Google today lifted the wraps on its upcoming web printing service, Google Cloud Print. Designed for their forthcoming Chrome OS but soon to be available for all platforms, Google Cloud Print will allow users to remotely print documents and other files to a printer connected to the Google cloud service.
Because all applications in Chrome OS are web apps, Google needed to design a system that would be as seamless and rich as possible. The Google Cloud Print service will provide the same set of features that native printing currently provides but without the need to install any local drivers. Google’s platform agnostic design will allow users to print directly from web, desktop, and mobile apps—regardless of operating system or device.
Google states that their main goal for Google Cloud Print is "to build a printing experience that enables any app (web, desktop, or mobile) on any device to print to any printer anywhere in the world."
"This goal is accomplished through the use of a cloud print service. Apps no longer rely on the local operating system (and drivers) to print. Instead, as shown in the diagram below, apps (whether they be a native desktop/mobile app or a web app) use Google Cloud Print to submit and manage print jobs. Google Cloud Print is then responsible for sending the print job to the appropriate printer, with the particular options the user selected, and providing job status to the app."