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Larry Dignan, Andrew Nusca and Rachel King
Home / News & Blogs / Between the Lines

Google's Chrome OS: Printing works fine

By | December 10, 2010, 2:51am PST

Summary: Everything on Google’s Cr-48 laptop is browser based, but printing a document—hosted in the cloud of course—requires Google Cloud Print. Verdict: Ease of printing won’t be a hurdle for the Chrome OS.

One of the big curiosities about Google’s Chrome OS notebook revolves around printing.

Everything on Google’s Cr-48 laptop is browser based, but printing a document—hosted in the cloud of course—requires Google Cloud Print.

When the Chromebook landed at my doorstep, printing was one of the first things to investigate. The big issue—at least from an immediate setup perspective—was that I needed a developer channel browser, specifically Chrome 9. Also:


Google has these frequent builds for developers, but the average bear wouldn’t know that. A few readers had to point me in the right direction. I’m way early with the Chrome OS evaluation so needed the latest Chrome build. Once that was acquired the steps to hook up printing went like this:

  • Go to your Windows PC, download the developer Chrome browser.
  • Go options to “under the hood.” Scroll down and you get the Google Cloud Print button.
  • Click that button and Chrome configures to your printer.
  • Back downstairs on the Chromebook you hit print and your printer appears.
  • After a few print jobs, you don’t even realize that your printing using Google’s cloud as a middleman.

Now there are issues with the Chromebook. It’s an early pilot program so this thing isn’t ready for primetime. In fact, most of the hurdles with user adoption of Google’s Chrome OS are going to be cultural. Can you live in the cloud completely?

Those questions will take some time to sort out. One thing is clear: Ease of printing will not be a deal breaker for the Chrome OS. Google makes this somewhat complicated round-about way of printing pretty seamless.

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Topics

Google Inc., Operating System, Google Chrome, Printing, Document Management, Enterprise Software, Software, Finance, Managerial Accounting, Larry Dignan

Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and SmartPlanet as well as Editorial Director of ZDNet's sister site TechRepublic.

Disclosure

Larry Dignan

Larry Dignan has nothing to disclose. He doesn’t hold investments in the technology companies he covers.

Biography

Larry Dignan

Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and SmartPlanet as well as Editorial Director of ZDNet's sister site TechRepublic. He was most recently Executive Editor of News and Blogs at ZDNet. Prior to that he was executive news editor at eWeek and news editor at Baseline. He also served as the East Coast news editor and finance editor at CNET News.com. Larry has covered the technology and financial services industry since 1995, publishing articles in WallStreetWeek.com, Inter@ctive Week, The New York Times, and Financial Planning magazine. He's a graduate of the Columbia School of Journalism and the University of Delaware.

For daily updates, follow Larry on Twitter.

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RE: Google's Chrome OS: Printing works fine
FAULKNE 13th Oct
Good day to confirm this comment I would appreciate T h e b e s t o f Z D N e t d e l i v e r e d your website very nice to everyone Yes, Oracle is the only one with shared-disk architecture, but that is there advantage. It means you can add or remove nodes and the database lives on. In a shared nothing architecture, if you lose a node, you lose the system. I'm sure Oracle appreciates EMC highlighting their advantage.I also desire to signal in your RSS feeds. Thank you as soon as once again and maintain up the great operate Awesome post! Thank you very much || thanks for nice content this is really benefit to me.
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RE: Google's Chrome OS: Printing works fine
statuskwo5 Updated - 10th Dec 2010
But you still technically need a Windows PC to print...
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That's what I was thinking...
DevJonny 10th Dec 2010
@statuskwo5

...so do you actually need a OS with a printer set up on it in order to print?!

Presumably this will either be changed in final release or Google are banking on already using Chrome 9 on another machine as well as Chrome OS?

