[attachment=14478]
1. INTRODUCTION
Google Cloud Print is a Google service aiming to enable any 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 drivers to the client. Applications submit print jobs to the cloud print service via the API offered by Google.
Google Cloud Print then sends the print job to the selected printer which the user has previously registered with the service. New printers which are called “cloud-aware” and connect directly to the cloud print service, while legacy printers will use a Google Cloud Print Proxy.
Google defines a Cloud Print Proxy as: a piece of software that runs on a computer connected to a non-cloud-aware printer, a small add-on hardware device that contains the proxy interface and connects to the printer, or firmware that is built in to printers of the future. Currently Google provides a proxy that works on Windows with Google Chrome. They will be supporting Mac and Linux versions in the near future. The Google Cloud Print service interfaces allow you to create a cloud print proxy that gives you a virtual cloud printer you can send jobs to.
In Google Chrome OS, all applications are web apps. Therefore, in designing the printing experience for Google Chrome OS, we want to make sure printing from web apps is as natural as printing from traditional native apps is today. Additionally, with the proliferation of web-connected mobile devices such as those running Google Chrome OS and other mobile operating systems, we don't believe it is feasible to build and maintain complex print subsystems and print drivers for each platform. In fact, even the print subsystems and drivers on existing PC operating systems leave a lot of room for improvement.
2. COMPONENTS OF GOOGLE CLOUD PRINT
Here's a brief summary of each component in the diagram below are:
Fig 2.1 Components of Google Cloud Print
2.1 APPLICATIONS
Any type of application can use Google Cloud Print, including web apps (such as Gmail) and native apps (such as a desktop word processor or an Android/iPhone app). These apps call Google Cloud Print APIs. They can use these APIs to collect the necessary data to show their own user interface for custom print options or simply use the common print dialog that Google Cloud Print will provide. There are also APIs for querying print job status. Additionally, when the APIs are available, third-party app developers will be able to use Google Cloud Print in their web, desktop, and mobile apps as well.
2.2 GOOGLE CLOUD PRINT SERVICE
Google Cloud Print is a web service offered by Google. Users associate printers with their Google Account via the service. Printers are treated in much the same way as documents are in Google Docs. Therefore, it is very easy to share printers with your coworkers, friends, and
family anywhere in the world. No need for complex network setups to make print sharing work. In addition to associating printers with a user's Google Account, the capabilities of each particular printer model are stored so they can be shown to the user to select appropriate options when submitting a print job. Once the service receives a print job, it sends it to the printer. It also receives regular updates on the status of the print job which it makes available to the app.
2.3 User Interface
As mentioned earlier, Google is developing a common print dialog (web UI) that apps can use to allow the user to select the printer and appropriate print options. Similarly, the printer/job status and management UI (user interface) will enable users to view which printers they have registered (or have been shared with them), print job status, etc.
2.4 Printers
And, finally, the number one question people ask is, "How do the printers communicate with Google Cloud Print?" The answer is, "It depends on whether the printer is a cloud-aware printer or a legacy printer."
2.4.1 Cloud-aware Printer
The ideal experience is for your printer to have native support for connecting to cloud print services. Under this model, the printer has no need for a PC connection of any kind or for a print driver. The printer is simply registered with one or more cloud print services and awaits print jobs. Cloud-aware printers don't exist yet, but one of our main goals in publishing this information at an early stage is to begin engaging industry leaders and the community in developing cloud-aware printers and the necessary open protocols for these printers to communicate with cloud print services. We believe cloud printing has tremendous benefits for end users and for the industry and is essential, given the rapid shift toward cloud-based applications and data storage. We also believe that the only way that the benefits of cloud printing can be realized is if the protocols are open, freely implementable, and, when possible,
based on existing industry standards. We expect there to be multiple cloud print services, and users should have a choice in which services they use and which printers they can connect to a service. Stay tuned for more details. We are confident that cloud-aware printers will soon be a reality.