Both a Chrome extension and a Chrome application are supported and can be installed directly from the Chrome web store.
Find out more about our home-user software.
If you’re using Google Cloud Print within your educational enterprise or healthcare setting then it is likely that you will need control of the deployment of your printers across your organization.
Moreover, you’re reasonably going to expect additional features such as detailed insights on print activity, secure print release, and the ability to apply print policies to support use cases such as duplex printing, stapling, or hole punching.
Luckily, there are several alternatives available to you which are discussed in detail on our Chromebook Printing Explained article and 3rd party solutions are provided by Google on their migration guide.
directprint.io is a print management solution designed for Chrome, Chromebooks, Windows, and macOS. It is closely integrated with G Suite and provides you with fine-grained control over printer deployment to users, groups, and devices within your organizational structure.
CartridgesDirect, Australia’s leading online supplier for genuine printer products for schools, offices, and homes nationwide has named directprint.io has the ‘Best Alternative’ to Google Cloud Print.
And our friends over at Chrome Unboxed stated:
“…For those looking for rapid deployment as GCP comes to an end in a few weeks, we would probably recommend you check this one out (directprint.io) first”
Whether a home user or system administrator, there are a number of excellent alternatives to Google Cloud Print. Your selection of alternatives will ultimately be driven by your requirements.
If you want to read more about Google Cloud Print deprecation read our quick Q&A.
Alternatively, why not jump into a 30-day free trial with directprint.io.
