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Ask Slashdot: Best Way To Print From an Android Tablet?
KowboyKrash writes "Does any Slashdotter know how to print from an Android tablet? I have read about Google Cloud Print, but will it work from all (or at least most) apps? Is there a better solution? A little background: With my laptop being four years old, and the battery failing, I want to replace it with a device with 10 hours of battery. I am purchasing an Asus Transformer Prime after Christmas as a gift to myself; my plan is to replace my laptop completely for portable computing. I've already selected several apps that should meet my needs, including Polaris Office, and TeamViewer to remotely access my desktop. So are there any printing solutions for Android? Printing to my network printer at home is good enough."
xerox machine
Cloud print works for me very well from my phone and tablet. If printing to a home printer is good enough then it should work just fine for you. Does for me.
Use it all the time on my phone
Most apps don't have built-in print support. I've never needed to print from my phone, but it looks like an app like this could do it: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.pauloslf.cloudprint&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS5wYXVsb3NsZi5jbG91ZHByaW50Il0.
The right to protest the State is more sacred than the State.
A different question may be: do you really want to replace a fully functional platform for an app ridden one? The ability to print effectively shouldn't cost you $9.99. As awesome as tablets are I wouldn't recommend using one for everything.
The hardware is there to print from a WiFi device like an Android tablet. Windows computers are able to print this way with the drivers available to them so it may be a hack to do it from Android. You would need a conduit to allow all apps to print this way.
OTOH, printing from a given app would be easier to do, just have to reverse-engineer the printer drivers.
... AirPrint on iOS :P
I have my printer set up to be shared by me on Google Cloud print. I can use it directly from any of the Google Apps from my Toshiba Thrive. The Printer Share Mobile Print app adds that functionality to the non-Google apps that can print.
It all works simply once you go through the setting up of the Google Cloud Print. My printer is an older Canon connected to home network. Some of the new printers around have Cloud Print built in.
Why, though, would you want to replace a fully functional platform with, what essentially is, a very expensive toy?
I mean, don't get me wrong. Tablets are light years ahead of what they were when they first got big, but... Yes, the Transformer is more functional than the likes of the iPad, but even then the tablet platform has little to no advantages over a notebook (touch screens are too finicky for my taste to be an advantage).
Do you also gift wrap it and keep it a surprise till Christmas?
it has worked great for me.
I use a python snippet that uses inotify to look in the Dropbox share for any files added to a particular folder and send them to the default CUPS printer. It's what I use to print from the n900 - which is actually just about never ;)
If you can access Google's cloud printing (you can) you're all set.
Free... so long as you don't mind sharing your data with Google (which you'd already be doing if you're using their cloud service).
I'm curious to see what better (faster!) ideas appear on this thread... There have to be better ways.
Or, at least, more interesting.
where is sue? sue is idle.
I've had my tablet for months now, and if I could go back, I would get a lenovo or some other compact laptop. I don't do anything crazy, just basic web and a little video, and even for that a modern android tablet doesn't quite get the job done.
If you want to do any creating or processing or non-walled-garden-viewing, I would urge you to skip android. Or at least Acer.
Works great for me on my Android phone, assume it would work for you. Found it on this really neat thing called the Android Market....
Right here.
Three Squirrels
It's crazy. My old N800 PDA could run CUPS, so i could print the PDFs I created with LaTeX on it. WTF are they thinking, not having printing on it? And why has no-one ported CUPS?
I got it for free but I think they charge for it now. Automatically finds all network printers. Easy peasy.
Really, tablets are for viewing, not for printing. If you want to print email the document to a real workstation with proper printing software.
I know it's not your question, but just a warning on it. If you plan to send the documents to anyone, and they don't have office 2010 there are going to be issues. They'll be able to read the file in a shocking font if they open it something like openoffice or libreoffice, but there will be random characters at the start and end and the text won't be manipulable.
CUPS this is quite hard and will involve compiling a native linux app to run on android but once you have and your device is rooted you can print to virtually any network printer. Or buy a HP they have apps for printing I think but either way each printer is a web server and you can print and scan if you point your browser to the printers IP (Setting up a home dns server is really helpful for this).
printbot works for me. It can autodetect printers on the LAN and print files, selected text or via the "share" fonction.
Does it come with the Decepticon or Autobot logo?
Or, rather, will be Hasbro legal department be contacting Asus shortly?