Not that I complain as I very rarely print anything, but I can see how this would be a massive issue especially in the Enterprise.
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I am sure that this is just the start, and they will also have software to
DonnieBoy Updated - 11th Dec 2010
run on a server to support other types of network connected printers, for instance JetDirect, as well as locally connected printers.
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Also, you can bet that Walmart and others will get into the game. Print
DonnieBoy 11th Dec 2010
your photos to a printer at the Walmart close to your house, and then go to pick them up in half an hour. Of course there would be a dialog for you to enter your credit card info . . .
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That is only until you have a cloud enabled printer. Using a PC is just so
DonnieBoy 10th Dec 2010
that legacy printers can be supported easily to start.
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Staff
RE: Google's Chrome OS: Printing works fine
Larry Dignan 10th Dec 2010
@DonnieBoy Right. At some point, cloud enabled printers will connect. Remember this is a pilot program --- I had to get a nightly build of Chrome just to make it all work. The main point for me is that it worked as it would under the traditional setup. When consumers get this thing these connections should be easier.
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My concern also
Economister Updated - 10th Dec 2010
@statuskwo5

When someone says your printing is "hosted in the cloud" it sounds to me like the printer is in the cloud, which of course it cannot be. I do not want an envelope with my printed documents arriving a few days later. wink

It is simply routed via the cloud, for some kind of formatting to your specific printer; not terribly different than my current wireless printing over my Windows network.

My guess is that Chrome printers will appear, which will simply be a network attached printer that responds to ChromeOS type commands from Google. Google cannot let ChromeOS printing be dependent on Windows. The only question then is: why not use Wi-Fi directly to your printer, and bypass the cloud altogether. If you cannot do that and your internet connection is down, you cannot print. Off-line document creation and editing, as well as printing, will ultimately be required for this to take off.
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Because, of course, it makes total sense
frgough 10th Dec 2010
to send your information through your router, your broadband internet connection to a server, back down through the internet connection to another computer on your local wireless network. Instead, of, you know, just printing directly over the wireless network.
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Even if Wi-Fi printing worked, if the cloud is down there is no doc
John238 10th Dec 2010
@Economister

"If you cannot do that and your internet connection is down, you cannot print."

As the doc is in the cloud, even if you can print to the printer via Wi-Fi if the internet is down you do not have access to the doc and can't print.
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I believe....
Economister 10th Dec 2010
@John238

I read somewhere that there will be some off-line capabilities to work with documents, but obviously not those you only have stored in the cloud. You may be able to start new documents however.
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It is almost a given that Google will support going directly to a local
DonnieBoy 11th Dec 2010
printer. You would just need a special driver on that computer to receive the print job in standard "cloud" format, and then convert to the local printer format. Of course it is also a given that Google will support printers connected directly to a ChromeOS computer. They just need to figure out how to do it in a seemless way. This is just the start.
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RE: Google's Chrome OS: Printing works fine
dfgjhjh 10th Dec 2010
h t t p : / / 0 8 4 5 . c o m / 1 o 3

I tide fashion
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Larry, these WILL need local storage for web applications AND offline mode
DonnieBoy Updated - 10th Dec 2010
for applications that are needed offline. The local storage will also make up for slow / flaky connections.

There will be cultural issues, but, key applications working offline will be important to get adoption.
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RE: Google's Chrome OS: Printing works fine
Loverock Davidson 10th Dec 2010
Sounds like a hassle just to print but this isn't surprising coming from Google.
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It never ends
Economister 10th Dec 2010
@Loverock Davidson

Someone puts out an alpha products and LD has to poo-poo it because it is not from MS. You must be one miserable SOB to those around you.
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Then Allow me. . . .
JLHenry 10th Dec 2010
@Economister

to poo-poo it too, since anyone with common sense would know you don't start sending out review units without making sure everything works, right?

Tool.
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Except that you're signing up for a -pilot program-
Michael Alan Goff 10th Dec 2010
So yeah, it's obvious they want you to test these things out which means they kinda can send it out without everything working perfectly.
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Umm, they DID warn you
use_what_works_4_U 10th Dec 2010
@JLHenry
Except that this is essentially a beta testing program that you have to apply for and in the application there is a VERY visible statement from Google that not everything will work right away.

