Mobile Printing

Have you received an email on your smartphone recently?  Have you ever taken a picture with your tablet?

All together now- YES!

In recent years, the sale of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets have surpassed the sale of laptops and PCs.  The digital world has evolved, so the printing industry is designing new equipment and technologies that allow great integration with these devices.

It is estimated that the number of mobile devices being purchased around the world will double within the next 3 or 4 years.  In 2011 alone the number increased by nearly 200 million.  Following in the footsteps of frequent pioneer HP, software protocols are being developed by many companies to make it simple for consumers to print just about anything directly from a handheld device. The two major protocols are HP ePrint and Apple’s AirPrint.  There is also another protocol available, Google Cloud Print, which has its own unique features.

ePrint

The HP inkjet Photosmart e-All-in-One was one of the first machines to have built-in mobile printing capabilities.  This model is equipped with ePrint software that assigns an individual email address to the unit. Nearly any type of text, image, or document can be sent to this specific email and automatically printed.

So, if you take a picture with your phone or tablet, you can use any email account (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) to send the image in an email to the address of the printer.  Once the message is sent, the picture will print.

AirPrint

AirPrint is an application that can be downloaded to your mobile Apple device that enables printing.  Once you have downloaded the app, you will need to select your printer.  Keep in mind, not all printers will support Airprint.

Check out this step-by-step guide to downloading the AirPrint app to your Apple device and a current list of AirPrint-enabled printers.

Google Cloud Print

Google Cloud Print can be used with any printer to print anything from anywhere.  Through this application, your printer is connected to the internet, allowing anyone you choose to use it and providing you the ability to access it via any device, including your phone or tablet.

Follow this link for detailed information about the applications you will need to download in order to use Cloud Print through any device of your choosing.

When you are out shopping for your next printer, be sure to choose one that is compatible with your mobile devices so you can print pictures of your kids in an instant or print the flight itinerary the airline just sent with a few taps on your smartphone. Over time, you may find that you have less need for a computer or laptop.