Google Virtual Print Driver. Virtual Remote Print Service - Google Cloud Print

How to print a document from a computer that is not connected directly to a printer or local network with such? You can do this through Internet using any method of sending a document file to a computer with a connected printer - by e-mail, through cloud storage, instant messenger and other Internet communication channels. Of course, this is an option for one-time cases, and you can’t put work on stream even in a small organization in this way.

Printing a document will require the constant participation of the user who is directly at the computer with a connected printer. Each time he needs to accept a document, open it and send it to print. How to make it so that the user of a computer remote from the printer can do without the participation of a person who is next to the printer? To be able to print documents on remote printers located anywhere in the world where there is Internet, Google once created a special service -. The operation of this service will be discussed below.

1. About the service

So, this is a remote printing service from the largest Internet search engine. If you link one or another printer to your service account, you can send documents to it via the Internet for printing from any device that supports working with the service. And these are computers based on Windows and MacOS, Chromebook-devices, smartphones and tablets based on Android, as well as iOS-gadgets. To use the features of the Google Cloud Print service, you will need a Google account - a single profile for all used Google services (YouTube, Gmail, etc.) , as well as the browser Google Chrome . The latter plays the main role in the arrangement of the remote printing service: namely Chrome provides implementation of a virtual printer connector on a computer with a connected physical printer. The connector, in turn, detects physical printers configured in the system and is responsible for sending remote documents for printing.

Remote printing on a computer with a connected printer does not require constant activity Chrome, the browser may be closed, enough to keep it running in the background. On remote devices from which data will be sent for printing, certain software must also be installed. But, we will understand everything step by step.

2. Adding a virtual printer

To use the capabilities of the Google Cloud Print service, the first step is to link a physical printer to your Google account connected to devices based on MacOS, Windows or Chromebook. On any of these devices, launch a browser Chrome and log in with your account Google. This is done either in the browser settings or on the tab "Services".

In the search field of settings, write the initial letters of the query "virtual". After filtering, we will see the settings section. We press the button.

A list of all devices listed in the operating system as printers will appear. In our case, adding a printer is carried out in the system Windows, therefore, together with the real MFP Canon virtual technologies are also displayed Microsoft. They are not needed, uncheck their boxes and leave only the real physical printer. In our case, as we see in the screenshot below, this is Canon MP160 . So that in the future all printers connected to this computer will automatically be tied to this Google account and could be used for remote printing using virtual printer technology, you can check the box automatic registration of printers . As a result, we press.

Follow this link to go to your service account . In the future, it will be possible to get into it by entering the name of the service in any search engine and pressing the button to go inside the account on its home page.

3. Service web interface

User account "Virtual Printer" arranged according to the principle of accounts of other Google services. The section displays all linked to the account physical printers. Here you can manage them, in particular, delete unnecessary ones, and share the necessary ones so that other users can use this or that printer through their Google-accounts.

Each physical printer is assigned to only one Google account - the user who first added it in Chrome settings. And the sharing function is the only way remote use of the same printer from different Google accounts.

You can track and manage the progress of remote printing in the account section. Here for all jobs sent to print will be displayed document's name, remote printer, task execution status. Cancels remote printing by selecting the desired job and pressing the button "Delete".

4. Sending for remote printing from Windows devices

So, we figured out what is needed for remote printing on computers directly connected to the printer, now let's talk about remote devices from which Internet data will be sent for printing. On devices with MacOS You can only send the contents of web pages of the browser where the button is implemented to remote printing. "Seal" with service image. But in Windows OS you can print remotely using the service any data- even from a page in the browser, even from a locally stored document opened inside Windows-programs. Support for a virtual printer at the system level is provided by a special driver. The driver installer is available for free on the same service website. On the home page of the service, go to the section, then in the list of supported devices look for Windows-devices and download from the link installer drivers.

We install the driver into the system as a regular program. Driver compatible with all Windows versions, including the newest 10.

Another prerequisite for Windows devices is the presence of an authorized browser. Google Chrome. It is necessary to log in to the browser, respectively, from the account to which the desired physical printer is linked.

We check that the virtual printer is specified in the print settings.

After sending the document to print, a tab will open. Chrome, where you need to specify the desired remote printer.

Before directly printing data, you can apply the parameters offered by the service to them - specify number of copies, paper size, expose colored or black and white printing etc.

5. Sending for remote printing from smartphones and tablets

Google Cloud Print technology provides remote printing from mobile devices – smartphones and tablets on the base Android and iOS. To send data to be printed from Android-devices must be installed with Google Play application, this is the official client of the service. For iOS-devices exist app PrintCentral Pro, it has remote printing via "Google Cloud Print" provided along with support for other technologies. It is necessary to log in to applications, respectively, using the Google account to which the physical printer was linked.

