While Google’s Chromebooks are comprehensive online services, sometimes you require an excellent old-fashioned printout to accompany your digital experiences.
Printing from a Chromebook has obtained a lot easier over the years. But unfortunately, it isn’t always obvious how to get initiated or which paths to embrace.
Follow this manual, and with any luck, you’ll be churning out paper from your cloud-centric computer in no time.
ADD A CURRENT WIRELESS PRINTER
Provided you have a reasonably recent printer capable of connecting to the internet, you should be able to add it directly to your Chromebook without the need for supplementary services.
- Ensure the printer is on and linked to the identical Wi-Fi network as your computer. The approach for connecting a printer to Wi-Fi deviates from one model to the next.
- Still, there’s typically a “Wi-Fi” or “internet” option somewhere on the printer’s display, either as an icon on the main screen or in its settings menu. It should walk you through the process.
- Got the printer online and ready? Here’s what to do next:
- First, tap the clock in the lower-right corner of your Chromebook’s screen. Then tap the gear-shaped icon to unlock its settings.
- Write print into the search box at the top of the settings panel, then select Add printer from the drop-down menu.
- Tap on your printer’s name in the list and click the Setup button to finish the pairing.
It’s possible that an older printer may appear in the list but may not configure automatically. First, try adding the manufacturer and model in the pop-up box that appears. If that doesn’t work, you’ll have to add it manually.
ADD AN MORE AGED WIRELESS PRINTER
If your printer doesn’t occur in the list (which may happen if it’s a more senior device), you’ll require to click the Add printer button.
- Give the printer any name you want.
- Type its I.P. address into the Address box. (You can usually find the I.P. address in the printer’s display menu. Then, try scrutinizing its settings for a section about the network or wireless configuration.)
- Vacate the other two fields as they are, and tap the blue Add button. Next, type in your printer’s works (e.g., “H.P.”) and model (e.g., “Officejet Pro 8600”), and choose the appropriate options as they appear. Tap the blue Add button when you’re done.
CONNECT A PRINTER PHYSICALLY TO YOUR CHROMEBOOK
If you’re using a much older printer that isn’t internet-capable, or if it is internet-capable, but you’re having trouble connecting it manually as described above, don’t fret. You can connect your printer physically to a Chromebook using a USB cable.
- Plug the cable into your printer and plug the other end into your Chromebook. (You may need an adapter, depending on your cord and what kind of ports your Chromebook provides.)
- You may get a pop-up notification asking you to configure the printer. Click on the pop-up, select Add Printer, and follow the directions.
- Otherwise, open your Chromebook’s settings and type “print” into the search box.
- Select Printing.
- Tap on your printer’s name, and connect the blue Add button to finish.
That’s it! Now just hit Ctrl-P from any browser tab or look for the Print command in any app. Then, prepare to print to your heart’s content.
Chromebook in Education
The education need has been the Chromebooks’ most notable victory, competing on the low cost of the hardware, software, and maintenance. In addition, the clarity of the machines, which could be a disadvantage in other markets, has proven to be an advantage to school districts by reducing training and maintenance costs.
By January 2012, even while commercial deals were flat, Google placed about 27,000 Chromebooks in schools across 41 states in the U.S., including “one-on-one” programs, which allocate a computer for every student in South Carolina, Illinois, and Iowa. As of August 2012, over 500 school communities in the United States and Europe were utilizing the device.
In 2016, Chromebooks designated 58 percent of the 2.6 million mobile devices bought by U.S. schools and about 64 percent of that market beyond the U.S. By contrast, sales of Apple tablets and laptops to U.S. schools descended to 19 percent, approximated with 52 percent in 2012.
Helping trigger Chromebook sales is Google Classroom, an app designed for teachers in 2014 that serves as a hub for classroom activities, including attendance, classroom discussions, homework, and communication with students and parents.
There have, however, been problems with privacy within the context of the education demand for Chromebooks. Officials at schools issuing Chromebooks for students have established that students have no right to privacy when using school-issued Chromebooks, even at home. The school can monitor all online and offline activity using third-party software pre-installed on the laptops. Further, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has lamented that Google itself is violating the privacy of students by enabling the synchronization function within Google Chrome (“Chrome Sync”) by default, permitting web browsing histories and other data of students – including those under-13 – to be stored on Google servers and potentially utilized for purposes other than authorized educational purposes.
A point of contention has been that users of school-issued Chromebooks cannot change these settings themselves as a measure to protect their privacy; only the administrator who issued the laptops can change them. In addition, minors shouldn’t be tracked or used as guinea pigs, with their data treated as a profit center. Finally, if Google wants to use students’ data to ‘improve Google products, it needs to get express consent from parents.
By March 2018, Chromebooks created up to 60% of computers used in schools. Superior security is the main reason for this level of market adoption.
Over 30 million Chromebooks were shipped in 2020, as school districts and parents purchased them for remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.