14 DAY TRIAL // A very large number of people around the world either use a mobile computing system or intend to do so in the near future. And since wireless communications will most likely completely replaced their classical, "wired" counterparts at some point (probably sooner than later), Ricoh has just announced the SP C410DN-KP color printer and the SP 4100N-KP monochrome model, which the company touts to be the industry's first and only desktop printers that enable users to print documents from any Wi-Fi enabled location or device.
The main function of the two new printers from Ricoh is to ensure convenient access to laser printing from Internet-enabled laptops, cell phones or handheld devices without the need to download and install drivers or additional software. Furthermore, we're talking about some pretty high quality printing, namely resolutions of up to 1200 x 1200 dpi and speeds of up to 26 ppm for the SP C410DN-KP model and resolutions of up to 1200 x 600 dpi and speeds of up to 31 ppm for the SP 4100N-KP.
The HotSpot printers take full advantage of Ricoh's own Embedded Software Architecture, but also incorporate the PrintSpots mobile printing software from PrinterOn, which means that there's no need for external servers or appliances. Additionally, all printer enhancements are preconfigured and all software is preloaded, thus minimizing the setup time and the need for specialized technical support.
Users can tackle the task of printing with the HotSpot printers in two different ways. Thus, each printer has its own unique Web page by which mobile users can simply upload a file or Web page URL to be printed. Furthermore, the printer also sports its own e-mail address, which can be used for forwarding emails from various computing systems.
Using either method, the system automatically sends a reply message to the user with a secure release code that can be entered on the printer's keypad upon printing the documents. Additional security features include data encryption during file processing and transmission, as well as password protection, to ensure that sensitive documents can only be printed by the appropriate users.
Unfortunately, Ricoh has not provided any significant pricing or availability information, but these things are likely to become some pretty big hits in the future, taking into account their level of versatility and ease-of-use.
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