Google Cloud Print

Google Cloud Print is a Google service that was created to allow any Cloud-Print-aware application (web, desktop, mobile) on any device in the network cloud to print to any printer – without Google having to create and maintain printing subsystems for all the hardware combinations of client devices and printers, and without the users having to install device drivers to the client, but with documents being fully transmitted to Google. Since July 23, 2013 it also allows printing from any Windows application, if Google Cloud Printer is installed on the machine.

Integration with other Google products
Google Cloud Print integrates with the mobile versions of Gmail and Google Docs, allowing users to print from their mobile devices. Google Cloud Print is listed as a printer option in the Print Preview page of Google's Web browser, Google Chrome, in Chrome 16 and higher. "Legacy", also called "classic", printers (those without cloud printing capabilities) are supported through a "Cloud Print Connector" integrated with Google Chrome versions 9 and higher.

History
Google introduced Cloud Print in April 2010, as a future solution for printing from Chrome OS. Then they made the design document and a preliminary version of the source code available. Google Cloud Print reached beta stage on 25 January 2011.

Applications can print through a web-based, common print dialog (web UI) or an API. The service then forwards the job to a printer registered to the service. Cloud Ready printers (which connect directly to the web and do not require a computer to set up ) can directly connect to Google Cloud Print. As legacy ("classic") printers cannot accept input from a cloud service, Google Chrome 9 contained a "Cloud Print Connector" – which allows printers that are plugged into a Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac, or Linux computer with Internet access to use Cloud Print while the connector is running in Google Chrome.

Printing through Google Cloud Print from any instance of Google Chrome was enabled in Google Chrome 16.

, Google Cloud Print allows users to share printers in a manner reminiscent of Google Docs.

On July 23, 2013 Google updated the service to allow printing from any Windows application, if Google Cloud Printer is installed on the machine. Another new feature is Google Cloud Print Service, which can run as a Windows service so administrators can connect legacy printers to Google Cloud Print in their businesses.

Privacy
Documents printed via Google Cloud Print are sent to Google's servers for transmission to the printer. This means that Google has access to them and that, unlike a user's locally stored and printed documents, they are not private. Google explains, "Google also keeps a copy of each document you send for printing - but only for so long as the printing job is active and not complete. We have to do this to make sure your document gets printed. Once the job is complete, the document is deleted from our servers...Documents you send to print are your personal information and are kept strictly confidential. Google does not access the documents you print for any purpose other than to improve printing."