Printer Anywhere – Interesting Idea
1682 days ago
I came across this site (Printer Anywhere) a few days ago and I found what it offers to be a rather interesting idea. You download a software which shares your printer on the Internet and this software will also look for other’s printers (with an userid) on the Internet. It is sort of like a little Peer-to-Peer printer sharing. Basically you can print from someone else’s printer even if they are miles away. All you guys need is an internet connection. So, for example, you have a client who would like to have a copy of your document and he just needs an hardcopy, no softcopy is needed. Instead of printing from your own printer, you print to his “already shared” printer, saving you the problem of sending emails and wondering whether he/she has the correct software to open the file. It is also convenient if you (or them) do not have a fax machine available for you to do regular faxing.
Printer Anywhere claims that the data send across the network to the Internet shared printer is encrypted. Well, perhaps so, it’s my opinion that it is still not safe enough. Just think that you are sending your files to be printed on someone else’s printer which you have no idea where it is located or whether the printer itself secure. I mean, anyone can be looking at your hardcopy right at the printer. God knows what they could be doing with your document. Next, the problem with Peer-to-Peer is that it is prone to abuse. You are sharing your printer on the Internet. A spammer can easily get the same software and start sending our print jobs to thousands of shared printers, and you will be printing out spam and advertisements right on your own printer before you even know it! I mean, you not only waste bandwidth, you are wasting time and paper to clear these kind of spam or flyers/brochures.
This is a good idea, but it needs to be more secure. Spammers are the biggest problem on the Internet and letting them into your printer is probably not the smartest way to go about. Having perhaps password protected shared printer or sort of a userid identification would help cut down on the abuse that is bound to happen.
