Mobility is an important business strategy for many orgaanizations, and increasingly knowledge workers are constantly on the move. The mobile worker’s toolset has evolved greatly since the early days when BlackBerry dominated the scene, and when being “mobile” largely meant being able to keep up with email communication. Printing—an essential business function—was seemingly out of reach.
But technology has caught up. With cloud computing and increased bandwidth making information far more accessible, and mobile devices developed to be more business-friendly, professionals are discovering they can leverage a new generation of mobile printing technologies and applications to turn their mobile smartphones and tablet devices into portable offices. Such tools help them work in an agile way and deliver the ability to tap into critical data and share information with colleagues and clients while on the go.
OEMs have been quick to recognize the escalating business need for documents to be captured, stored and printed via mobile devices, and at the same time cement their existing customer base by creating brand-specific solutions which enables their customers to add significant value to the printer/MFP they have already invested in. There is a great range of OEM mobile print solutions available on the market; while many offer similar features and functionality, others stand out from the competition by offering robust security features or direct integration with cloud services. What is so edifying about these OEM mobile print app solutions is that they are usually free, and usually very easy to use, requiring minimal IT involvement.
OEM mobile print apps tend to be compatible with the two most commonly used operating platforms: Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. This means they are available to download from the user-friendly iTunes and Google Play stores. A few also offer integration with Windows smartphones and BlackBerry devices. Once downloaded, most apps can auto-detect compatible devices on the network without issue, making the initial process reassuringly simple for the end user.
All offer the fundamental ability to print to a compatible MFP, and most will support scanning from the MFP to the mobile device as well. Often an app will feature a “My Documents” file to allow users to organize and preview digital files, and act as a send-to location for scans and email messages initiated at the MFP control panel. With many (but not all) apps, users can choose a variety of printing and finishing features that are available on the MFP, including duplex functionality, collation, hole-punch, offset printing, staple finishing and monochrome-only output.
The more sophisticated OEM mobile print apps offer a plethora of features, including a customizable UI; robust print settings; image manipulation options; an extensive range of supported file formats for printing; the ability to print from in-app Web browser and bookmark sites; in-app direct access to cloud services; direct integration with social media (Twitter/FB) and file-sharing capabilities with the PC workstation via HTML or via WebDAV transfer and USB. Other deft touches less commonly offered include the ability to take a photo in-app and instantly print it, auto uploading new content to a user’s iCloud account and downloading content to all synched devices, select and print multiple images in one go and direct printing of compatible email attachments.
While these features greatly facilitate mobile working practice, the growing popularity of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) and printing from smartphones and tablets can pose issues such as safeguarding confidentiality and business integrity, quality of output and reliable performance. While BYOD is being heartily embraced in the workplace, the practice is not without significant IT risk. For example, a mobile device can be easily lost or stolen, leaving company data vulnerable if it is not secured; network security can be compromised when sending documents between the mobile device and printer, and sensitive documents may be left sitting at the printer.
Unfortunately, most OEM mobile print apps lag behind tackling these issues by not offering user authentication, usage tracking, secure pull print and encryption. Only one or two OEM mobile print apps BLI has evaluated distinguish themselves from the crowd by supporting secure print release with the user entering their PIN credentials on the mobile device when sending a document to print, and again at the MFP to release their job. Some apps can support more stringent security features when integrated with additional device management solution software.
Mobile print apps have come a long way in a short time, but still need to improve security features to ensure a truly successful mobile print strategy can be established in any business context. Businesses, in turn, should evaluate which mobile print solution best fits their organizational size and complexity, IT infrastructure and level of security needs, and work with the OEM to establish best practice guidelines for mobile printing in the workplace. Even with these caveats, these free, easy-to-use mobile print apps add tremendous value for customers, and are a must-have for any mobile pro’s smartphone or tablet.
Be sure to check out BLI’s Solutions Reports—featuring our exclusive hands-on testing and analysis—on the latest mobile print apps from these leading OEMs:
Brother iPrint & Scan App
Canon Mobile Printing v2
Konica Minolta PageScope Mobile
KYOCERA Mobile Print