How To Print From Chrome Using The System Print Dialog
You can print files directly from Chrome. If you have a PDF file open in Chrome, or a text file, or an image, you can tap the Ctrl+P keyboard shortcut to bring up the print dialog. The dialog you see is Chrome’s own print interface which, regardless of your printer, will always look the same. Your printer may have richer printing options, or it may not support the default ones but Chrome is more or less indifferent to it. If you must print from Chrome, you can still use the system print dialog.
Chrome System Print Dialog
There are two ways to get to the system print dialog from Chrome. If you’ve already pressed the Ctrl+P keyboard shortcut, then look for the ‘Print using system dialog’ option at the very bottom of the left column.
To jump directly to the system print dialog, you can use the Ctrl+Shift+P keyboard shortcut.
The Chrome print dialog is simple however it does have basic settings that allow you to change the size of the paper that you’re printing on, select the number of copies that are to be printed, set custom margins, and choose between portrait and landscape layouts. If you can’t find these settings, click the More Settings option on the left column.
Of course, Chrome doesn’t have advanced color management options which your system’s print dialog may support. The system dialog allows you to make allowance for blurred text, save toner on a print job, and even add a watermark. Again, you may see more or fewer options in the system print dialog depending on what your printer can do.
Chrome provides a simplified interface for many things that other browsers do not. Firefox for one, sends print jobs directly to the system print dialog. Chrome on the other hand has a simplified version of it, much like it has its own simplified version of the task manager.
If you’re sending print jobs to your printer via Chrome, and they seem to get stuck, you can try using the system’s options for printing. For Chrome to print, your printer must be configured correctly. This may be via generic printer drivers that your OS (Windows or macOS) installs, or it may be via model-specific drivers that you installed. If a print job fails to complete from both the Chrome and the system print dialog, it may be because it isn’t configured correctly, a problem with the USB ports in use, or the printer cable in use.
