Today’s smartphones have eliminated the need to keep a hard copy of a document. But if you want to print something, Android smartphones let you do it, and the integrated Google Cloud Print system made the experience hassle-free. But recently Google announced It said it was deprecating Cloud Print in January 2021 and would no longer support the service. This news sounds like a bummer for millions of users. With Google Cloud Print gone, if you want to know other ways to print any document from your Android device, follow our detailed guide below.
Print Any Document From Your Android Device (Updated March 2021)
Here we mentioned a Google Cloud Print alternative that should do the job if you want to print a document/image from an Android device. We have also discussed other methods that can help you in case the third party app is not working. You can find all printing methods in the table below.
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Set Up PaperCut Mobility Print (Google Cloud Print Alternative)
Since Google Cloud Print is no longer available, we turn to PaperCut Mobility Print to get the job done. It offers a free solution and works with almost any printer available in the market. Now, keep in mind if your printer has WiFi functionality, you do not need to create a print serverwe will discuss first and go straight to the next step.
However, if you have one of these older printers, you will need to connect it to your computer via USB and create a print server on your PC. In this way, you will be able to print wirelessly from your Android device to old printers. Moreover, this method allows you to print from anywhere, and you don’t need to be on a local network. So let’s go ahead and learn how to create a print server on the computer.
1. First, what you need to do Download the Mobility Print server from here. It is available on Windows, macOS, and Linux. An app is available for Chrome OS here.
2. Run the setup file and install the server application. Next, create Account and log in to the control panel.
3. On the control panel, Click on “Select Printers” and the application will automatically detect the printer connected to your computer. When printing a document from your Android device, be sure to “Publish” so that it is discoverable.
4. Now, you installed the print server. You can go ahead and print any document wirelessly from an Android device.
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Print Documents from Android Smartphone
1. Go ahead and Download the PaperCut Mobility Print app (Free) on your Android smartphone.
2. Open the app, tap the first option and Open the “Mobility Print” service. Also, tap on the second option and keep the notification on.
3. Now open any application and print documents with ease. For example, open Chrome and tap the 3-dot menu and select “Share”. Then choose “Print” from the submenu.
4. It will open a print page where you have to tap the drop down menu at the top. Then it automatically scans and installs all the printers you publish. If you don’t see printers from PaperCut, tap “Show All Printers” and add “Mobility Print”. Finally, pselect the printer and tap the “Print” button.
5. That’s all. you will get Notification that says “Print Successful”. If you are printing from outside your network, you will need to enter the username and password to start the print job remotely.
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Official Printer App
You can also use the official printer app of the particular printer you have to print a document or picture over WiFi. This is perfect and An easy way for those who don’t want to go through the hassle of manually adding printers via Google Chrome. First, you will need to download your printer company’s app or print service plug-in that activates the printer in Android’s print menu.
In my case, as you can see, I downloaded Kyocera application. You can search for apps from different printer manufacturers in the Play Store. For your convenience, we have listed some of the popular ones here:
- HP: HP Print Service Plugin
- Epson: Epson iPrint or Epson Print Enabler
- canon: Canon PRINT Inkjet/Selphy or Canon Print Service
- SAMSUNG: Samsung Mobile Print or Samsung Print Service Plugin
- Konica: Konica Minolta Mobile Printing
- Xerox: Xerox Print Service Plugin
- Lexmark: Lexmark Mobile Print
- Brother: Brother Print Service Plugin
- mopria: Mopria Print Service
After installing the appropriate application for your printer, Connect your Android device and printer to the same WiFi network. Then the app will automatically detect the printer and you can easily take a printout of the document from your Android device.
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Using a USB Cable or Bluetooth
You can even connect your Android phone to the printer via a USB cable or Bluetooth. However, you will need a printer that supports both parameters. All the latest Android phones support USB connection to printers. However, if you are using an older device, Third party app like PrinterShare (Freeoffers in-app purchases) to connect to a USB printer.
During our testing we were unable to connect any of our phones to the printer with a USB cable, so we decided to use PrinterShare to establish the connection. To do this, you must first Go to “Settings -> Printing” and enable the application to access the print services. Once enabled, the apps allow you to connect to supported printers via WiFi, Bluetooth, USB, Cloud Print or remotely. The app may ask you to download the relevant drivers so make sure you do that too.
note: To connect your phone to a printer via USB, you must have a USB Printer Cable 2.0 and USB OTG. They are easily available in both online and offline stores.
Have You Tried Printing From Your Android Smartphone?
I loved using Google Cloud Print as it is natively integrated into Android. With the service shutting down and Google joining a long list of obsolete products and services, there is no choice but to look for alternatives. I suggest you try PaperCut Mobility Print or PrinterShare instead.
Other than that, I recommend you to use your printer’s official application for a one-stop solution. These are absolutely the best way to print any document or picture directly from your Android smartphone. So, if you’ve never tried printing from your Android device, you should! Let us know if you run into any problems as we are always ready to help.
