With the continuous advancement in print technology, phones and electronic capabilities in general, we are now able to do a lot more on the go. We used to only have internet at the office, now all we have to do is reach into our pockets to check email, or send reports. Printer drivers used to be a nightmare of options and settings. Now, drivers have standards and are generally pretty easy to install and use.
Overall, technology is becoming more advanced while becoming easier to use. This trend is also helping technologies merge to allow for new possibilities. One relatively new development is the ability to print from iPads and iPhones, and other smartphones soon to follow. The feature is called Air Print and is only supported on select printers and brands. While more and more models and brands are becoming compatible, there is an alternative method as well.
A small device called the Lantronix XPrintServer plugs in to the wall and can connect with your Ethernet network. This little beauty implements the Common Unix Printing System which scans the network to find the printers with compatible printing protocols. The tiny device handles all the translation issues for PDFs, text documents and more. Within minutes of plugging in this little device, you will be able to print on all the compatible printing devices within your network from an iPad or iPhone.
With all of this technology at our fingers, we now have the power to access information, documents and print it all from our smart phones. No longer are we required to come into the office to print some things off or finish sending those emails, we can do them on the go. Whether or not this is something you want to do, I'll let you decide that.
