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Airprint

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via Lexmark News

Late last year, Lexmark announced enhancements to its smart MFP ecosystem, including new serverless capabilities and mobile solutions for users of Lexmark smart multifunction products (MFPs).

Along with the new solutions, Lexmark also revealed that Lexmark Print Management (LPM) is the first print management software solution to become AirPrint certified.

We talked with Mark Vance, Lexmark global marketing program manager, about how Lexmark MFPs work with AirPrint and how this capability will streamline mobile printing in an office environment.

Lexmark: What is the Lexmark solution that utilizes AirPrint?

Vance: Lexmark has mobile printing solutions to enable printing from any mobile device including iOS, Android, Windows or BlackBerry. Enhancing our capabilities with Apple iOS devices is the fact that not only are our smart MFPs AirPrint certified but LPM is the first enterprise print management software solution to become AirPrint certified. Users can print directly into their print release queue using the native print features of iOS. Lexmark’s mobile printing capabilities are just another example of the flexibility of the smart MFP ecosystem that can be adapted for specific department functions and processes.

Lexmark: What does that mean?

Vance: What that means is, we see healthcare enterprises, education and Fortune 500 customers in general rapidly adopting the use of iOS devices to simplify business processes. Oftentimes, those business processes require print – and printing via AirPrint directly to a device in an enterprise can be very complicated. LPM becoming AirPrint certified solves this problem because now iOS users can just hit print and then walk to any printer that is convenient to them and securely retrieve their job. Users will not have to spend time figuring out how to connect to the printer they want to print to in their office from their mobile device.

Lexmark: Why is this important?

Vance: AirPrint works really well when the mobile device and the printer are on the same small network.

When I’m in an enterprise, I’m not on a small network. The ability for me to discover and print to the printer I want is extremely limited.

With LPM there is no printer to discover; I print to LPM and then I can securely retrieve my job at any printer configured for Lexmark Print Release. This simplifies the end-user experience and IT administration, all while adding security and reducing cost.

Lexmark: What was the process to print with your iOS device in an enterprise without this solution?

Vance: Previously printing from an iOS device in an enterprise required a separate app and some technical knowledge or extensive IT setup to enable printing via AirPrint.

Lexmark: Are there any additional features that enterprises are looking for that this solution delivers?

Vance: AirPrint is built around direct printing, which typically is not a good format from a cost and security perspective in the enterprise. Whatever a user has printed is sitting out in the open and someone who doesn’t have security clearance can pick up the printed page.

With this solution, users can walk to any printer configured to work with LPM and it will securely release the print job for you via password or badge authentication.

AirPrint support is one part of Lexmark’s print management capabilities that help enterprises solve their mobile print challenges.