Feature: Road-Testing Internet Printing
You've got enough gear to haul on business trips: notebook, cell phone, batteries, and adapters (not to mention your battery-operated tooth flosser). So why pack a printer, too? Instead, use the Internet to print your documents.
With an online connection, you can upload a document from your notebook or, in some cases, a PDA or smart phone. The document is then output on a designated printer at a hotel, print/copy shop, or other location.
Recently, I road-tested two Internet print services from FedEx Kinko's and one from EFI, PrintMe. The verdict: FedEx Kinko's services offer the most printing options for travelers. But for travelers needing a quick printout, PrintMe is probably more convenient. All three services have limitations, however.
FedEx Kinko's Print Utility
File, Print FedEx Kinko's (quite a name, eh?) is a utility that lets you output directly from PC applications to some 1200 U.S. and 150 global FedEx Kinko's locations.
Once downloaded and installed, the utility acts like a virtual printer on your computer. When you select Print in an application such as Microsoft Word, the File, Print FedEx Kinko's utility appears as a printer option, just as, say, your HP Deskjet. Selecting the FedEx Kinko's printer opens the printing utility, in which you select output choices (paper type, number of copies, and so on). Enter in a credit card number and contact info, and in a few minutes your document is on its way to the desired FedEx Kinko's location. To download the utility, go to FedEx Kinko's site.
Unfortunately, some trial and error was required before I could use the utility. Early on, an error message informed me that installation couldn't proceed until I closed Microsoft Outlook--even though Outlook wasn't open. Later, I tried installing File, Print FedEx Kinko's on another notebook. Installation halted again, this time because Microsoft PowerPoint was supposedly open--even though it was not.
Hoping to end this stalemate, I called FedEx Kinko's toll-free customer support line late on a Friday afternoon. The call was answered promptly, but the representative said a technical support agent would have to call me back. Though I was told to expect the call within an hour, it didn't come until 9:30 a.m. Saturday.
When I did speak to a tech-support agent, he said my particular installation problem was not uncommon. His solution: Open the Windows Task Manager by pressing Ctrl-Alt-Delete, go to Processes tab, select "Office.exe," and then click the End Process button. I followed his instructions, and the installation proceeded successfully.
Why the hang-up? Some third-party applications that integrate with Outlook, such as faxing and PDA synchronization software, fool Windows into thinking Outlook is running even when it isn't, explains Sven Folleras, FedEx Kinko's senior manager for application development and architecture. I happen to use several such applications that integrate with Outlook. Because a problem like mine can be caused by any of myriad third-party applications, "it's a difficult issue for us to resolve," he adds.
Later, I hit another roadblock with File, Print FedEx Kinko's. After installing the program, I opened a two-page Word document with color graphics and launched the utility by selecting Print from the main Word menu. I was about to print the document to a nearby FedEx Kinko's, but decided against it. When I tried to print the file later using the utility, I received an error message. This one said File, Print FedEx Kinko's "has generated an exception that could not be handled." Say what?
I had no choice but to click OK, close the utility without printing to a FedEx Kinko's store, and place another call to FedEx Kinko's customer support. An agent answered promptly and was friendly but couldn't resolve my issue. I'd have to wait until a second-level technician was available, he informed me--and that wouldn't be until the following morning.
The technician who eventually called said the error message I received was unusual and led me through some diagnostic tests. Eventually, we discovered that one of my three security programs--firewall, antivirus, and anti-spyware--was the culprit. When I disabled all three, File, Print FedEx Kinko's worked smoothly.
I don't recommend disabling security software simply to print remotely, but you may not experience the same "exception that could not be handled." On my second notebook, for example, I was able to set up a print job online using the utility without incident.
FedEx Kinko's Browser-Based Printing
In addition to File, Print FedEx Kinko's, the company also makes it possible for you to upload files for remote printing within a Web browser. In my tests, using the FedEx Kinko's browser interface was quick and easy. I uploaded my file within a few minutes; the print job was ready at the promised time at the designated FedEx Kinko's location; and it was printed according to my specifications (two pages printed on one double-sided page, color, glossy white finish). I was in and out of the busy FedEx Kinko's location within 10 minutes. Cost: $2.53.
There were some downsides, however. Though I had requested a proof be faxed to me, it never arrived. The FedEx Kinko's store should have sent the fax, a company spokesperson acknowledges. Also, the quickest turnaround time using any FedEx Kinko's online printing method is 4 hours--which may be too long for some people. FedEx Kinko's has not received any significant customer demand for a faster turnaround time, the spokesperson says.
EFI PrintMe
Though it's not a direct competitor to the FedEx Kinko's offerings, EFI's PrintMe offers mobile professionals a convenient way to print documents without carrying their own printers.
PrintMe is a browser-based service for sending documents from notebooks, PDAs, and other devices to remote printers located in hotels or public facilities, like shopping malls. Currently, there are 1800 PrintMe locations, the vast majority of which are American or Canadian hotels. To print, just go to the EFI PrintMe site, then specify your current location and the type of location preferred (hotel or public facility).
After uploading one or more files to a desired PrintMe location, you'll be e-mailed a document ID number. Next, go to your PrintMe location; I chose the Hotel Palomar, a San Francisco boutique hotel. Give the business center or front desk attendant your document ID number or enter it yourself into an EFI PrintMe station. Once the ID number is entered, your document is printed.
It's a beautifully simple concept, and it worked well in my tests. But because the PrintMe service is offered by various providers, your experience is bound to differ from one hotel to the other.
For example, at the first San Francisco hotel in the PrintMe listings I called, no staff member I spoke to was familiar with the service. But when I mentioned PrintMe to the front-desk clerk at the Hotel Palomar, he knew right away what I meant. I uploaded my file and went to the hotel about 30 minutes later to retrieve my printout. I gave the clerk my document ID number, he typed it into the PrintMe station, and a few minutes later I had a black-and-white laser printout--at no charge. (Some hotels quoted me about $1 a page for black-and-white prints.)
Another disparity: Some hotels have color printers, others don't. If you need color, call ahead and ask.
Victor Thu, PrintMe product marketing manager, concedes there are disparities between PrintMe service providers. "But for our users, the top priority is usually convenience, not print quality," he adds.
The Bottom Line
For travelers with basic printing needs, EFI PrintMe's convenience can't be beat, as long as your hotel is among those that offer the service--and the staff knows what it is. If you've got more ambitious print needs, however, go with FedEx Kinko's browser-based services. Just remember that printing directly from your applications using the File, Print FedEx Kinko's usually isn't worth having to download, install (and potentially troubleshoot), the utility.
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