How to print from the Nexus 7
Printing from your Nexus 7 is possible and simple to set up. Here's what you'll need to do.
So, you received your Nexus 7. You have it all set up, you've answering some e-mails, you've watched a movie or two, and now you need to print something. But, how?
Unlike Apple's iPad, the Nexus 7 doesn't have an "AirPrint"-like feature built into the operating system. Google does have Google Cloud Print, but it still requires you to use the mobile Web version of Gmail (and the like) to print.
Wouldn't it be great if there was a way to add Cloud Print as a share action? There is, and it's free.
Before you get started, you'll need to have Google's Cloud Print service set up and linked to your Google account. You can get started with setting up Cloud Print by visiting Google.com/CloudPrint on your computer.
All set up? Good.
Now, download Cloud Print from the Play Store.
When setting up the app, make sure you use the same Google account you used to set up Google Cloud Print. This will ensure you are able to print to the printer(s) you have added to the service.
The next time you want to print a document, photo, or even a Web page, select the share option and pick Cloud Print as the action. If you need to print an attachment from Gmail, you can tap on the view button for the attachment and select Cloud Print from the list of options.
Once you've picked Cloud Print as the action, you'll then be asked to confirm the printer you want to print to, and the app will take it from there. Within a few seconds, you should hear your printer start up (noisy little things, aren't they?) and a page will be spit out at you. Fancy.
One more thing: if you'd rather not print to a real printer, you can "print" to your Google Drive account using the same app. You should see Google Drive listed as an additional printer. This is a similar feature to what is included in the latest Chrome Beta.
By now, you're probably asking yourself if this would work on any Android device. The answer is yes -- you can print from any Android device so long as it's running Android 2.0 and above. Happy printing!