Printing a document from a computer is a straightforward process, but many people don't know that you can also print directly from your Android phone. This can be especially useful when you want to print something but don't have access to a PC. Previously, Google offered a service called Google Cloud Print that allowed users to connect to printers from Android and Chrome and print documents from the cloud. However, Google discontinued this service in December 2020, citing improvements in native Chrome OS printing and the availability of other cloud printing solutions.

If you have a smartphone running Android 9 or above, you can still print directly from your phone by following the steps mentioned in this guide. While it may seem like a small thing, the ability to print directly from your Android phone can be a highly convenient and time-saving.

How to print using the default Print Service

Most Android phones come with a print component called Default Print Service. It was first launched with Android 8.0 Oreo and is the result of a partnership with Mopria to bring a native printing platform to Android as a replacement to Cloud Print. Using the Default Print Service, users can connect with printers that are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Using this service is a pretty straightforward process.

  • Go to the Settings app.
  • Go to the print options. It's usually in connectivity-related settings.
  • Enable Default Print Service.

Once that's done, in order to print a document, you need to:

  1. Open a PDF or Google Docs document you want to print. For this example, we're using Google's own PDF viewer.
  2. Look for the Print option, then tap on it.
  3. Once that's done, and your printer is connected to your network and compatible, it should show up on your phone.
  4. Print!

How to print using third-party print services

With Google axing Cloud Print, one of the objectives of doing that was to get people to use other third-party printing services. Some of them are general, working with a lot of printer brands, while others are specific to certain brands. Many of these services are plugins and work similar to the Default Print Service. So if your phone doesn't have the Default Print Service for whatever reason, or your printer is not showing up on that, using another printing plugin might be a better option.

Depending on the brand, you might find yourself better off using your specific printer brand's plugin. HP, Canon, Epson, Lexmark and Samsung all have plugins that are optimized for their own printers, but some of them, like Samsung's, also support other printer brands. Others, like Mopria's Print Service, are printer-agnostic as many different brands are validated to work on them.

Mopria Print Service Developer: Mopria Alliance
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Once that's done and you have your printing service installed and ready to go:

  1. Open the Settings app on your phone.
  2. Go to the Print options. It's usually in the connectivity-related settings, or it'll have its own section.
  3. Enable the printing service you just downloaded.

Once that's done, in order to print a document, you need to:

  1. Open a document with your app of choice for viewing PDF/DOCX documents.
  2. Tap the three dots menu and select Print.
  3. Once that's done, and your printer is connected to your network, it should show up on your phone.
  4. Print!

Why should I care about printing from my Android phone?

There are many scenarios where you might want to print from your Android phone. For example, if you receive a document through a messaging app and your PC is not nearby or you don't have time to transfer the document to a PC. In situations like these, being able to print directly from your phone can be a lifesaver (assuming your printer is cloud compatible). You might also find yourself in a situation where you need to make a quick touch-up to a document but don't want to get to your computer to edit it and then print it. Using a word processor like Google Docs or Microsoft Word, you can quickly edit a document, then print it using the methods provided in this tutorial.