There is a common belief amongst industry experts that the smartphone has, in one fell swoop, revolutionised the way we do business. Not only can it connect to the internet, be used to communicate in the blink of an eye, and take photos, we can also use it as a remote control to make printing on a multi-function device as simple as tapping on an app.

Gone are the days when you had to feed documents into your multi-function printer, now you can load them from the files on your smartphone using one of the many apps available. Smartphones are allowing us to work more efficiently and making the simple act of printing so much simpler. And that’s not all, scan something on your MFP and you can use the connectivity of the latest devices to send it to your phone, pc, or tablet, whether you are in the office or at a meeting on the other side of town.

Software integration is big amongst the major players like Xerox, Sharp, HP, and Ricoh. It’s the value added extra that makes their MFPs top of the range and a favourite amongst businesses of all sizes. It’s now possible to essentially tailor your office printer to your individual needs and it is giving office staff a chance to use their imaginations and develop new strategies for printing and storing information.

Office staff now handle a large amount of documentation in their daily lives. Apps like HP’s Flow CM and the Xerox Scan to Email utility allow us to digitize our content and make it easy to disseminate. There are also image capturing apps that can make documents available in an instant.

The HP eprint and Xerox Mobile Print allow users to print anything at any time and from anywhere on the planet where there is an internet connection. People like simple and these apps are easy for staff at all levels to use – which is why they are adopted so readily. There’s no doubt that mobile apps have already greatly changed how we interact with our multi-function printers and they are now a critical part of our daily work.

Office managers are less worried about print costs and leases as how their provider helps them to develop greater use of digital technology to reduce print levels and digitize content. It provides us with the tools to be more sustainable and eco-friendly, whilst increasing our overall productivity. Of course, print pages aren’t going to disappear entirely, but we can now manage volumes and costs better than ever before with use of apps and the development of more economical office strategies.

In essence, managed print services are helping businesses to move from an overdependence on paper to a more digitised future. Smartphone apps are playing their part in that evolution but it’s not the only change. MFPs are becoming smarter and they are starting to bring untold benefits to offices across the globe.