Looking for a Google Cloud Print Alternative

[p310don]

Google cloud print is a great tool that I use regularly. I am disappointed to discover it is being killed off at the end of this year.

Does anyone know of an alternative?

I have heard of simply using CUPS network printing over the internet and there are alternatives to be found on google (most paid for). Any recommendations on either set up, or alternate tools to use?

https://support.google.com/chrome/a/ans ... 3006?hl=en

https://www.papercut.com/ - not sure this one is so great for use with Puppy, need to create a user called papercut

[rcrsn51]

Details please.

Printing from what kind of device to what kind of printer?

[mikeslr]

Know nothing about this,

https://www.papercut.com/ - not sure this one is so great for use with Puppy, need to create a user called papercut

but wondered if there was a way to assign "papercut" the alias spot? Or otherwise deal with it as we do other applications that don't like running as root.

[p310don]

Details please.

Printing from what kind of device to what kind of printer?

Are you familiar with Google Cloud Print? It prints from the chrome browser (or your mobile) to any printer in your network or wherever you have it set up. It can also be used to print from CUPS (with the right software) directly to a printer set up with cloud print.

Basically, my use case is I often work from home, and need to create documents from home that print out at work. I can use something like Back Seat Driver, or teamviewer etc to do the work from home and print on the work printer, but it is easier to work locally and print remotely.

Recently I went on holidays and had a massive amount of work that came in unexpectedly. In my down time, I was able to do work (great holiday) and click print on the work cloud printer. When my colleagues got to work the next day, as soon as they turned on the computer and opened chrome the print queue downloaded and started printing 20 odd pages of work.

[jamesbond]

Google cloud print is a great tool that I use regularly. I am disappointed to discover it is being killed off at the end of this year.

Sometimes "killing it" means they are integrating it to their other services. Maybe it will make a comeback later, if there are enough petitions in change.org.

Basically, my use case is I often work from home, and need to create documents from home that print out at work.

Interesting. The usual (and original) use case for Cloud Print is:
a) avoiding driver installations (which can be difficult, e.g. the driver doesn't support the OS, etc)
b) printing from mobile devices (which is mostly the case of (a)).

For your particular use case, I guess, setting up a VPN to your office and having an always-on CUPS server there, so that you can connect to it from anywhere, would do the trick.

[p310don]

For your particular use case, I guess, setting up a VPN to your office and having an always-on CUPS server there, so that you can connect to it from anywhere, would do the trick.

I have a raspberry pi that is always on at work, so it is possible to do this.

*note jamesbond, the cupscloudprint in fatdog repo doesn't work at all any more

[bigpup]

I am really surprised, your company, would allow you to transmit work, by way of anything to do with Google.

It's safe and secure
Your documents are deleted from Google's servers once printing is complete.

Are you really that dumb, to believe this statement?

[p310don]

Are you really that dumb, to believe this statement? Rolling Eyes

Are you really that paranoid to think it's a real issue?

I am the boss of the company, so I allowed it to happen. If google wants to see a shipping label, or product information sheet, they can go right ahead. It's an excellent tool when I need it, like most of google's tools.

Also, like most of google's tools, I avoid using them for sensitive data. If I was really paranoid, I'd print on my local printer, and then drive to work to deliver the paperwork. If I was really really paranoid, I'd type it out on my typewriter that doesn't plug into anything and hand deliver it. If I was really really really paranoid, I'd write it in lemon juice. But I'm not, so I'll stick to the convenient method that works well (for now)

[rcrsn51]

I have a raspberry pi that is always on at work, so it is possible to do this.

I don't know much about VPNs. Would this require modifying your internet-facing router to allow incoming traffic to reach the print server?

[p310don]

I don't know much about VPNs.

Congratulations, you know more than me...

I've read it can be done via VPN - that is the extent of my knowledge. Something new for me to learn!

[enrique]

p310don , this was the correct answer to me.

...For your particular use case, I guess, setting up a VPN to your office and ....

A virtual private network (VPN) extends a private network across a public network, and enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their computing devices were directly connected to the private network.

So your Own VPN should be able to allow you to print. Clearly it will not be as easy to download an Android App. But it is the professional way any business or corporation should think about it.

Now respectful note. This Google Cloud addition is getting out of hand, soon people will not be able to go to the bathroom or sleep with their wife if the cloud is not on!

[Galbi]

This Google Cloud addition is getting out of hand, soon people will not be able to go to the bathroom or sleep with their wife if the cloud is not on!

FUCG = Fornicating Under Consent of Google

[enrique]

A note to the good Master Builders of various puppy dist.

Some one should look at this thread and a few others. I guess many of us are putting a distance between us and WIndows. I am one of them.

But there are a number of Window and Android users out there, they too have needs and some time they look at puppy for answer. But that I know there is no puppy that resolve their needs.

Yes this people need a puppy distro that can mimic this so called Cloud Services they seems to like so much. We Linux users can easily see the similarity of this so called Cloud with a VPN. And we now how to set our own servers. But this people do not. They see the PC world as a Market/Store where they download an APP and then they only push a few buttons to get what they need.

Some one here should try to come up with a Puppy that can create this so call cloud services and add them as Add-Onn to their puppy. But it need to be simple, with minimum set up. I know some one will say it a security risk. But you need to understand that they never think on security, they only want an easy to use Service. So yes that puppy will never be for me. But there is a bunch of Windows / Android users that do.

