Cloud printing vendor Electronics for Imaging (EFI) announces today a new PrintMe Mobile version. The only issue is why has it taken so long to get printing to these smartphones and tablets?
EFI has had its PrintMe cloud-based service for a decade for PCs. The new mobile version extends this functionality to a variety of mobile devices and to a wide variety of printers that can be located anywhere.
Like the existing service, you have several different options on how to print your documents. You can send your document as an email attachment or use their website to upload a document. Finally, you can install the app on your phone (or use AirPrint on iOS) and print from within the document.
To make this all work, PrintMe sets up a Windows print server on your network, and this app then is used to assign email addresses to each printer that you want to enable. This means you don’t need to load any device drivers for each specific printer, and as long as you can send an email attachment, you can print anything to any printer that the central print server allows.
PrintMe Mobile supports direct wireless printing from Apple iPads and iPhones with iOS 4.2 or higher, and not just the printer brands supporting Apple AirPrint. EFI provides a list of printers that the enterprise already owns within AirPrint, so there is nothing else to install on the Apple device. For Android devices running at least v2.1 and BlackBerries running v5, EFI offers a PrintMe Mobile app to print using the “Share” command or similar menu functions.
They also have implemented document security by holding the print job until the user releases the file with a retrieval code. The user controls when and where the file is printed so personnel, financial or other sensitive documents don’t sit in the printer tray unattended.
Pricing is $2,500 for a minimum of five printer connections including a year’s support and maintenance. It is available now.