Making your model of the soon to be renamed tablet product line a rare collector's item?
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
I recently found out Brother has an app for printing from Android and IOS. Maybe the other printer manufacturers do too?
First of all how do you know it's okay to print or send anything confidential to "the cloud", if "the cloud" is run by a third-party?
Second of all, shut up. This is a ridiculous question.
Just use your desktop or a laptop. We know you have one, because you have a tablet and a printer. DURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.
I don't print a *lot* from my Android tablet, but I do occasionally. I've found PrintBot to work nicely:
https://market.android.com/details?id=net.jsecurity.printbot&hl=en
Note: I have no connection to the author, and haven't yet needed to try the paid version myself, so I refer to the (extremely restricted) free version.
iPads can do this without paying extra money for a printing app. If your printer isn't "AirPrint" compatible, just run this program once on the mac that shares it: http://download.cnet.com/AirPrint-Activator/3000-18487_4-75327225.html
PrintShare works pretty good. Was the free app on Amazon one day. Also Epson has a free app for printing to Epson printers from Android.
I use PrinterShare. It requires a service running on a Windows box, but you can print through the service to a printer from outside the network, which means I can print to my home computer (for instance) from anywhere in the world I can get signal. Available from android store. Not affiliated, just a user.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
Use it to order a real computer from the Amazon site. :-)
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."
Replacing a laptop with a tablet, any tablet, is a nasty compromise. You'll miss your 4 year old laptop the first time you have to do any work on the tablet.
If you're like most people who have this idea, you'll wind up carrying both the tablet and the old laptop (or buying a new laptop) and then one day you'll just forget the tablet at home, and within a couple months the tablet will live on your coffee table and rarely leave the house.
-Lod
Ability to print is completely controlled by the app, android lacks a built in system for printing to my knowledge
Except for the part where you have to buy a new HP printer with AirPrint.
You know what? Who cares! Aren't computers and various peripherals surrounding them supposed to make your life easier?
Buying a WiFi printer makes life WAY easier for everyone in the household, from iPad users to laptop users of all sorts.
I was a little annoyed at this too but for the first time I don't have a monthly Printer Hell I have to spend time in because the printer is doing this or that wrong.
For as short as our lives are I don't understand why people do not use the easiest solution possible generally for something they use day to day - ESPECIALLY with printers that can bring such an epic level of frustration to bear.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Print to a pdf or some other open doc format.
Instead of trying to figure out how to print, how about, in 2011, we figure out how to NOT PRINT?????
You're going to spend $500 and not have the option to run whatever you want, when you want. You're basically paying extra so you can continue to pay extra instead of downloading freeware that's available even if you're running Windows.
You can pickup more powerful machines for less when they are on sale from Walmart or Office Depot. Check out slickdeals or salescircular. Don't get stuck with stupid hardware because you want to look cool.
and yet, I say it up and down, everywhere: I'll buy the first tablet that runs Debian natively (make that Ubuntu, or anything like that). I buy a tablet, price doesn't matter too much, the day I can install some Linux-Distro on it (please, spare all of the us the 'Android-is-Linux' nonsense comments). I don't need coolness, I am cool. I need OpenOffice on my tablet, no Google-Docs, and I need printing. Not a single Cent for some app, no new printer. CUPS is on any reasonable Linux-Distro, and that's what I am waiting for.
Thanks to the original submitter. I was almost tempted to buy a tablet today, despite of all my good intentions as above. I didn't even consider I would not be able to print. Now I know that I am not going to buy a tablet for the time being.
A friend of mine recently aquired an android phone, he did a Root + Chroot + debian setup and now can vnc to his chroot giving full debian capabilities on his phone.... it's a little work, but i assume he at least has the ability to print on it through the debian chroot
I have a Brother Printer and Brother has an iOS and Android app for printing. So far it has worked flawlessly.
Both HP and Brother have android apps which will print to their wireless printers. The Brother app misses some of their more common printers, though.
as for those who are asking why I would replace my laptop with a tablet here are just a few my my reasons; Battery life, greater portability, simplicity (most of my needs are web based). I am not completely eliminating my laptop from the mix I just ordered a new battery and will be setting it up as a media pc connected to my Living room tv. on the rare occasion I will need to lug a real computer someplace I still can. what about a way to add fonts to android with out rooting?