And do not get me wrong. I did not say offer a Cloud service. Lets take for example our friend p310don. Hi need a out of the box Puppy that can be place at his work, and with just a few click can be hook up to a Printer and received print request from his home. There are several people here that had ask for an out off the box Puppy that with just a Click and be Control using Windows Remote Desktop Management. They do not care if Puppy is secure, they ONLY want to test some Linux commands from windows. Just give it a thought.

[jamesbond]

I don't know much about VPNs. Would this require modifying your internet-facing router to allow incoming traffic to reach the print server?

There are two kinds of VPN.

1. VPN server in your home/office.
(Home computer)<----(router)<-----(internet)<----(Client computer)
For others to connect, you must modify the internet-facing router in your home/office to accept that connection.

2. VPN server located in the Internet. Computers from home/office connect to this server, and so is the client connecting from anywhere.
(Home computer)--->(router)--->(internet)--->(VPN server)<----(internet)<----(Client computer)
No router configuration necessary in this model.

Most of the commercial VPN are of the 2nd model.
But because others run it commercially doesn't mean we can't do it ourselves too.
All you need is VPN software and a little quid to pay for that "server in the cloud", which can be had for as little as $4 a month in the Sunshine State, and probably less elsewhere.

enrique, first of all, I hope you and your family are well. Constant earthquake, losing electricity, clean water and all other basic human services are no joke. Stay safe my friend.

Some one here should try to come up with a Puppy that can create this so call cloud services

The thing with "cloud services" is that someone must put that server in the cloud, and that cost $. One of the very simple example of "cloud service" that many people are not conscioulsy aware of:
1. This very forum
2. The puppy software repositories offered by smokey01, and others.
They all cost $ to run.

Hi need a out of the box Puppy that can be place at his work, and with just a few click can be hook up to a Printer and received print request from his home.

This can be done in two ways, as I said above.
1. Setup something on puppy (probably with a wizard).
2. Read instructions on how to modify your router (this cannot be specific, as every router is different - so it will only be "general" and the person doing it is expected to "map" between the general instruction to the actual steps to do in his/her own router).

Or,
1. Setup server in the cloud ($)
2. Setup puppy (probably with a wizard).

There are several people here that had ask for an out off the box Puppy that with just a Click and be Control using Windows Remote Desktop Management.

Read up on rufwoof's post. He has repeated many times some times which offer free Linux shell. All you need to do is download Windows SSH client (putty, from here: https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/) and then it would be good to go).

[rcrsn51]

When I see ads for consumer VPN services, they are not offering a real VPN? It sounds like they are just providing a secure tunnel to the Internet.

[p310don]

I've been doing some thinking on my problem....

In theory I don't need things to print when I click print, I need them to print when someone is there to receive it, usually first thing in the morning.

I have an idea that I'd need help with the feasibility to implement.

Could I generate a PDF from home, which I then email to a dedicated work printing email. Then, have a start up script that checks the email, downloads attachments, sends them to the printer, then deletes (or moves) the attachments. That way, as soon as the computer is turned on each morning, the email "print queue" is printed.

It could also be done with a file hosting service, google drive, one drive, drop box, ftp server etc...

The biggest question, is there an email client that can be invoked from the command line / script to download the attachments, without human intervention?

An ftp might be an option...

Set up the always on raspberry pi as an ftp server, and have the puppy computer check it for new files in the morning, and delete once printed...

Hmm, typing as I'm thinking. Gotta do some more research

[jamesbond]

The biggest question, is there an email client that can be invoked from the command line / script to download the attachments, without human intervention?

As it turns out, I happened to see this not too long ago: https://triptico.com/software/aov-imap-fetch.html

When I see ads for consumer VPN services, they are not offering a real VPN? It sounds like they are just providing a secure tunnel to the Internet.

VPN means exactly what it means "Virtual Private Tunnel" - providing you a "virtual tunnel/channel" which is "private", running on top of a "public" internet. What many "consumer VPN services" sell are actually "Internet proxy" services (which has nothing to do with VPN __at all__), where the connection between your PC and your server as "encrypted" (=the actual VPN part). The point of all these "VPN services" is to make sure that your Internet traffic looks as if it originates from elsewhere (the "VPN services vendor").

When you setup a VPN for the purpose that p310don wants to do, there is no need to have such proxy because the point is just to provide a secure "tunnel" from wherever he might be to the computers in his office. The traffic does not need to go anywhere else.

[rcrsn51]

The biggest question, is there an email client that can be invoked from the command line / script to download the attachments, without human intervention?

You could upload your PDF files to a server (like smokey01's) by ftp.

Then maybe someone at the office could batch-download them with a wget operation and batch-print them.

[mikeslr]

mediafire: 10 Gbs for free, 50 Gb on reasonable terms. You won't need to create folders so there would be only one URL. The person who is to initiate printing would only have to enter the URL, download the files, print them, [or select print from web-browser] then (requires login) delete them from mediafire leaving it empty for the next batch.

[peterw]

Have never done this but would it be possible to scp copy of document to the Office and with a ssh command get it to print. Of course, at the Office you would need a PC always on with a printer attached and a firewall "hole" so that you can communicate from outside.

And you can use ssh -X to get a Window if you want.