Hewlett-Packard has announced a new line of printers designed to work directly with smartphones and cloud services without the need for a computer intermediary. The printers are designed to take print jobs that are e-mailed to them or uploaded to a cloud service they can access. HP hopes the increased accessibility will encourage the use of printouts, as files can increasingly be carried on a single pocket device.

The new range of printers have Web access, either wired or wireless, removing the need for a print server or connection to a computer. They have touchscreens and e-mail addresses, and can print documents that are e-mailed to them from any source, as well as items from Web services like Google Docs. Users can schedule print jobs on the printers and set up regular print runs of their documents, like weekly menus or itineraries.

HP is also lining up a Web incarnation of the print service called ePrint Center, where consumers and companies can upload files, such as coloring book sheets or birthday card templates. Customers would be able to purchase the rights to print the files and send them to the printer without having to download anything—or even use a computer, if they have a smartphone.

Aside from home use, HP hopes that the printers may be set up for public use, as in airports or hotels, so long as someone is around to change the ink cartridges and fill the paper tray. How payments for files and printing materials would be distributed between HP, suppliers, and printer owners is unclear.

The printers range from $99 to $299, and the least expensive wireless version costs $199. They will be available to consumers sometime this month and will be offered to small businesses in the fall.