Nearly one year ago, Google announced that Google Cloud Print, their cloud-based printing solution will no longer be supported as of December 31, 2020. Google Cloud Print is a mobile printing platform that allows users to print from any device to any cloud-connected printer. When you connect your printer to your Google Account and you send a job to your printer, the jobs are stored in a queue in your account and then sent to the printer. You can install Google Chrome on a PC, enable Cloud Print in the settings and print to a printer connected to that PC over the internet. All of your print jobs and printers could be managed and shared directly from your Google account.
The reason Google Cloud Print was so critical for Google was because Chromebooks didn't have native printing support. They need Cloud Print to be able to print. But, and this was the good part, you didn't have to be in a Chrome environment to use it. It worked with any operating system, allowing anyone a mobile printing platform for FREE!
While Google hasn't given a definitive reason for the end of life decision, With the end of 2020 quickly approaching, organizations will need to find a solution that meets their print needs. When Google made this announcement, they indicated there were two viable options:
- Print directly to local and network printers from Chromebooks or
- Use an alternate print solution
So how do you decide between these two options?
If you meet the following criteria, printing directly to local and network printers from Chromebooks is viable.
- All of the Chromebooks in your environment are managed Chromebooks. This allows you to deploy printers through G Suite.
- All of your printers are supported by Chromebooks. Approximately 85% of printers are supported by Chromebook CUPS/IPP printing.
- Visibility to user printing stats is not needed.
- You don't need to implement any print policies in your environment.
- You don't require secure print release.
If you don't meet all of the above requirements, you will need to find an alternate print solution for Google Cloud Print. The only free alternative that Google recommends is PaperCut Mobility Print. What exactly is Mobility Print?
Mobility Print is a cloud print solution that allows you to print from Chromebooks, iPads, iPhones, Macs, Windows and Android devices easily, and it's compatible with all printer brands. PaperCut Mobility Print is entirely free to use and allows for easy setup. You can print without the hassle of installing printes and drivers on each device. To allow easy, functional printing from any application, you only need to press CTRL+P, or you can print right in the interface of the device. PaperCut Mobility Print is intended to make BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) printing easy for everybody.
Mobility Print is a part of a larger suite of solutions from PaperCut that provide outstanding options for those looking manage their print fleet effectively. PaperCut MF Print Management Software provides you with the tools you need to create a secure and responsible print environment. This includes:
- Convenient Print Release - Print jobs are sent to one queue and users can pick up their jobs at any printer with a simple "tap and release" workflow powered by Find-Me printing.
- Automated Print Queues - Deploy the right print queues and drivers to roaming users no matter where they go, all automatically.
- Set Print Rules - Control print cost and waste by setting print rules across your entire environment and see how small changes can make a big impact on your bottom line.
- Simple, Useful Scanning - Integrated scanning and OCR allows users to securely send text-searchable, editable documents to a vast variety of local and cloud-hosted destinations such as Google Drive, email, SharePoint and more, with just a few taps on the device.
- Keep Document Secure - Keep your data safe before, during and after you hit print. Users validate prior to print release, jobs are traceable and documents can even be watermarked to keep costly breaches at bay.
- It's VENDOR AGNOSTIC! - PaperCut works with all makes and models of MFPs and printers, so you get to keep your favorite brands of devices.
If your school or business is looking how to migrate from Google Cloud Print, consider PaperCut MF and Mobility Print. There isn't much time left to make the changes, and we're here to help you handle the job.