Maybe he doesn't have a dedicated workstation at home, but he's about to have a spare laptop that's more than fast enough to be a print server, and the dead battery won't matter if it's plugged in all the time.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
Effective use of wingdings in a serious text
A few questions I have. Do you really print that often? At home, I rarely have a need to print. I probably wouldn't print much at work if I had a tablet. Do you have a desktop? If so, I would just install dropbox or look at a printer that supports it. To those saying he should just get another laptop, mine rarely leaves my docking station at work. A tablet wont replace your computer, but it could replace a laptop if you have a desktop as well.
PrinterShare is quite good. I picked it up for free off Amazon when they were giving it away a month or two ago (I think the full version is normally $5). I've been happy with it so far.
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." ~Thomas Jefferson
Wireless Brother printer with iprint (the driver for wireless Brother printers)
Ceci n'est pas une Signature !
Welcome to visit!
I can only guess but it is probably just as bad on android Rdp for windows and vnc for everything else works pretty good
There Can Be Only One...
Epson wifi printer with Epson printing app. Hasn't failed me yet.
"Don't blink. Don't even blink. Blink and you're dead."
It requires everyone who needs to read the document to have access to a device capable of displaying it.
And even that isn't yet guaranteeable in 2011. Not everybody carries a laptop, tablet, e-reader, or smartphone. Or what scenario am I missing?
Nor are these tablets necessarily rugged enough
I don't know where you got the idea that single-digit-year-old children are incapable of using tablets
Perhaps I underemphasized "rugged". A careful 3-year-old can use an iPad 2, but a less careful one will likely drop it, sit on it, step on it, etc.
A far easier solution is that instead of having to buy new hardware every time a problem long solved in PC world comes up, you buy a PC.
No, what is easier is buying a post-PC solution to a problem that has plagued PC users since the dawn of time. Printers on PCs (or Macs, no platform war here) have always sucked
Also remember that post-PC is not SANS-PC. My WiFi printer works great with any other computer, better in fact than my print-served printers ever did.
Feel free to go backwards all you like. I'm ratcheting my way one piece of advanced equipment at a time into the future. You can sit there in the cave while I drive my metaphorical flying Ferrari to the moon.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Samsung has an android apparently for their network printers. I use it on my phone but it has some limitations, mostly caused by android not having much support for printing built-in.
Well if you're trying to figure out how to print from a tablet, then obviously you have one you can use with your child. It's called parenting.
Unless you're trying to print something for your child to show to somebody else while the child is at school or a play date.
Android is Linux. I use Linux at work, at home, in my car, on my tablet, etc, etc.
It would be really nice if Android had CUPS support. That would make printing really easy for me :)
by one of those ink raping bastard companies
So the question is - why are you printing? What do you need in hard copy?
It's nearly 2012. Haven't we moved past this for day-to-day? (Unless, of course, you're in a career that requires a lot of paperwork to be physically signed on a regular basis - given the content of your post and the fact that you're posting it here, I think that's unlikely.)
Personally I've found that one of the great things about tablets is that they've eliminated the final few reasons I had for printing documetns.
I realize that everyone has their own use cases for printed documents, I'm just wondering if yours is an actual need -- or just so used to it that doing without it hasn't occurred to you yet.
It does. I have one of the original TF101s, and Ubuntu runs relatively well on it, though it's worth noting the kernel port is still in development.
The Transformer (Prime) has a full keyboard, so if you're buying it as a laptop replacement, just dual boot Ubuntu. If you only have the tablet half, then you might want to go with Gnome 3. Android is rather limited, so I can guarantee you'll get frustrated with it the moment you want to do anything non-trivial.
Here's a quick summary of what's working so far:
More info
Admittedly, it's a work in progress, but if you want an ARM tablet which runs GNU/Linux* then I'd say the TF is your best bet. It's also worth noting that all the ARM devices (or at least ones using the Tegra series chips) use different GPIOs for the peripherals, which means that the kernel is device specific. Consequently, if you're planning to run GNU/Linux on it you're going to want one with a strong developer following.
* I don't normally bother with the pedantry, but the distinction is very relevant here. Android is Linux; it uses a GPLed derivative of the kernel, which is why it didn't take long to get Ubuntu running on it (once the partitioning tool, nvflash, was available). Ubuntu is GNU/Linux; it has grep, sed, CUPS, OpenOffice, X, and everything else you want.
Most human behaviour can be explained in terms of identity.
