Because working together, instead of suing each other, is sometimes more beneficial, if not less expensive, the biggest names in printer technology have joined forces to push for a common goal. The Mopria Alliance is a non-profit organization that will seek to improve the technology and user experience of printing from smartphones and tablets.
The competition around printers has always been a tight one and the advent of smart devices has only made it even tougher, especially for consumers. Unlike in regular “plug and play” desktop or laptop printer setups, printing from a mobile device would involve some amount of planning, deciding among printer models, and downloading separate apps. Industry leaders have finally come to realize the need for simpler interaction and the benefits of competing on printer quality instead.
The Mopria Alliance, which currently only includes the founder companies Canon, HP, Samsung, and Xerox, seeks to establish a standard for compatible mobile printing. This would eventually mean that users won’t have to download separate apps just to be able to print to printers of different brands. The group is also inviting software developers to get involved and create a way to easily add printing support for mobile apps.
The group has not released details on immediate plans or if it is planning to invite other companies, like 3D printing companies, into the fold. They are, however, planning to use Mopria as a brand for disseminating mobile printing technology, so we might be seeing “Mopria-certified” labels on future printers.
SOURCE: Canon
