Printing on a Chromebook

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Chromebooks are amazing for web based activities. But one area that proves challenging and frustrating for Chromebook users is printing on a Chromebook.

 Here are the two methods that I have used to print from a Chromebook:  
  • 1. Using a Brother printer connected to a Windows computer (my older method)
  • 2. Using a Brother cloud-ready printer  (my current method-a bit more advanced)
Regardless of which method you choose, you will manage your printing preferences by singing into your Google Cloud Print account. Here, you can see the print jobs and the printers associated with your google account.  www.google.com/cloudprint   

Your method will depend primarily on whether you have a WiFi printer that is cloud-ready or not. If you do not have a Google cloud-ready WiFi printer, you will need to use method 1. Here is a list of Cloud Ready printers . If your printer is not listed, it is not cloud-ready. If you do have a cloud-ready printer, then I recommend method 2. Keep in mind the instructions on method 2 comes from working on a Brother printer; hopefully it works for you. 

1. Through a printer connected to a Windows computer (older method). 
You will need: 
  • Computer (windows or mac) with Chrome Browser installed
  • Chromebook 
  • WiFi printer 
First, have your printer setup to print on the Windows or Mac computer. Follow the instructions that came with your printer.  

After your printer and Windows/Mac computer are setup to print, you will register that printer into your Google Cloud Print account by doing the following (from your Mac/Windows computer):

  1. Open Chrome Chrome.
  2. Type chrome://devices and press Enter.
  3. Under "Classic Printers," click Add printers.
  4. In the "Printers to register" section, select the printer you want to share, then click Add printer(s).
  5. To check if your printer was added, click Manage your printers.
For information on sharing your printer with others, click here 

Now you can print from your Chromebook. Just select Ctrl+P or go to the menu (three dots) on upper right side and select print. In the "destination" section you will select the printer that you registered.

Here's the disappointment, you will need to have the Mac/Windows computer (that is linked to the printer) turned on and signed in in order to print from your Chromebook. 


2. Through a cloud-ready printer  (my current method - a bit more advanced)
You will need:
  • Chromebook
  • Cloud-ready WiFi Printer
  • basic experience with IP addresses
First, you need to connect the cloud-ready printer to your wireless network. Easiest way to do this on my Brother printer was through the LCD screen and buttons on the printer itself. Toggle the network options to connect to your WiFi router. 

Second, you need to register the cloud-ready printer to your Google Cloud Print account through the settings on the printer. 

On my Brother printer, I used a Chromebook on the same network as the printer. I connected to the IP address of the printer (by typing IP address into Chrome browser). To find the IP address I searched for "printer settings" on the the LCD screen of the printer. It may take some toggling with menus to find it. You can also log into your wireless router (through its IP address) and find the devices connected to your network. The printer was easy to identify as it was the only one with BR in its name. 

After accessing the Brother printer settings you may need to enter a password before you can access the network settings. At the top I entered the following for my Brother printer "initpass". Check your user manual for the password. After entering the password, the network settings were unlocked. Here are the menus I went through to get it registered. 

 NETWORK > PROTOCOL > Google Cloud Print - Advanced Options > Register

Follow the instructions to register 

When finished go back to main screen of your Google Cloud Print account and click "printers" to see if your printer is there.  

For information on sharing your printer with others, click here 

Here is the Brother Cloud Ready printer I own. 
Brother Printer HL-L2340DW Wireless Monochrome Printer

Here is the Amazon Best Seller Brother printer with Google Cloud Ready
Brother Compact Monochrome Laser Printer, HL-L2350DW




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