Options outlined on this page since ChromeOS depends on Google Cloud Print and that service is not supported by Chemistry research group printers.
See also
Tech and options change so note that:
- This below information is first compiled in Jan. 2017.
Options, or work-arounds
Depending on your technical chops, here are some options we've thought about- your mileage may vary.
- Install a non-Chrome Linux OS on your existing Chromebook laptop.
- Know that "tricking" your laptop to accept a non-ChromeOS may be tricky.
- Choose an OS which has the drivers you need, obviously.
- Install Windows (v10, presumably) on your existing Chromebook laptop.
- Know that "tricking" your laptop to accept a non-ChromeOS may be tricky.
- Good news: As a researcher, most grad students can at least obtain Windows for free via Chemistry's "premium" subscription to Microsoft Imagine's service.
- Invest in a new laptop which has Windows installed.
- Cheap laptops cost $200-250, same as the ChromeOS you bought. Here's a $211 example from 1/6/17: <https://www.cdw.com/shop/products/ASUS-Vivobook-E200HA-US01-11.6in-Atom-x5-Z8300-2-GB-RAM-32-GB-SSD/4071911.aspx>. If you expect to use it primarily for browsing and using cloud services, should "perform" as well as your current cloud-dependent laptop. It would nominally be able to run ChemDraw and MS Office apps, for what that's worth on a low-powered system.
- Within your ChromeOS, "print" to PDF and get that file that to a computer which can print to your group's printer.
- Workflow idea: Set up a folder in Google drive to store files you want to print. "Print" that that folder. From a computer you can print from, actually print the files you put in that folder, and delete the files.
- Alternative workflow: Copy PDF (or whatever) file to a USB thumbdrive on your Chromebook and then "sneakernet" that USB drive to a computer you can print from.
Information and considerations
Chemistry IT staff have confirmed that at this time (1/6/2017) it is not possible for the ChromeOS to directly print to a departmental printer, including those within research groups. The ChromeOS only prints through Google Cloud Print (GCP). Indeed, there are no print drivers for the ChromeOS, unlike for MacOS, Windows, and some Linux systems. Also, no departmental printers supported GCP. And even if they did, we currently are not set up to enable direct access of the local group printers from off-campus. Sorry.
Chemistry IT staff will keep our eyes open to additional alternative solutions than those composed above, and we remain hopeful especially as technological offerings continue to emerge here on campus.