www.printme.com Pretty Slick
 

Again, apologies if this has been covered with Search down and all.

Just stayed at the Sheraton Marina San Diego and while working on their free Wi-Fi in the lobby, I noticed a printer up by the front counter within access for guests. I asked about it and nobody at the front desk knew how to use it. It had no cables so I thought at first it might be a Bluetooth printer or something. Next to it was a small handheld touchpad with a small LCD screen. It had a cursor blinking to enter a Document Number. At the top it just said "www.printme.com"

So I went back to my laptop and URL'd www.printme.com and using the search tool, found the printer listed at the Front Counter of the this hotel. I then selected something to print from my laptop by "Browse" and hit Enter. The web page recorded the uploading of the doc and then gave me a Document Number to enter at the printer. Walked over to the printer, entered the Document Number, selected how many copies and bingo! Out came my print job. No charge. No drivers to load. No cables. Just a web based printing interface and a HP LaserJet connected live to the internet.

I thought it was pretty slick and a nice service for the hotel to provide, even though I couldn't find anyone who worked there who knew how it worked! One even said, "We've never seen anyone use it or anything ever come out of it." :)

Anyway, a nice way to print your own docs if you don't have a portable printer with you, or for your office to send you docs to print out while you're at the hotel, with a Document Number they phone or email to you.

Looking at the website, I'm thinking that the cost for the service, if any, is set by the hotel where the Printme printer is located. I selected a particular hotel that I've stayed at in the past and the hotel info screen showed "call for cost" and the hotel front desk phone number.

A little more searching and I found that another hotel (the Westin in Long Beach) shows a charge of $1.00 per page in color or B/W. Most hotels don't have any price information, though...

This is a free service at Hilton properties. :)

The hotels I've seen this at were HGIs and they had info in my room and next to the printer detailing how to print. It was free, but I didn't use it.

While I've never seen it with a cost attached to it (though that will change as more and more people get hooked on it) remember if you just need a draft copy and the place charges for printouts, it may be free to fax to the hotel and then go down and pick it up.

Great Alternative to a FAX
 

What a great idea!

Let's say your on the road and need a document sent to you and printed out right away. You can now have someone send you the document (via web or email), give you the DOC ID and nearest PrintMe station location and go there and print it out 24/7. No poor quaility fax output. No waiting for someone to go find it. No Charge (hopefully)!

Two Thumbs Up!

Michael
http://www.biztrip.com

Looks like Kinko's could learn a thing or two from these folks. Kinko's has the crummiest UI and an even worse process for submitting documents over the Web for them to print and have ready for you. Every time I've used it the branch hasn't even checked the computer to see what orders have come in by the time I've gotten there. :mad:

Wouldn't it be neat to have kiosks that do this at airports, Starbucks, post offices, etc?

Technology never ceases to amaze me - what is out there is simply incredible!

They make money on this the same way First Citwide Change Bank makes money: volume.