Cloud print API comparison: choosing between the six real options
Six ways to make a printer print from a server, compared on the three axes that actually decide it: who initiates, what runs on site, and what hardware you are tied to.
Epson Server Direct Print alternative: beyond one vendor's fleet
Server Direct Print works well on Epson hardware, and only ever covers Epson hardware, with a polling endpoint you host. What changes with one endpoint for every brand.
QZ Tray alternative: printing without a Java applet on every desk
QZ Tray prints from a browser to a local printer. It needs Java on the machine and a code-signing certificate for silent printing. Here is when to move past it.
Star CloudPRNT alternative: keep the printers, drop the server you host
The Star hardware is not the problem. What most teams want to replace is the polling endpoint they have to build, host and keep available.
Shopify Order Printer alternative: print without anyone clicking
Order Printer renders a template and waits for a human to press Print. If nobody is watching the screen, you need something else. Here is what.
PrintNode alternative: when a client app on a computer is the problem
PrintNode is solid software with one structural constraint: a computer must run its client next to every printer. Here is when that matters and what to use instead.
Google Cloud Print alternative: what actually replaces it
Google Cloud Print was switched off on 31 December 2020. Here is what the replacements actually offer, and how to migrate a printer fleet without a local print server.