I'm still trying to gauge the reaction this will stir up within the industry. Is Microsoft heading down the same path Adobe did last summer? Some analysts and consultants I talked to this morning said it's a moot point as Microsoft is not a "big player" in the printing industry.

Microsoft's press release has the details:

Microsoft Corp. today announced the availability of Microsoft Office Live Document-to-Print Service option for the Microsoft Office Live Workspace and Microsoft Office Live Small Business Web services. Microsoft Office Live combines the power of software and services to deliver rich and seamless experiences to small companies that want to manage and print documents online. The new Document-to-Print Service provides a centralized place for document creators to view, edit and share, and now print Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents.

“The printed document is crucial to running a successful business today, and companies that don’t have access to print risk missing out.” said Stephen Elop, president of the Microsoft Business Division. “With Microsoft Office Live Document-to-Print Service, we are making printing services available for small businesses to create an enterprise-like distribute-then-print infrastructure without the technology investment requirements. Our goal is to make it easy and affordable for small businesses to have access to a global print network.”

Microsoft Office Live Document-to-Print Service with Microsoft Office Live Workspace and Microsoft Office Live Small Business is being offered free of charge to customers during the beta program. Customers interested in participating in the beta program are invited to register online at http://www.Print.OfficeLive.com.

Microsoft expects to release the final public versions of Microsoft Office Live Document-to-Print Service services in late 2008. Although at this time the beta program is open only to U.S. businesses, Microsoft plans to offer beta programs later this year in international markets.

I have heard speculation that Microsoft is in talks with printing franchisers SirSpeedy, AlphaGraphics and Allegra Network to power the printing network.