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PRINT.IT
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Mobile Printing
Not waving, but printing
Cortado, which already offers authentication by
smartphone and QR code on its Personal Printing
Essential secure pull printing solution, has added
authentication by NFC (Near Field Communications) for
Android and Blackberry devices, giving users another,
touch-free means of identifying themselves at a device in
order to release a secure print job. Another new feature in
version 2.0 is a user console that allows the user to view
outstanding print jobs at any time and delete ones that
are no longer needed.
Hosted secure print
Lexmark has enhanced its
secure Print Release solution
with a mobile printing app that
gives Apple iOS and Android
device users the ability to
submit print jobs directly to
the print queue and release
them at any Print Release-
enabled output device. Print
Release (available as an
on-premise or hosted service)
can be configured so that
employees can print from any
email-enabled mobile device,
including a BlackBerry, simply
by attaching the document
to an email and sending it to
their corporate Print Release
email account. The addition
of the Document Accounting
activity tracking solution gives
enterprises the ability to track
and manage print
jobs submitted
from mobile
devices as well
as those from
network PCs.
Greater use of mobile devices
is one of the defining features
of business life in the twenty-
first century. Yet for many, the
promise of mobile working has
been spoilt by the difficulty of
reviewing documents on small
screens: when the iPad was
launched, almost nine out of
10 users complained about
being unable to print; and an
IDC survey of mobile workers
published in May revealed
that 52% of those who use
smartphones for work want
to print from their device but
are unable to do so. Since
then, there has been a big
increase in mobile printing
solutions so that it is now
easier than ever to print from
a mobile device, either through
hardware features, like those
found on HP’s new printers, or
through enterprise solutions
like Canon’s uniflow device
management software.
Printing without boundaries
Printing by email
HP was one of the first to spot
the need for driverless printing
from mobile devices. Just under
two years ago, it launched
its HP ePrint service, which
it has embedded in almost
all standalone and network
printers. Since then it has added
AirPrint and WiFi Direct to new
devices, giving customers a
full set of wireless printing
options. (HP also offers a range
of apps, drivers and solutions
for business customers and
BlackBerry and laptop users.)
ePrint
This ground-breaking service
lets you use an HP printer’s
unique email address (supplied
with the printer) and embedded
web connectivity to output a
document regardless of whether
the printer is beside you or on
the other side of the world.
All you have to do is email a
print job to the printer’s email
address via the HP cloud where
it is converted into a printable
format and output on the
designated printer. The process
takes 20-30 seconds and is
device and platform agnostic:
you just need the ability to
email and the address of the
printer you want to print to.
HP ePrint is now embedded
in more than 12 million HP
printers and MFPs and has
recently been enhanced with
a number of improvements,
including the ability to change
the supplied printer email
address to something more
memorable, such as yourname@
hpeprint.com.
The HP ePrint centre website
allows printer owners to make
other changes such as compiling
a white list of email addresses
from which to accept emails/
prints; and setting default print
settings for ePrint jobs, such as
mono-only printing.
ePrint still has its limitations:
you can’t specify duplex, for
example, so it’s more about
convenience than professional
output. However, HP is continuing
to invest in the service and it
is not beyond the realms of
possibility that in the future you
could add a prefix to an email to
indicate that it should be printed
on both sides of the page.
AirPrint
Last November, Apple introduced
AirPrint, co-developed with HP, to
enable users of iPads, iPhones
and iPod Touches to print
wirelessly to AirPrint-compatible
printers, of which HP currently
has around 30 models (all HP
ePrint printers are also AirPrint
compatible). In order to print,
the user has to be connected
to the local network via a
wireless access point. But that
is all: no driver or other software
installation is required and
AirPrint will automatically present
a list of available printers.
Wi-Fi Direct
A handful of HP consumer
devices have an additional
wireless printing option, Wi-Fi
Direct (also offered by Samsung
– see page 5). This brand new
technology creates a direct, peer-
to-peer connection between a
Wi-Fi-enabled mobile device and
a printer, enabling users to print
without a network or internet
connection. The HP Laserjet Pro
100 color MFP M175nw and
HP LaserJet Pro CP1025nw are
primarily designed for small
teams or personal use, but Wi-
Fi Direct means they are also
suitable for guest printing in
corporate reception areas.
HP ePrint Service
I
n addition, HP has introduced an
ePrint Service app that enables
users to locate and submit jobs
to print service providers. The
app lists providers in a specified
area with useful details such
as how far they are from one’s
location.
One of the first companies
listed is Swiftbox, which provides
The need to print from mobile devices in the office
and at other locations is driving demand for driverless
mobile print solutions
New HP printers come with mobile printing features built-in
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