Cloud printing is emerging as an essential business tool in the new remote working world. In the midst of accelerated change in the business landscape over the past year, IT administrators and business owners have been left wondering how to best adapt to the printing needs of users. Answering these questions became key to maintaining productivity: is there a way that users can send print jobs from their homes to pick up in the office later? Can users print business-related documents to their home printer? With so many other applications transitioning to the cloud, what about printing? Oh, and by the way, does our organization really need a print server?
Recently we’ve seen the end-of-life for Google Cloud Print just as there’s been a renewed emphasis on cloud printing—and thankfully, there are Google Cloud Print alternatives available. Read on to learn more.
We’ve had many great conversations with our customers on how to best find the perfect cloud print solution. At EO Johnson, we understand every environment is just a little different and so we’ve compiled a shortlist of cloud-based printing solutions below to assist you in your decision-making process.
Papercut is no stranger to innovation. Launched early in 2021, Hive is built from the ground up within the secure public cloud environment. It uses cutting-edge Edge-Mesh technology from the world of IoT (Internet of Things) to offer a truly unique solution for cloud printing in the market. From the web-based administrative panel, you’ll have complete control over your print environment without the need for an on-premise print server.
Mobility Print has been a huge hit since it was developed by Papercut, as it allows users to print from just about any device, including Chromebook, iPad, iPhone, Mac, Android, and Windows. Now you can take that printing off-network with cloud connectors for Chromebook, Mac, and Windows.
Whether you want the functionality of printing your Google Drive and OneDrive documents directly from your copier or sending print jobs through the cloud, uniFLOW offers secure and convenient serverless printing for all that’s easy to use. Based on the SaaS platform, it’s built to scale as your business grows. With uniFLOW Online, users can send print jobs securely from anywhere, with several benefits. This saves on printing costs, helps save the environment by reducing the use of resources, and improves your office productivity, all from one easy-to-use web portal.
This solution works for many G-Suite customers. It does require Google Admins or individual users to add printers, which can cause an additional burden on IT (but we can help with that if you're looking to augment your existing IT resources by partnering with Locknet® Managed IT, a part of our EO Johnson family of companies). Native OS Printing has its limitations but can accomplish basic printing for Chromebook users, and is a great fit for some environments.
Launched early 2021, Microsoft has ramped up its efforts to give M365 users cloud printing with Universal Print. Now printing is available within the Azure cloud environment, alleviating the need for on-premise print servers. This is an ambitious project by Microsoft and includes important limitations for your consideration including monthly print job limits, file type restrictions, and limited finishing capabilities.
When searching for cloud printing solutions or Google Cloud Print alternatives, there are a lot of factors to consider. EO Johnson is here to help, and we're committed to serving you with all of your printing needs. We have a dedicated Advanced Applications team here to assist you in finding the right cloud printing solution. Contact us today to discuss these and other secure cloud printing solutions. Together, we’ll make: Your Business. Better.