Mobile Printing Gains Momentum

As the mobile workforce continues to expand, so too do the opportunities for increased efficiency and productivity. In the hardcopy peripheral space, the proliferation of smartphones and tablet PCs will have a significant impact on print volume as more business users access information through their mobile devices and begin to demand certain print capabilities over the next five years. According to new survey findings from International Data Corporation (IDC), 39% of respondents say they travel for work, which represents a large and evolving workforce that has new requirements for print.

Those who travel clearly need to print and the IDC study found that moderate travel is most associated with increasing print volume. The research also found that smartphone users are eager to print from their devices. Fifty-two percent of respondents who use smartphones for work said they cannot currently print from their device, but want to.

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“We are on the verge of a mobile print expansion, and business users will demand and eventually expect print capabilities from their mobile devices,” said Jonathan Bees, research director, U.S. Hardcopy Device Usage Trends. “This shift away from dependence on desktop PCs and laptops for printing will provide users with the access and mobility they’re looking for. Furthermore, mobility is driving print volume.”

Additional findings from IDC’s survey include the following:

• Workers who travel moderately are the most likely to report increases in print volume

• Conversely, workers who travel heavily are the least likely to report increases in print volume

• More and more companies are committing to building out a mobile printing infrastructure to enable the increasingly mobile workforce

The IDC study, Hardcopy Device Usage - Effect of Mobility On Print , is based on a survey of 1,480 end-users in the U.S. conducted by IDC’s Hardcopy Device Usage research practice. It covers end-user behavior around printing, scanning, copying, and faxing. The study also examines mobility in terms of how much time an employee works from the company’s office location versus home location; how much time the employee travels; and measures the use of mobile devices (smartphones and tablet PCs) as well as their current print usage and their interest in printing from them if they are not currently printing.