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Chromebooks and printing. For many users the experience is relatively painless. For others it may liken to nails on a chalkboard.
With the right equipment, printing from Chrome OS can be a breeze. Aside from the occasional server hiccup, it’s relatively seamless. With the wrong equipment, it can be a veritable nightmare.
Some manufacturers, like HP, have even created their own web apps to give users more options like USB printing to circumvent Google’s somewhat limited cloud printing service.
Nevertheless, Google Cloud Print has continued to work well behind the scenes and little has been expected from Chromebooks native print option.
But, enhancements are a great thing. When it comes to the native operations on my Chromebook, the more the better.
Developers are continually working to make Chrome OS a more fully encompassing environment.
Printing is no exception.
A recent update to version 56 of the Developer channel has added a print scaling option to the native application.
This may seem like an insignificant addition but for most printing applications it’s a standard option. It also is one of those little things you never miss until you really need it.
“Minor” additions like image resizing and Quick Unlock can go a long way when it comes to making an operating system more than just functional.
I enjoy using Chrome OS and every time a new feature is added it reminds me why I made the switch to begin with. The open-source ecosystem that focuses on usability and is developed, largely, based on end-users needs and wants is what makes it so great.
If you’ve followed us for any length of time you have probably heard us talk about work-flow.
We are all about it.
While the big advancements like Android Apps and Web VR are exciting and open the door to so many possibilities, it’s often the small details that create a more enjoyable and fluid user experience.
So, as exciting as the “next big thing” may be, these small improvements continue to make Chrome OS more robust and versatile. That, for me is what it’s all about.
If you’d like to try out print scaling now just head to your settings menu and switch to the Developer channel.
Settings>About Chrome OS>More info>change channel
From there, point your browser to chrome://flags and hit ctrl+f and search print scaling. Enable the flag and after a quick restart you’re all set.
Now, when you chose the print option, your menu will give you advanced options where you can easily scale your file to whatever percentage fits your needs.
As always, Developer channel is experimental. It can be very buggy and there is no guarantee that features will work. Also, make sure you back up any local data. If and when you switch back to the Stable Channel you will be required to powerwash and local files will be erased.