The removal of the printer is carried out, as mentioned, in web service interface. You can also do this in the settings. Chrome the reverse way of adding a printer. Go to the virtual printer settings section.

And press the button printer removal .

After removal, the printer can be tied to another account Google.

In this post, I will show you how to set up Google Cloud Print service on Windows 10. This is the most fast way printing your documents, especially if you don't want to set up a network printer and you decide to use the connection to your friend's printer through Google Print. In fact, you can print files from Kyiv to Paris if you have access to a printer or if you have been given this access.

The print cloud is one of those software technologies that makes you ask yourself the question: “Why didn’t this exist many years ago?”. This technology helps me print documents from home on my work printer in case I need to do so. Or I don’t have to bother with connecting a network printer, but just ask a colleague or friend to give access to the printer via Google Print.

How to set up Google Cloud Print?

For this you will need Windows computer, accounting Google entry, Google Chrome, download Google Cloud Print Service and Google Cloud Print Driver (a driver that will help you add a cloud printer to the Windows default printer list).

1. Install Google Cloud Print Service

This is the first step to make sure the service is running on Windows 10. Go to the download page and run the installation kit. After that, the program will be automatically installed and all the files necessary for the cloud printing system will be located on your PC.

2. Launch Google Cloud Print Service

This step looks simple, but it actually gave me a bit of a headache with the login process.

first of all you need to find the newly installed service in start menu in Recently in the added section.

After you run the application, you will get the following window where you must log in, but for your computer account not in your Google account.

If you can't log in, you must be aware of what password to enter ... This is the password that you enter when logging into Windows 10. Some users use account Microsoft to sign in, other users create an offline (local) user account.

3. Add local printers

Next, you need to sign in to your Google account that you will use for maintenance, and after that you will receive a message in your Chrome browser asking you to adding local printers to Google Cloud.

That's about it for connecting your standard printers to your Google account.

Now if you are on another computer and logged into Chrome, you need to log in with your Google account, you can print the file directly from Chrome as in the image below.

The only thing to note is that if the device that is used to add local Cloud Print printers is not powered and connected to a PC with internet, you will not be able to print, in which case the device will be displayed offline.

Now if you want to use Google Cloud Print service as a native printer in Windows 10 not only from Chrome browser you need to download and install Google Cloud Print Driver

This driver makes life much easier as it allows you to print from any program directly to a cloud printer.

In this article, I want to tell you how you can use Google Cloud Print without Google installations Chrome. The purpose of the article will be to set up a machine running Ubuntu Server as a print server, as well as configuring clients under Windows control, Mac OS and Linux (on the example of Ubuntu). AT general case any machine running a GNU/Linux operating system, including a router with a print server function, can act as a server.

1. Setting up the print server

Let's assume that we have a machine with Ubuntu Server OS installed (version 12.04 is used in the example) and a correctly configured printer. Let's use the guide.

Install Git in order to clone the CloudPrint project repository. The project is written in python and use the module python cups Let's install them. To build the project, we also need a module python-setuptools.

sudo apt-get install git-core python python-cups python-setuptools

We clone the repository, go to the project folder and make the build script executable.

Git clone git://github.com/armooo/cloudprint.git cd ~/cloudprint chmod +x setup.py

Build and install the project.

python setup.py build sudo python setup.py install

Let's run the application for the first time.

/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/cloudprint-0.5-py2.7.egg/cloudprint/cloudprint.py

Specify the username and password of the Google account to which you want to link the printer. It should be noted that if the two-factor authentication, you must specify the application password generated on the account settings page as the password. If everything is set up correctly, the screen will display something like: " Updated Printer HP_LaserJet_1018". You can exit the application (Ctrl + C).

Now let's add a script auto start using upstart. To do this, we will create a cloudprint.conf file.

sudo nano /etc/init/cloudprint.conf

Below is the content of this file. $RUN_AS_USER must be replaced with the username under which the program will run.

Start on (started cups and local-filesystems and t-device-up IFACE=eth0) stop on runlevel respawn console none script chdir /usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/cloudprint-0.5-py2.7. egg/cloudprint/ exec su -c /usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/cloudprint-0.5-py2.7.egg/cloudprint/cloudprint.py - $RUN_AS_USER end script

Let's start the program.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:simon-cadman/cups-cloud-print sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install cupscloudprint sudo /usr/lib/cloudprint-cups/setupcloudprint.py

In the process of setting up a question Add all Google Cloud Print printers to local CUPS install? must be answered" yes".

Working with a "cloud" printer in Ubuntu should not be difficult.

5. Instead of a conclusion

The purpose of the article can be considered achieved: we have a server with a configured printer, as well as clients with the ability to print to it not from Google Chrome. However, this article should not be understood as a call to abandon this browser. We always have the opportunity to print an open page or a Gmail letter directly from the browser to a home printer wherever we are.

