Faxes double as printers for mobile devices

PremiereAnywhere lets users of net-enabled handsets send print jobs to any nearby fax machine

A new web service allows travelling workers to print emails and attachments from mobile devices using the nearest available fax machine, eliminating the need for staff to carry a printer or cables with them.

PremiereAnywhere from Premiere Global Services lets workers print from a BlackBerry, a smartphone, or any other device with an email client and wireless Internet access. Users forward the message they want to print to a special email address, specifying the phone number of the fax machine, and it should print out within a few minutes.

“We decided to launch this service because of the explosive growth of BlackBerry and other mobile devices,” said Premiere’s general manager for UK and Ireland, Simon Bushell. Many business users have found they can leave their laptop behind and just take their mobile with them on the road, he added, but some documents such as spreadsheets can be difficult to view on a small screen.

PremiereAnywhere allows lawyers to print out legal contracts for clients to sign, or allows IT salespeople to print literature for customers while on site. It also lets users print out lengthy email messages for easier reading.

“As long as you know the number of a nearby fax, you can take advantage of this service, whether in an airport departure lounge or a hotel,” said Bushell. However, users would need to exercise caution when printing sensitive documents to a fax machine in a publicly accessible area.

The service supports over 130 types of file attachments, including Microsoft Office documents and PDF. “We haven’t come up against a file type it couldn’t handle,” Bushell said.

PremiereAnywhere is a subscription service costing €4.95 (£3.33) per month, with a one-time €15 (£10) activation fee. Users can print up to 30 pages per month, with additional pages costing extra.

Premiere Global Services also offers a mobile teleconferencing service, ConferenceAnywhere, which lets users start and control a conference using on-screen controls from their mobile device.