Don’t fret! To print items from your Android tablet, you don’t need to lug around a computer printer. Such a burden goes completely against the wireless nature of a mobile device. That wireless freedom doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice the ability to print out a photo or two.
Of the many printing options available to an Android tablet, the two most common are Bluetooth and Google Cloud print. Both are wireless printing methods, and both work quite well no matter which tablet you use.
Bluetooth
To print an image to a Bluetooth printer, follow these steps:
Ensure that the Bluetooth printer has been paired with the computer and is on and ready to print.
Locate the image you want to print in the Gallery.
Show the image by itself, not in an album.
Touch the Share icon and choose Bluetooth.
Some versions of the Gallery app may even sport the Bluetooth icon right on the screen. If not, tap the Share icon and you’ll find the Bluetooth command.
Select the Bluetooth printer from the list.
If prompted by the printer, confirm that the image upload is approved.
Not every Bluetooth printer has such a prompt; some just go ahead and print the image.
Google Cloud Print
The Google Cloud Print option is perhaps the easiest way to print from your Android tablet. The problem is that you need these four things to make it work:
A desktop computer, or access to one
A printer connected to that computer, either directly or over a network
The Google Chrome web browser on that computer
The Google Cloud Print app on your tablet
If you can wrangle those four items, Google Cloud Print works by first configuring the computer and then your Android tablet. Computer configuration works like this:
Log in to the Chrome browser on the computer.
Use the same Google account that you use for your tablet. You can’t forget this step, because Google insists that you log in when you first obtain the Chrome program for your computer.
In the Chrome web browser on your computer, click the Menu icon in the upper right corner of the window.
Choose the Settings command.
A new browser tab opens, listing Chrome Settings.
Click the Show Advanced Settings link.
It’s found at the bottom of the page. After you click the link, the page grows longer with more options and settings.
In the Google Cloud Print section, click the button Sign In to Google Cloud Print.
That’s it.
With the computer set up for Google Cloud Print, the next step is to download the Google Cloud Print app from the Play Store
After the app is installed on your tablet, you can print from any app (not just the Gallery) by following these steps:
Touch the Share icon.
Choose the Cloud Print item.
Select a local printer or device from the list.
The document prints.
The unusual thing about Google Cloud Print is that you don’t need to be in the same place as the printer.