6. Links to sources of information

HOWTO: Use Google Cloud Print for Linux (print from Andriod device)
Cloud Printer (formerly, Cloud Print) for Mac OS X By Somasundaram M (2011)
CUPS Cloud Print (Installation)

P.S. Unfortunately, I don't have much experience with upstart scripting. I would be grateful if you could help me optimize the above script.

Google Cloud Print- this is new technology, which connects printers to the Internet. Thus, you can not only access your home and work printers from the applications you are used to, but also share it with other users. You can use your phone, tablet, Chromebook, computer, or other device connected to the Internet to print with Google Cloud Print. Let's take a look at this incredibly convenient cloud service a little more detail...

To begin with, let me try to explain how you can come in handy Google Cloud Print in Everyday life. Here's a simple example for you. Let's say you decide to get a loan and want to know the opinion of your lawyer friend about the contract being concluded. You just need to take a picture of the papers, select a virtual printer and send an official document to the office of your authorized representative for printing.

Or, here's another example. Let's say your mother urgently needs to make a photocopy of her passport, and it is in your pocket, which is thousands of kilometers from home. What to do? Again, just use Google Cloud Print. Business something.

Setting

First of all, you need to go to your Chrome browser settings and add a local printer to your account. If several printers are connected to the computer at once, the system will ask you to select from the list. Generally speaking, this window will look something like this:

Sharing Printers

Please note that here you can set a limit on printing pages in the number of sheets. A very handy feature. That would be for each individual user to fasten such a setting!

Application on Android

Oh yeah, don't forget to download the official app "Virtual Printers" on your Google tablet and smartphone so you can access your cloud printers anywhere! The application interface is ugly simple. You can choose desired file and, as usual, through the universal sharing button (iOS shuddered nervously), select the "Virtual Printers" application and send picture/pdf-document/word-file to the cloud or to your colleagues. And you can immediately track the status of the print. Take a look at the screenshot just above. See the phrase "In line"?

P.S. In order not to get confused in all the variety of printers associated with an account, it is recommended to rename them. To do this, you need to go to the tab with printers, select the one you need and click the "Rename" button.

Since in recent years there has been a rapid computerization of almost all branches of industry and the national economy, problems that until now almost no one has thought about are increasingly appearing on the scene. In particular, the issue of printing documents is of decisive importance.

And the problem here is often that I would like to send photographs and graphics for printing, text documents and spreadsheets from all your devices, not just your computer. It's even better when you can do it even when you're away from your main workplace. A virtual printer will help you.

Difference from network devices

If you have ever encountered network devices, then you already know about it. The network can be not only a printer, but also a scanner, as well as other office equipment. An entire work department can use just one scanner connected to common network enterprises!

Why is a virtual printer so unique? As we have already said, the rapid pace of modern life implies the ability to access the device from anywhere, not only in a particular building, but even in a city, or even the whole world. Unfortunately, a regular local network will not help you with this.

As in many other cases, the pioneer in this matter was the corporation "Google". For example, Google Cloud Print was the first to enable users to use their printing devices while being millions of miles away.

What it is?

In fact, it is a printer connected to the Internet. If everything is in order with the connection, you can print documents and photos at any time of the day or night. By the way, about the pictures. You can print them not only from a computer or laptop, but even directly from your smartphone. Being in another country on vacation, you can easily send photos to print in order to please your household with them.

Business Benefits

Think for yourself: you won’t have to spend time and money on laying a local network in the office itself, you won’t need to set up capricious network devices. All you need is an internet connection.

In addition, such a solution allows you to increase labor productivity, as employees can send you important documents, even while on a business trip around the city, or even across the country.

General setup information

Before you get access to all the benefits of this technology, you must associate a physical printer with its "cloud" counterpart. Consider this procedure using the same technology from Google as an example, since we touched on this topic earlier.

Before installing a virtual printer, make sure that real device was connected to a specific computer or local network. Of course, you must install all the necessary drivers in advance, since the performance of all equipment largely depends on them.

The easiest way is for owners of Chromebooks of various modifications, since Google Cloud Print is natively supported in Chrome OS, and therefore it does not need any configuration. However, it is better to talk about ordinary computers and operating systems, since in our country this product from the search giant has very vague prospects.

Important! The computer must be installed Google browser Chrome, since it is its API that is used by this technology.

Connection order

Once you install the browser, you can connect the virtual printer connector. It's easy to do.

