Hewlett-Packard introduced without much hype a free service that makes it possible to print a document on any printer almost anywhere in the world. The service, called Cloudprint, was developed within a few months by a group of HP Lab researchers and it enables any owner of a mobile phone to share, store and print documents by just using a phone.

The gist of the new innovation is taking physical documents from a computer and printer of a user, thus eliminating the problems of travelling and needing your documents. They can be at your disposal just by accessing a phone and a printer.

The basic of the service is to “print” the documents you need to HP servers connected to the internet. Each one is assigned a document code by the system that will further be sent to the cell phone.  This is the means to have access to the document and print it anywhere one could be at a certain moment.

The server sends a SMS message on the mobile phone that contains the document code the user has to enter, along with his phone number. The document may also be retrieved in PDF format, ready to be printed at any printer.

The service will provide a list with all the available printers, that can be visualized on Google maps. Cloudprint is due to be soon available for Macintosh connected printers, the current version being destined for Windows.

This is a modality of boasting profits from selling HP ink and supplies and it seems to bring visible results, as the company announced a 11 percent raise in its printing division in its third quarter in 2006.