Google Cloud Printer API - the meaning of type

Question

While working with Google Cloud Printer, I have faced one issue. When to get the printer list, it returns the list of printer info, which includes type.

As I check more the document, I found following description here:

type (optional)

If type is specified, then only printers of the given type will be returned. The possible types are GOOGLE, HP, DOCS, DRIVE, FEDEX, ANDROID_CHROME_SNAPSHOT, IOS_CHROME_SNAPSHOT.

I guess the type value GOOGLE might mean that the printer is on Google Cloud, but what about then others? Doe it mean that they are not on Google Cloud, but just linked to google user account?

What's the meaning of each possible type value?

I seem not to be able to find anything good explain about this on the document.

Any idea?

Answer 1

I don't have a complete response to your question, but I have some information on what the type field might mean.

DRIVE type is used to represent a printer that it is not a real printer but a way to save a document in your Google Drive account. Any Google user has this printer. If you go to https://www.google.com/cloudprint/#printers you will see, at least, a printer called Save to Google Drive. This printer represents a Google Cloud Print printer that will save the document into your Google drive account instead of printing it.

Taking into account this case, my guess is that the type field is used to differentiate devices that may have special behaviors in the cloud (specially for types like HP and FEDEX, which are clearly company names).