Shows what you know. I have 3 in house developed applications that were built for android. That decision was made based on the openness of the platform compared to IOS. building custom in house application is far easier on android than IOS. Add that to the Superior features of the Transformer prime vs iPad2 and the better price the decision was easy. the two most important features that iPads don't have is GPS on a wifi only tablet, and upgrade able storage. oh and the fact that it looks better that the iPad and thinner doesn't hurt either. oh and the Quad core 1.3Ghz cpu is also nice..........oh and one more thing 32gb of base storage at the same price as the iPads 16gb model.............maybe you should upgrade to the transformer Prime and stop being an Apple Drone.......... but I Doubt a troll like you will.
You can print from Android tablet (or phone, or even Google TV) in a few clicks with PrinterShare - Mobile Print. You can try for free and if you like it, but the Premium Key for $12.95 and then print unlimited. In most cases you don't need to install computer software, or even have the computer, with direct Nearby printing mode. If your printer doesn't have Wi-Fi / Bluetooth or is not compatible, you can install free software from http://printershare.com, share the printer with it, print. You can also print over the Internet with the same software on the receiving end. Google CloudPrint is another option, and it's free.
Check this out: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.dynamixsoftware.printershare
Get an iPad. Fucking idiot.
Many of the printer manufacturers have software that allows you to print to their printers if they are on a LAN your Android is connected to. I have a Samsung MFP and can print and scan quite easily using Samsung's mobile print app for example. Just match your printer manufacturer with the app and check it supports the model. What you can print depends on the printing app as it either implements an action or reads particular file types. The Samsung one reads from your picture gallery, google docs, web pages, facebook & twitter and various other format files in your documents directories (txt, pdf and I'm pretty sure some versions of office files). I find scanning often to be more straightforward than on my PC. Pretty sure there are apps for Brother, HP, Epson, Canon, etc. Their features & polish will probably vary. Just search for printer in the android market, eg https://market.android.com/search?q=print&so=1&c=apps Obviously if your printing is only over the LAN, it should be more secure than a "cloud" based method, and some of those apps charge per page printed IIRC.
1. Get your android tablet
2. Sell it
3. Get an iPad
If Asus keeps the same software on the Prime that they had on the OG TF, you'll already have a remote desktop viewing application pre-installed. Its part of the MyCloud app, the MyDesktop section. It runs a version of the Splashtop software, the streamer version is free on their website. Splashtop themselves have their own app on the market (which is actually what I use, just because I like to keep up with their updates without waiting for Asus to update) as well.
Okay, maybe not, but it does have the capability. How is it that Android is missing something like this?
For the past 34 years I've been an IT professional working on diverse hardware from mainframes to minis to PCs. I was a programmer long before I was a user.
For all that time, printing has been the bane of my existence. Anyone who believes that computers are aware and have malevolent intent have had severe disagreements with printing hardware/software over the years. The time it takes to print a document (a real document for business, not just a screenshot or receipt) is inversely proportional to the time available to complete the task to get to that meeting where its presence is crucial.
I suffered with text-based DOS and WYSIWYG word processors and dot matrix, laser, inkjet, what have you. I have inevitably ended up shouting at the hapless device that will not produce the output in a usable form without exhausting both my patience and paper.
When I saw this post, I picked up my Samsung Galaxy S2 and did something I'd never had the occasion to do -- I brought up the Gallery to print a photo.
I have a wireless HP Photosmart 390a I'd bought for the business a couple of years ago that happens to have Bluetooth capabilities. Within seconds I had paired with the printer and about 20 seconds later the printer started printing the selected photo. I should have been flabbergasted however I reacted with the aplomb that any would display when an electronic device just friggin' does what you ask it to do.
Who would have thought it possible?
Plus: Laptops are generally better in scaling down power usage when idle. And that thing will be idle most of the time. I d also consider using it as a NAS et cetera, though.
(These notes taken from a notepad I have titled "My computer illiterate boss once did:")
1. Take a photo of the iPad screen.
2. Connect camera to a Laptop and download photo.
3. Connect laptop to the LAN, email the photo to your desktop PC
4. Go to your PC from your PC open the photo in the viewer.
5. Copy the photo. Paste it into a word document.
6. Print the word document. Your done.
7. Optional step: Fax it to the intended recipient, or if the printer/scanner has a scan-to-email function use that.
I hope this helps you. This kind of thing certainly helped people my former workplace at least feel productive.
After logging in slashdot still does not take you back to the page you were on. It's been that way for 20 years.
