Smartphones and mobile devices have transformed how we work. People
are spending increasing amounts of time working on the office in their
pockets and no one is perhaps more acutely aware of this than Samsung,
who have released a clever app with the appropriately no-nonsense name
‘Samsung Mobile Print’
Requirements
For a full list of supported printer models please refer to end of this post
Android Version 2.1 or later (Galaxy S, Galaxy Tab, etc.) or iOS Version 3.2 or later (iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad)
Tested on Samsung Galaxy Ace GT-I8160 and Samsung CLP-310
The views and opinions in the article are based on my personal experience and may differ from yours.
Impressions
Some
of my most traumatic computing experiences have involved wireless
networking, so I was somewhat sceptical of Samsung’s promise of ease of
use. However, after spending at most 30 seconds in the app I was
connected and ready to print!
The user interface is clear and
intuitive; to locate and connect to a printer took two clicks. The
printer overview concisely displays the essentials such as printer
status, ink levels and I.P. address.
The settings page provides
all the usual information and options we’ve come to expect, including
but not limited to paper size, type, no. of copies and double-sided
printing.
I found the gallery interface under print somewhat
clunky, but feel this may be because it is optimised for tablets and
smartphones with larger screens with higher resolutions.
It took
me less than a minute from taking a picture to printing and was
pleasantly surprised by the results, but not my photography skills
The
scan feature may be redundant to some users who have a LCD screen built
into their laser multi-function printer, as my limited understanding of
scanning tells me you have to be within touching distance of the
printer in the first place to position the document on the flatbed.
Regardless it is a neat feature for those who wish to preview a scanning
job without accessing a computer.
- Printer overview page for Samsung Print App
Concluding statements
I
like the Samsung Mobile Printing App as an example of well-designed,
user-friendly software. The fact it is free for both home and commercial
use is cool too, I can only assume is their business plan is it will
gently convince Samsung smartphone users to purchase a Samsung printer
or vice versa.
The fact there is versions of the app on both
Android and iOS, with as far as I know the same functionality massively
increase the audience. A colleague let me have a quick look at the
version on his iPhone and from what I experienced appears to offer
exactly the same ease-of-use and clarity.
So a free app that is
well-designed requires no commercial license and no micro-transactions,
what’s the catch I hear you cry! I personally struggle to see how the
Samsung Mobile Printing app would significantly increase productivity in
an office environment. If the Mobile Printing app provides much more
functionality than existing printing solutions you’re probably doing it
wrong.
When I was researching for this piece I read several
reviews where people have brought Samsung printers with this app in mind
and then struggled to get the software to work. I cannot emphasise
enough, as cool as this app is DO NOT build your business printing
solution around it.
Regardless, if you already have the required
hardware and fancy something to impress customers or the cute I.T techie
then give it a go. If you are thinking of using this in a home
environment with your existing Samsung laser printer then I
wholeheartedly recommend it.
Have you had any experience with Samsung mobile print app? If so we would love to hear your opinions and comments.
Supported Printer Model List: (Samsung)
Keywords
Samsung laser printer
Samsung MFP; multifunction printer
Mobile Printing App
Wireless printing
Smartphone; Android, iPhone, iOS
