HP ePrint printers now support Google Cloud Print

Hewlett-Packard announced today that it has worked with Google to enable its Cloud Print services on HP ePrint-enabled printers.

With the additional feature, HP ePrint printers can now print via Cloud Print right out of the box, via the PC and the beta form of the technology for Android smartphones. However, we found that the technology was clunky at best.

Users can simply "email" the document to the HP ePrint address, allowing it to directly print via the Cloud Print service. Users need to add this email address to their Google account, Google said. A list of supported printers can be found at the HP site.

Previously, users had three ways of printing from an ePrint wireless printer: connect it via USB; go through a lengthy wireless setup process; including manually entering WPA/WEP keys and other security features, as well as creating a link between the computer and router from a "one touch method" that still required users to navigate several menus on the HP printer.

Google's Cloud Print can print on other printers, but the technology requires the Google Chrome browser to be installed and active on the machine, the Google Cloud Print plugin to be active, and the computer to be connected to the printer, either wirelessly or via the USB cable.

For current or future users of Google's Chrome OS, the technology bridges a gap that Google has yet to solve: at the present time, plugging a printer into a Google Chrome OS notebook simply doesn't work. (Chrome OS users can submit the printer's email address here.)

Apps supported by Google Cloud print currently include Gmail for Mobile, Google Docs for Mobile and Chrome OS, and will expand to include third-party apps, Google said.

"Users are rapidly migrating to web and mobile apps, and Google Cloud Print brings full-featured printing capabilities to these apps," said Mike Jazayeri, director of product management at Google, in a statement. "We are excited that HP has brought the first-generation of cloud-ready printers to market. While cloud printing is possible with any printer that is connected to a PC, users can achieve a more streamlined, intuitive experience by printing directly to a cloud-ready printer."

This article, written by Mark Hachman, originally appeared on PCMag.com and is republished on Gear Live with the permission of Ziff Davis, Inc.