Printing hard copies of documents is one of the most basic tasks a computer can perform. But did you know that it's almost as easy to do from an Android phone or tablet?

It may be hidden away, but it's possible on any device and doesn't require any special hardware either. Whether you're using a manufacturer-specific app or printing directly over Wi-Fi, you can print your documents or favorite photos to almost any printer. Here's how to get started.

When you want to print from your Android phone or tablet, the first place to start is the Play Store. Most major brands, including Canon, Epson, and HP printers, have their own dedicated apps that will install the necessary drivers to enable you to print directly to their wireless printers.

printer apps for android

To find the apps either search in the store, or head to Settings > Connection preferences > Printing on your phone and tap Add service. The resulting screen will show all available printing apps, and you can choose the one that corresponds to your printer make.

Each app works differently, so follow any on-screen instructions for your chosen app and printer.

In general terms, you need to ensure that your printer is connected to the same wireless network as your phone. If it is, the app should automatically detect it and you can then select the printer and be ready to go.

Depending on what printer you're using, you might not even need to download a specific app to use it. Android 8 and above includes the Default Print Service, which can automatically detect and set up compatible printers on your network. From Android 9 and later, the compatibility includes printers that support Wi-Fi Direct.

If your printer is fairly recent, there's a good chance it will be compatible.

To use it, go to Settings > Connection preferences > Printing and select Default print service. Toggle the service to On and it will begin scanning for compatible printers on your Wi-Fi network. If your shows up, simply select it to complete the setup process.

If it doesn't, you can add it manually if you know the details by tapping the three-dots menu icon and selecting Add printer.

Remember that some of these menus and options may be slightly different depending on what version of Android you're using (and your phone's manufacturer), but the basic principles are the same.

Another option you could use if you have a supported printer is printing over email. Some printers come with an email address that you can use to print from anywhere. Simply open your email app, attach the file that you want to print, and the printer will take care of the rest.

The benefit of this is that you can print from anywhere at any time (as long as your printer is switched on and connected to a network). The printer doesn't have to be on the same network as your phone.

The downside is that it only supports certain file types. These do include all common image and office files, but if you've got a proprietary file type from a specific app then you won't be able to print that over email.

Is Google Cloud Print Still Available?

A commonly recommended way to print from an Android phone via any printer was by using the Google Cloud Print service.

Google Cloud Print is no longer available. It was phased out at the end of December 2020. Even if you used it before, you no longer can.

Cloud Print was a system that enabled you to print to virtually any printer—even if it wasn't wireless—from anywhere. It was a classic Google product: in beta for a decade and then shut down.

The service was initially designed to aid printing from Chrome OS. Our guide will show you how to print from a Chromebook.

Related: Make the Most of Your Home Printer With These Cool and Useful Printables

How to Print Documents on Android

When you are ready to print, the process is different depending on which apps you're using. Some apps, including Google apps and third-party file managers and image viewers, have a dedicated Print option in the menu.

  1. Tap the Print button.
  2. Select your printer from the drop-down menu (it may default to the Save as PDF option).
  3. Swipe down from the top to change the print settings, such as the number of copies, page orientation, paper size, and so on.
  4. When finished, tap the printer icon to print. It's essentially the same as printing from your desktop.

Some apps don't have a dedicated print button. Instead, the option is often hidden beneath the Share menu. Tap the Share button to find the print option. You might need to swipe left in the options before you see it. The actual steps for printing are the same as above.

print in share menu

If neither of these options work for you, you can try the PrinterShare Print Service app from the Play Store. Once you have installed and activated this app you'll find a new PrinterShare option will appear under the Share menu in many apps.

Tap this, and you can access any printers that have been set up on your Android device. Tap through the various screens, and eventually, you'll end up at the standard print screen. You can now print your document.

PrinterShare supports wireless, wired, and remote printing, but there are limitations on what and how much you can do with the free version. Test it out first to see if it works for you.

One of the standard options you'll see in the print settings screen is Print as PDF. This saves your chosen document as a PDF file. It's very useful for sharing documents in a format that is easily readable on virtually any device.

It's Easy to Print From Android

It may not be as important to print files as it used to be, but when you need to do it, there's no other option. Whether you need to print PDF files, important emails, or just your holiday photos, it's easy to do it straight from your Android phone.

And if you do print a lot, make sure you've got a quality wireless printer to do it with.