• First you need to enable the physical printer.
• Start the computer, wait for the operating system to load.
• Launch the Google Chrome browser.
• Click on the icon in the form of three horizontal dashes in the right upper corner program, after which the settings will open.
• Select "Settings".
• Then click on the "Show advanced settings" link.
• Find the "Google Cloud Print" section. It has an item "Add a printer", on which you need to click the left mouse button.
• If you are asked to do so, you must also sign in to your Google account, or create one (if you didn't have one).

After that, you should find your printer in the list that appears, select it with the left mouse button, and then click on the "Add device" button. After that, the procedure can be considered completed. Your virtual printer is ready to use. To verify this, try sending a test document for printing.

Another variant

However, under this concept, many of our users understand technology that allows you to "print" PDF documents. By the way, in our country, until recently, this was completely irrelevant, but recently the popularity of this has been growing at an alarming pace. What is the reason for such "people's love"?

The fact is that PDF is a standard. A standard that implies the absolute immutability of the document, on whatever machine and in whatever program it is opened. If you have ever encountered a blurry table in a .doc file, then you yourself will be able to understand all the magnificence of this characteristic. In addition, a huge amount of multimedia information can be embedded in such documents, which will not look like a “foreign body”.

Remember how ridiculous the pictures look in the same Word, and you will understand what we are talking about.

How to create?

Oddly enough, but a free virtual printer of this class is a rarity, and therefore you have to spend a lot of time choosing the right program. Professional applications of this quality rarely strike the imagination at a modest cost, but in recent years you can find a lot of virtual PDF printers whose developers do not suffer from greed.

By the way, what does the concept of "virtual printer" mean in this case? Word is a wonderful program, and in latest versions the creators of Microsoft still taught her how to save documents in PDF format. The only problem is that you cannot configure their default settings.

For this purpose also it is necessary It deduces the text on virtual "seal". And at the output you get a document with professional formatting. By the way, why is such a “printer” better than numerous specialized applications for creating PDF documents?

First, almost all of them are completely free. Secondly, their interface is as simple as possible, but the functionality is very high. This allows even beginners to create documents with complex formatting and precisely defined parameters. Let's look at a few of these utilities.

"PDFCreator"

In fact, in its segment, this particular program is the standard both in terms of functionality and ease of use. The good news is that all the "buns" fit in just 15 MB. The program is completely free, so domestic users will surely like it. The installation process is as simple as possible: you only need to click on the “Next” button a couple of times.

Attention! Before installing a virtual printer, in the main dialog box, select the "For advanced users" item. So you can prevent the installation of all kinds of "Yandex browsers" and additional panels in the browser.

How to use the application correctly? There are not the slightest difficulties here: as soon as you install the program, in all text editors"PDFCreator" printer will appear in the print menu. As in the case of physical printing, you can set the main document parameters (DPI, margins, etc.).

Adobe PDF

The Adobe corporation is not known only to those people who have not had anything to do with a computer. The legendary Photoshop alone is worth something! Equally useful is its JPG virtual printer.

The program has a huge number of various settings. There are so many that you can easily create a professional-quality document or image. As you can imagine, the program is paid, so we can only recommend it to those who are really interested in first-class working tools.

"Cute PDF 2.7"

In this case, no money will be required from you. In addition, the size of the program is 1.5 MB, ridiculous for our times. But without the “Ghostscript” add-on, the utility will work in a truncated mode, and its size is five megabytes. However, the owners of even a GPRS modem will be quite capable of the final 6.5 MB.

Unfortunately, the possibilities of the program are also very modest. In particular, the “printing” itself occurs immediately, without the appearance of any dialog boxes settings. In defense of the utility, we can only say that it provides excellent compatibility with all existing on this moment PDF standards.

doPDF 6.0

This free virtual printer has a great balance of functionality and simplicity. It's no joke - the entire installation package takes a miserable 1.5 MB, and without any additional elements! This volume fits a great application that allows you to create beautiful, high-quality and standardized documents.

Before setting up a virtual printer, you should familiarize yourself with its main features. In particular (which we have already talked about), you can adjust the size of the margins, change the DPI pages, set certain standards for the PDF format itself.

Important note

Whichever "virtual printer" program you use, there are some important things you should know. Even in the FAQ of the most popular (and paid ones too) software products extremely rare to find distinct technical specifications for a specific PDF standard and its compatibility, so you often have to look for relevant information on thematic forums (or in the English version of the help, where this data is often found).

Also, don't get carried away. high resolution: set exactly the DPI value at which the document is comfortable to read. If you set too high a percentage, then on tablets and others mobile devices the file will be difficult to open. This is all the more fair, the more widely such gadgets are distributed in everyday life.

That's what a virtual printer is. We hope that you have learned about all its advantages and applications.

Such technologies are very relevant in recent years, as businesses and ordinary users are increasingly in need of not only ubiquitous access to printers, but also the maximum standardization of the formats used.