The Covid-19 pandemic dramatically changed the way businesses adjusted their work model, and many of those unanticipated changes remain in effect today. In particular, the Covid era resulted in a significant bump in remote work environments. And, although today we are not bombarded with daily reports of Covid outbreaks or other such alerts as we were four years ago, the effects of the pandemic can still be felt in the increased number of employees who work remotely.
If there is a silver lining to what happened in 2020 and since then, it is that advances in technology have provided a blueprint for significantly improved productivity and efficiency in remote and hybrid work environments.
That’s welcome news, given that as 2024 came to a close, approximately 22 million employed adults in the United States work 100% of the time from home. This translates to about 14% of the entire adult workforce, and the number is expected to continue to increase.
Remote or mobile printing is extremely advantageous to the remote worker and to the company owner if used properly. Consider the ability to print documents from a mobile device, or a tablet or laptop, without needing a wired connection to a printer. Typically, this is accomplished through a connection like Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
Mobile printing can be very useful from remote locations, or even within the office when someone needs to print something quickly.
HP reports a number of advantages to mobile printing including:
- The ability to send to send documents to print at different locations when not on site at the business, or traveling for work or working remotely.
- Increased productivity and flexibility. Team members can control when and where documents are printed.
- The ability to print on demand
- The ability to print only what you need, and to print to a PDF or other file and save on paper usage
- Helping employees to take control of their printing needs, regardless of whether they are working on-site or remotely, and in turn saving time and costs
- Less waste of paper and overall better management of toner or ink cartridges, beneficial to both the environment and the company’s expenses
When considering how far the copying and printing industry has advanced, one needs only recall “the old days” when it was necessary to print documents, package them up and ship by UPS or FedEx to a distant destination. With the right technology mobile printing allows documents to be sent electronically and printed on the spot.
With all things, technology makes the difference. The ability to have employees employ mobile printing is best achieved with specific training on the best ways to leverage the advantages of mobile printing. Additionally, a company needs a top-notch technology plan to avoid glitches and other problems with this feature.
One piece of equipment that is well suited to mobile printing is the Multifunction Printer (MFP). Most businesses may feel a bit overwhelmed when choosing a printer or copier because so many choices are available in the marketplace. Business owners who may gravitate toward the $279 “big box” copier/printer will soon discover that these machines, while convenient, are expensive to operate because of the comparatively short life of print cartridges and the overall expense of replacing them.
The MFP is a multi-purpose piece of equipment that can copy, print, scan, email, fax, and even browse the Internet and print directly from the display panel. Some models also offer conveniences such as stapling, folding, and hole punching.
Even without mobile printing, the MFP is a game-changer for an office’s document-generating efficiency. Coupled with the ability to print remotely into a sophisticated MFP, a company can gain a strong competitive advantage in time and cost savings. Its other advantages include
- Efficiency in terms of office “real estate:” An MFP can do the job of two, three or even four printers
- Optimum efficiency in that one machine can print, scan, copy and fax. This allows for highly efficient business operations
- Fast printing speeds
- Lower per-page document generation costs
- Features which allow more efficient printing, and therefore be more environmentally friendly
At Pulse Technology, we offer a variety of multifunction printers (Sharp, Epson, Kyocera and Canon). Beyond that, we offer the technology that makes the MFP function at its best for both on-site and remote/mobile printing. If you have questions about mobile printing and how to match it to the best MFP, please contact us. Let us help you find the best system for mobile printing. Learn more about how we can help by visiting pulsetechnology.com/contact-us or giving us a call at 888-357-4277.
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