Macro 4 adds Email to Print and AirPrint support to its business-critical output management software

Macro 4, a division of UNICOM® Global, has introduced a new mobile printing capability that allows enterprise users to print quickly and securely from any mobile device - smartphone, tablet or laptop - to any printer within their organization.

The new mobile printing solution supports both Email to Print and Apple Inc.’s AirPrint feature and is available as an add-on to Macro 4’s Columbus OM output management software, which increases the reliability, efficiency and security of business-critical printing.

Email to Print enables office workers to print from any mobile device, or even a desktop, by emailing their documents to a specially assigned email address under the control of Columbus OM. iPhone, iPad and Mac owners can also use Apple Inc.’s AirPrint feature, to send print jobs to Columbus OM using corporate Wi-Fi networks.

As Macro 4’s new mobile printing capabilities make use of the robust authentication and delivery features of Columbus OM, they offer companies a way to support mobile working and ‘Bring Your Own Device’ (BYOD) without compromising enterprise security or risking additional printing problems, as Neil Evans, Development Manager at Macro 4, explains:
“The print job sits on a central print server until it’s released. The user just walks up to a convenient printer on the network, confirms their identify using a smart card, security code or other authentication method and the document prints off. And if their chosen printer has a fault they can move to a different one without worrying about their document printing off at the first printer some time later. It’s easy and secure and helps ensure confidentiality.”

“Most mobile printing relates to printing of attachments, which can be problematic,” Neil Evans continues.  “Often users do not have the required application on their phone or tablet to view or print the attachment. If you have Columbus OM, that doesn’t matter. When Columbus OM receives an attachment, it automatically converts the document to the appropriate printable format - it could be a PDF or spreadsheet, for example - and then sends it to the print server.”

Columbus OM uses domain-based authentication to ensure that only authorized users within an organization can print from their mobile devices. In addition, visitors and guests can have their email addresses temporarily authorized to benefit from mobile printing while on the premises.

“Enterprises are asking: how can we embrace mobility without losing control?” says Neil Evans. “More and more of us work on the move and switch between offices. Increasingly we rely on mobile devices and need to be able to print easily. By adding mobile printing to Columbus OM we’re giving organizations a simple way of addressing this need through their enterprise print infrastructure, whilst maintaining security, reliability and confidentiality.”

Columbus OM is a high performance output management system designed to assure the delivery of documents and data from any application, regardless of technology platform, to any networked printer. All print jobs and printers throughout an organization are managed centrally, from a single point of control, allowing problems to be detected and corrected quickly - before they start affecting customers and business users.