From the Google Blog:
Back in April 2010 we announced Google Cloud Print, a service that in Beta allows printing from any app on any device, OS or browser without the need to install any software. Just last month we opened Google Cloud Print to users in the Chrome notebook pilot program. Today we are very pleased to announce the beta launch of Google Cloud Print for mobile documents and Gmail for mobile, which we will be rolling out to users throughout the next few days.
Imagine printing an important document from your smartphone on the way to work and finding the printout waiting for you when you walk in the door. Just open a document in Google Docs or an email in Gmail in your mobile browser and choose “Print” from the dropdown menu in the top right corner. You can also print certain kinds of email attachments (such as .pdf or .doc) by clicking the “Print” link that appears next to them.
Imagine printing an important document from your smartphone on the way to work and finding the printout waiting for you when you walk in the door. Just open a document in Google Docs or an email in Gmail in your mobile browser and choose “Print” from the dropdown menu in the top right corner. You can also print certain kinds of email attachments (such as .pdf or .doc) by clicking the “Print” link that appears next to them.
This feature will be rolling out today and tomorrow for English speaking users in the US and will work on most phones that support HTML5, such as devices running Android 2.1+ and iOS 3+. To get started, you’ll need to connect your printer to Google Cloud Print. This step requires a Windows PC for now, but Linux and Mac support are coming soon. You can learn more at the Google Cloud Print help center.
Basic information
What is Google Cloud Print?
Google Cloud Print makes printing more intuitive, accessible and useful, by allowing you to print to your printers from Google Cloud Print enabled apps on any computer or smart phone.
How do I connect my printer to Google Cloud Print?
To connect your printer to Google Cloud Print, you will need to install the latest beta version of Google Chrome on a Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7 computer that's connected to your printer. Once installed, enable the Google Cloud Print connector in Google Chrome.
How do I print to my Google Cloud Printer?
The steps you take to print will vary from application to application. For example, in Chrome OS, click the wrench icon and then select Print to print the webpage you are viewing (you can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+P).
Where can I print from?
We’re working hard to provide Google Cloud Print integration with many Google products and services, the first of which will be Chrome OS.
Can I share my printer?
We're working on tools that will let you share and control access to your printer as easily as you can share files in Google Docs. For now, printers are only accessible to the account that connected them to Google Cloud Print.
What happens if my printer is offline?
If your printer can’t be reached at the time you submit your print job (e.g. the computer running the Google Cloud Print connector is turned off), your job will wait in the print queue in the cloud. Your printer will download and print the job normally as soon as it comes back online.
What happens if my Windows user account is logged out of my proxy computer?
For your printer to be connected to the Google Cloud, you must be logged into your Windows user account. Just as when your printer is offline, if you are using the Google Chrome proxy and your Windows user account is logged off, jobs will be saved and fetched normally when you log back in.
How many printers can I register?
You can connect any number of printers that you like to a device running the Google Cloud Print proxy in Google Chrome. For now, due to technical limitations, we recommend that users activate the proxy on no more than three devices for a given Google Account.
How can I reconnect a printer that I deleted?
If you delete your printer by mistake or change your mind later, you can re-connect all the printers on your local device by signing back into Google Cloud Print.
Who can see what I’m printing?
Google Cloud Print jobs are submitted and retrieved over https, and are available only to you and to the printer you submitted the job to.
Why is my document not printing?
- Make sure your Google Cloud Print connector is running on a computer with Windows XP, 7 or Vista (Mac and Linux support coming soon!).
- If you are using Windows XP , make sure you have the Microsoft XML paper specification pack installed.
- Confirm that the computer connected to your printer is powered on and that you are logged in.
- You will periodically need to renew your credentials in the Google Cloud Print connector by clicking the notification that arrives in the system tray and logging in again. When you have restored the connection to Google Cloud Print, your printer should print your queued print jobs normally.
Why can’t I print to my cloud printer from Chrome?
For now Google Cloud Print is only available in mobile devices such as smart phones and Chrome notebooks.
Google Cloud Print for Developers
How can I develop a Google cloud aware printer?
For a step-by-step guide to developing printers that integrate with Google Cloud Print, check out the tutorial available on our codesite.
Is there any example code?
Although it is not a necessary step to developing a proxy, the proxy that powers the Google Cloud Print feature in Chrome is open-source and available for review. Please note that we are not offering support to teams looking to build or compile Chromium or Chromium OS beyond what is publicly available in the developer forums.
Google Cloud Print and your privacy
What information is shared with Google when I use Google Cloud Print?
There are three categories of information shared with Google when you use Google Cloud Print - information about the jobs you send for printing, the documents themselves, and server logs created from each request you make to the Google Cloud Print service.
Can you explain more about these three categories of information?
- Of course. Google keeps information about the print job in question (the job title, the printer you sent it to, printer status information) as a record, along with your Google Account ID. We need this information in order to process the jobs you send for printing, and to allow you (and only you) to view and edit your printing history through the Google Cloud Print dashboard.
- Google also keeps a copy of each document you send for printing - but only for so long as the printing job is active and not complete. We have to do this to make sure your document gets printed. Once the job is complete, the document is deleted from our servers.
- Finally, our servers also keep logs of the requests made by all of the Google Cloud Print users. These are routine server logs and do not contain any personal information. You can read more about how Google treats server log data.
Do you keep copies of all the documents I send to print?
Yes, but only for so long as the printing job is active and not complete. We have to do this to make sure your document gets printed. Once the job is complete, the document is deleted from our servers.
Does Google keep a record of what documents I have printed using Google Cloud Print?
Yes. Google keeps information about the print job in question (the job title, the printer you sent it to, printer status information) as a record, along with your Google Account ID. We need this information in order to process the jobs you send for printing, and to allow you to view and edit your printing history through the Cloud Print dashboard.
Can I delete records from my history of using Cloud Print?
Absolutely. You can see and edit these records through the Cloud Print dashboard at any time.
Does Google look at the contents of documents I send to print? Are they kept confidential?
Documents you send to print are your personal information and are kept strictly confidential. Google does not access the documents you print for any purpose other than to improve printing.
Where can I learn more about how Google treats my personal information?
Your use of the Google Cloud Print service is covered under the Google Privacy Policy. If you’d like to learn more about Google’s commitment to your privacy and protecting your personal information, please take a look at the resources on our Privacy Center.
Source: Google Mobile Blog
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