HowTo: Use Google Cloud Print on Linux

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HowTo: Use Google Cloud Print on Linux

Despite what Google says about Google Cloud Print not being available for Linux, it actually is -- in the form of a Python script that you can execute on your Linux system and be able to print from your Cr-48 on it. Now for the dependencies: Apparently, you need Python (2.7 or older; 3.x will *NOT* work) and pycups to be able to use this script.

Have people used this?

And if you have a linux box switched on anyway (with printer) can't you just share it via that box?

Derry

Hi,

I have problem with cloudprint.py, when I start it, I get the following error message:

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/usr/bin/cloudprint", line 8, in <module>
load_entry_point('cloudprint==0.2', 'console_scripts', 'cloudprint')()
File "/usr/lib/python2.6/site-packages/cloudprint/cloudprint.py", line 304, in main
sync_printers(cups_connection, cpp)
File "/usr/lib/python2.6/site-packages/cloudprint/cloudprint.py", line 227, in sync_printers
cpp.add_printer(printer_name, description, ppd)
File "/usr/lib/python2.6/site-packages/cloudprint/cloudprint.py", line 131, in add_printer
'capabilities' : ppd.encode('utf-8'),
UnicodeDecodeError: 'ascii' codec can't decode byte 0xd0 in position 52637: ordinal not in range(128)

Could you help me how to resolve this error?

Thanks.

The problem is resolved with the new version 0.4.

Got cloudprint installed and working except it will only print text files. Anything else will go into the print que but stop. Job cannot be restarted only deleted.
This is printing from android device with cloudprint app.

Thanks Kenny for your help.

I followed your tuto and I have one major problem.
The service does not start automaticaly at startup...

I only created the /etc/init.d/cloudprint file and add a chmod +x cloudprint.

Do you have an idear ?

You must use the cloudprint regitered user, so if your user is "user" you can start automatically at startup by edit
/etc/rc.local

and add this line before exit 0:

su user -c /usr/bin/cloudprint &

bye

Paolo Rampino aka Akirad

Incidentally, "Google cloud print" is actually a marketing repackage of existing web-print technologies that are simultaneously available from other vendors. The stuff that you use to print to a shared printer in a hotel lobby from your room might well be the self-same thing ... and Google won't get a copy of your stuff and keep it forever.

Whatever, it is now available with chromium.

I just wanted to say thanks for this post. I got cloud print working on my ubuntu 12.04 machine with it. Thanks!

I think that this may be the same package that is now available from the Ubuntu repository, simply:

apt-get install cloudprint

it certainly responds the same.

I have this loaded on an Ubuntu 12.04LTS server, no gui and no Chromium browser.
When cloudprint is started it recognises the printer attached to the server then appears to hang, i.e. it does not return to the prompt until enter is pressed.

If it is run as a daemon

cloudprint -d

it again registers the printer and also displays a message showing the PID. The printer then shows up on my Android device but with status 'unknown'. If a print request is made from the Android device it is shown as being queued, however the server now shows an error message

ERROR: Couldn't connect to Cloud Service: will try again in 60 secs.

Along with each error message, cloudprint dumps a 16mb file into the /tmp directory on the server and this happens every minute until the print job is cancelled from the Android device; cntrl&c from the server terminal does not stop it.

Initially unaware of what was happening, the root partition on the server soon became full, bringing the server to a halt.

There appears to be very little information available on cloudprint and I would appreciate any help on how to go about diagnosing the problem. I do not want to load a gui and chromium onto a minimal server, if only for security reasons.

i have the exact same problem/situation maxcelpc reports! maxcelpc or anyone else find a solution?

Originally Posted by maxcelpc If a print request is made from the Android device it is shown as being queued, however the server now shows an error message ERROR: Couldn't connect to Cloud Service: will try again in 60 secs. Along with each error message, cloudprint dumps a 16mb file into the /tmp directory on the server and this happens every minute until the print job is cancelled from the Android device; cntrl&c from the server terminal does not stop it.

I get this too.

maxcelpc - do you by any chance have the two step authentication turned on for your google account? You know - where google SMS a second code before you log in to your account? Because I have that and I just wonder if it is related.

I was able to create an "application specific password" for my cloud print and this allowed me to connect my printer using the python script. The printer shows up on the cloud print interface at the google web site. But when a print job is submited it gives the same error that maxcelpc is finding.

Getting the same thing.

trying to setup an old dell laptop as a print server, so running chrome or chromium not an option. shame as on paper this would have worked really well.
just normal authentication for me.