We've had recent questions about cloud services, duplicates about which router to buy, and now a question about how to print.
Time to turn off Ask Slashdot. Someone let me know if the quality goes back up and we get more interesting questions.
Put my fist through my alarm clock with its ding-dong death inside my ear. - The Blackjacks.
I bought a Motorola XOOM months ago to replace an old laptop thinking it would be for work.
Tablets are toys you can't. use them to do real work. I laugh at these companies who are laying off workers at the same time buying iPads. Sure you can read emails and stuff on the go and view documents... try editing a spreadsheet and you will be asking for a laptop.
I have used android (many different versions), and having a computer at home running the google chrome browser that enables cloud print (more info on the cloud print site) I use the printer share app. I sign in with my google account, and it gives me access to all the printers I have at home (or any other locations i am signed in to cloud print with chrome) The printershare app lets you directly print documents (PDF, DOC, ODT, etc.), or if you need to print from another app you can just "Share" it using Printer Share. The app works great on all of my android devices, and is just awesome
I don't know why no one has mentioned this but printing from most devices is pretty easy, all you need is a printer with either built-in bluetooth or a host USB port (usually used for mass storage devices). Just plug in a Bluetooth dongle and it'll become visible, send it a file and it'll print. I had an HP which did this 5 years ago and I sent it files from a Symbian phone. Thanks to intents, any application which wants to send a file can queue a print job.
get an iPad and simply click print
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.dynamixsoftware.printershare
I hope this helps you. This kind of thing certainly helped people my former workplace at least feel productive. www.bestoffrm.com
I too have used PrinterShare that I got free from Amazon App Market. Worked well with my phone printing to my networked Oki via Wifi. From what I understand, support is kinda rough right now, but as I said, I had no problems.
+1 to 'shutting off ask slashdot.' replacing laptops w/ android? Gouch.
Google simply doesn't want you to print. Here's a good example: try to find the print preview in Chrome. I don't know of any other browser, since Lynx, that hasn't had a print preview function.
As a future buyer of a tablet, this is something I didn't consider, printing, I just took it for granted that you could print via an office LAN network.
There was an unknown error in the submission.
When you get Ice Cream Sandwich, you could simplify it further with the screenshot feature.
1. Press the power and volume button to take a screenshot.
2. Email the screenshot to yourself, or upload to a web service: flickr, etc
3. Open Image on Desktop/Laptop
4. Print
I get nice 1280x720 snaps on my Galaxy Nexus - mmmmmmmmm.
I dare say an internet printing app would be better suited if you want to print complex documents directly from the device to your Windows machine.
In my current situation, I have Remote Desktop access to Work and Home. I can mount my local storage in the Remote Desktop session allowing me to transfer files over the Remote Desktop connection on the remote computer and print out. Conversely you could setup an SSH server on your Android (as long as you have rooted your device) and SSH from your Desktop/Laptop to your phone to retrieve the file over WiFi.
There are many solutions, but perhaps a lightweight CUPS for Android would be ideal as many printers support PPD PostScript and PCL in this environment. It would be another level of productivity to be able to test print from my Android via VPN over WiFi talking to the CUPS server - would save lugging the laptop around although it is still better for diagnostics and configuration changes.
It's a tablet, that's also a netbook, that runs full Windows (and will run Win 8 that's supposedly made with tablets in mind), and best of all, it can print. And they've ported Angry Birds to Windows, that helps too.
Get an iPad not a android piece of junk
Need a new device here. Trendnet and other manufacturers make printer server dongles that turn USB and Parallel printers into network printers that implement lpr and other network printing protocols. They just need to implement the google cloud protocol.
My problem with these solutions has always been my innate paranoia. I tried an encryption program from some German company, called LockNote. IIRC it is supposed to be open source, and the idea is that it is a self-encrypting exe file, so it's completely portable, at least to any Win32 system... but as I was thinking about storing all my passwords and credit card numbers in it for safe, on-disc records keeping, it occurred to me to wonder what stops the program from encrypting the information, and then radioing it home to the people who supplied the program, where they have the key to decrypt it, and voila... :^) So, yeah, never used it for anything sensitive. But it made me wonder... likewise with this. If I download a printing app, esp. if it's free, what's to stop the people who wrote it to encode that it quietly sends a copy of everything I print to them? I don't want them to have my grandmother's rhubarb pie recipe!!! It's MINE!