You're on the cutting edge, you've got a new Chrome OS computer, but you want to print something to that printer in the den. Forget plugging it into the printer's USB jack: Chrome OS will not print directly to attached printers. Instead, it uses Google's Cloud Print service. Eventually, Google predicts, most printers will come Cloud Print-ready, but for legacy printers that don'tthat is, for all printers in existencethere's a workaround. I tested it out, and here's what I found.

If you install the beta of Chrome browser version 9, you'll be able to set up a printer attached to a Windows PC for cloud printing. (Sorry Mac and Linux users, but Google says support for those platforms is "coming soon.") You start by heading to Google's page on Cloud Print, which has a button for installing this version of the browser. The site admits that the version "may have some rough edges," so you probably won't want it for everyday use. And note that this browser beta sets itself up as your default browser on the machine.

The Cloud Print page also explains that "by connecting your printer with the Google Cloud you will be able to print to your printer from any computer or smartphone, regardless of where you are. Just activate the Google Cloud Print connector in Google Chrome and your printer will automatically be available to you from Google Cloud Print enabled Web and mobile apps."

Sounds great, but just how do you do that, and how does it work? Just as I was asking myself this question, a warning dialog popped up from my security software saying that a Google Chrome file, gcswf32.dll, might contain malicious code. I wasn't worried, and assumed the "gcs" stood for "Google Cloud Server."

Installing Google Cloud Print

I tested with an Epson Stylus NX625, which offers its own Wi-Fi and an Ethernet jack for Internet hookup, but those were no help with Google Cloud PrintI had to print through a Windows PC. After installing the printer's local drivers and making sure it printed (it quickly spat out a perfect sheet containing a draft of this article), I set to figuring out how to set up Google Cloud Print. When I clicked the link that promised to show me how to "enable the Google Cloud Print connector" I landed on an unhelpful page saying, "We're sorry, but the information you've requested cannot be found. Please try searching or browsing the Help Center."

I headed to Chrome's settings by clicking the wrench icon in the browser. Nothing under Tools, but on last tab of the Preferences dialog, called "Under the Hood," scrolling all the way to the bottom I hit gold. The button was labeled, "Sign in to Google Cloud Print." When I clicked this, a lovely new dialog appeared with a Google account sign-in and options to print from anywhere, manage my printer (including reviewing print jobs), and offer shared access to anyone with a Google account.

I signed in, and then was greeted with a square message box sporting a green check sign and the word "Success!" It also informed me that all printers on the machine had been registered with my Google account, and that I could now print to them from any Google Cloud Print-enabled web or mobile app.

Testing Google Cloud Print

All this made me wonder: "Are there any Google Cloud Print-enabled Web or mobile apps? I already knew there were no enabled printers, but I could hope. Fortunately, a button on the success message said "Print a Test Page." Doing this from the same machine connected to the printer probably wasn't too impressive, but I tried anyway, to see what would happen. The browser opened to another Google Cloud Print page, this one with another "Print a Test Page" button. I clicked. An in-browser dialog appeared saying I had to be signed in to my Google Account. Hmm, thought I'd just done that. The only place to sign in to the browser itself was in the Sync feature in Preferences. Signing in here offered to sync apps, autofill, bookmarks, extensions, preferences, and themes, but didn't mention printers.

Another "Success!" box. I tried hitting the "Print a test page" button again. Still no go. Thankfully, there's a Troubleshoot Cloud Print link. I tried signing in to Gmail. Even though another help page said that the service only currently works with Chrome OS PCs and smartphones, signing in was the ticket: I could see all my connected print targets in the dialog. After hitting print, the dialog first read "Creating a new print job " and then "Print job added." But after several minutes, still no printed paper. I tried another printer.

The wait made me wonder about the future scenario once every human has a Chrome OS computer and prints this way. All their print jobs will be sent to Google's servers and routed back to the cloud-aware printers. So my print job will have to get in line with millions of others, possible large complex graphics printouts or thousand page legal briefs. But those servers are famously fastlook how long a Google search takes.

Interestingly, on the Epson printer's entry was an Options link. This let me choose Portrait or Landscape modes, duplex, multiple copies, and more. There was even another Advanced options link, with special features of the printer like red-eye correction, paper size, borderless, and lots more. Another intriguing choice was the Manage Printers link, which took me to a page showing all print targets on the PC. Highlighting one showed its print jobs and just one optionDelete. The printers I'd used showed that the test was queued and active, but not completed.

Update: After a PC reboot the next day, my test print out appeared in the printer. So if you're trying this at home and run into the same problem, try a system reboot!

No Luck Yet

Okay, so maybe I couldn't actually print anything in the end, but in this journey, I gained familiarity with Google Cloud Print's processes and capabilities. Now I'm ready for the task when I use Chrome OS laptops. Soon I'll have an actual Cr-48 pilot laptop (hopefully later today, even), so I'll certainly report on how the experience compares with that. Since Chrome OS pretty much is the Chrome browser, I can't imagine it will differ much.

While printing to printers attached to Windows PCs running Chrome could be an okay workaround, it would obviously be much nicer to just have the printer connected to the cloud without having to have it attached to a Windows PC that's always running. Many printers these days have built-in Wi-Fi or Ethernet connections, so that's not a stretch. In all, the system Google has put into place could be a bit more straightforward and its use clarified. But once Chrome OS machines ship, that's all likely to be ironed out.