Web Based Printing and ePrinter’s

Nowadays with more electrical hardware becoming web enabled, printers which come ready to surf the internet are the next step. Long gone are the days where cables connected printers to P.Cs. Manufactures like HP and Lexmark have developed printers with sophisticated touch screens. The screens allow you to browse and print from the internet; removing the need for a p.c. Web based printing is the future.

You can now print remotely from a host of electronic gadgets which are connected to your printers network or even as with HP anywhere in the world which has a internet connection. That’s because HP’s new e-range printers come with their own email address; giving you remote printing access from anywhere in the world. Its called ePrint.

Now why would you want to be able to do any of this with your printer? Consider how potentially useful removing the need for a pc to print something is. Quickly printing off a recipe, map, boarding pass or document from your phone/printer is a superbly useful function.

Printing off a photograph which you take for your loved ones to share while you are away on a business trip or holiday is another reason which printer manufactures market but realistically there are a lot more practical uses than meets the eye.

Of course with every craze there are all trimmings which come with it. In our case, it’s printing apps and social media plugins. These integrate printing ‘niches’ into your smart phone, tablet PC and printer. Amazing, trend setting stuff useful for businesses or an over elaborate use of networks and internet connections, that is something which I’ll leave you to decide.

Two Web Enabled Inkjet Printers Leading the Field

The Lexmark Genesis S815 £149.99

Lexmark Genesis S815 Ink Cartridges

Main features:

  • Web enabled
  • Fast Scanning “FlashScan Technology
  • 4.3 inch touch screen, internet connected control panel
  • SmartSolution apps allowing photographic printing from Facebook and management of your twitter feed
  • Includes print, copy, scan, fax and Web-connectivity

HP Photosmart eStation All-in-One£189

HP Photosmart eStation Ink Cartridges

Main features:

  • Detachable 7” tablet style touch screen panel which can be used for surfing the web, as an e-reader and comes with a host of printing APPs which runs on Google’s Android operating platform.
  • Access to news, weather forecasts, maps, movie tickets, greeting cards, calendars
  • Browse Facebook, Snapfish or Yahoo while using its touchscreen tablet and print from anywhere.
  • Includes print, copy, scan, fax and Web-connectivity.

So where does that leave us?

Well these printers really are the first incarnations of web enabled printers of which I’m sure there will be many more. Many of the features seen on these two printer models will eventually become standard later on. The question I guess you’ve got to ask is if it is necessary and for users who would not utilise these additional features why would you want to pay for them.