These are test units, not review units
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RE: Google's Chrome OS: Printing works fine
VRSpock 10th Dec 2010
A work offline mode was the first thing that came to my mind when I read about Google's plans for a cloud computer. I work with too many people that when they can't check their email every 5 minutes, it is a national level crises...potentially costing them "thousands" of dollars.

Imagine suddenly losing access to all documents and applications for hours, possibly days, due to someone cutting a fiber line with a back hoe.
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RE: Google's Chrome OS: Printing works fine
x I'm tc 10th Dec 2010
@VRSpock

Yeah, this is a disaster waiting to happen. MS has the right idea with Mesh. Sync everything via the cloud, but keep a local copy at home, too.

What they need to do is make those Mesh documents editable in SkyDrive, as well. Then they have a real end-to-end solution.
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RE: Google's Chrome OS: Printing works fine
Bruce Lang 10th Dec 2010
@VRSpock - Internet outage is similar to a power outage, it happens. However, power outages happen a great deal more.

In the last 10 years, our Internet was down ONCE for several hours (~6) due to a digging accident. I can guarantee power outages three to four times A YEAR, usually less than an hour but once for several days.

All servers & computers have a UPS (to safely power down), but only required servers and computers are on emergency generator power.

So, my point is - it does not really matter if your data is all in the cloud or not. There's always "something" that can make data inaccessible.
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YMMV
use_what_works_4_U 10th Dec 2010
@bdlang@...
My last QA job was at a well known company in their field, one of the best known in fact. The company is located in an older section of town and in less than 2 years I lost 3 days of work time to Internet outages.
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RE: Google's Chrome OS: Printing works fine
CobraA1 11th Dec 2010
@bdlang@...

"However, power outages happen a great deal more."

Depends on where you live, and how closely your internet access is tied to your power access.

Most routers and other network devices need power, and generally that means both go down at the same time, except in rare cases where they have a UPS or generator.
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Accessing cloud via 3G/4G provides plenty redundancy
kaneb80 10th Dec 2010
Didn't see anyone mention yet that if/when the cloud is ever inaccessible due to 'fiber line being cut with a back hoe', coverage is still provided via satellite and cell tower.

What do you think?
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Companies of any size need to have redundant internet connections.
DonnieBoy 11th Dec 2010
This is NOT just so that documents and printing keep working, a company of any size has many critical things that depend on an internet connection. In any case, Google will have offline mode for critical applications, so you can keep on working and automatically re-sync when the network comes back.
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RE: Google's Chrome OS: Printing works fine
CobraA1 11th Dec 2010
@DonnieBoy Google's offline mode is IMO unreliable. I've had times where it simply didn't work.

Not to mention that for most companies, Google stuff is not mission critical. It's usually the specialized software that's designed for the business that is mission critical.
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I used the gmail offline mode based on gears for quite some time, and it
DonnieBoy 12th Dec 2010
worked like a charm. Can you tell us which applications you used that had offline modes?
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RE: Google's Chrome OS: Printing works fine
CobraA1 11th Dec 2010
"Can you live in the cloud completely?"

No. There are times when internet access is slow or simply nonexistant.

Most web apps break when I try to go offline, including a few that claim to have offline capabilities.
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RE: Google's Chrome OS: Printing works fine
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RE: Google's Chrome OS: Printing works fine
FAULKNE 13th Oct
Good day to confirm this comment I would appreciate T h e b e s t o f Z D N e t d e l i v e r e d your website very nice to everyone Yes, Oracle is the only one with shared-disk architecture, but that is there advantage. It means you can add or remove nodes and the database lives on. In a shared nothing architecture, if you lose a node, you lose the system. I'm sure Oracle appreciates EMC highlighting their advantage.I also desire to signal in your RSS feeds. Thank you as soon as once again and maintain up the great operate Awesome post! Thank you very much || thanks for nice content this is really benefit to me.

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