Brisbane print and mailing house Markis is now accepting Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency as a form of payment, with owner Mark Prosser saying he is embracing what might become the future of transactions.

The company says although virtual currency have proved to be volatile in the past, it anticipates a smoother and stable future for the currency as it enters mainstream uptake and acceptance, pushing it toward a trustworthy future.

Prosser, owner of Markis says, “I am excited to be embracing blockchain as new a payment option for Markis. I have accepted payments using PayPal in the past, but cryptocurrencies allow you to bypass the middlemen and their fees, and transact directly in a peer to peer fashion. It is just like cash, but digital; the transaction leaves one wallet and is deposited, in some cases instantly, into another.

“Prices will be matched. It will be a straight fiat to crypto calculation for the invoice amount if a client chooses to pay by the method. We will explain it all on the website.

[Related: Martin Print first to accept Bitcoin payments]

“I do not know of any other printers doing this. The banner for our website went up on Friday, I will analyse the traffic and see the response from customers in next few weeks. I anticipate that there will be interest.

“I have been looking at the future of transactions processes and the digital wallet, along with talking to younger people and seeing how they are excited about the tech and getting into it myself."

The company says it is also embracing a new age of automation, robotics, algorithms and AI.

Prosser says, “Any emerging technology is always faced with scrutiny. It will become more accepted as it moves into the mainstream and becomes more accessible. That will also make it more stable. More and more businesses are doing it elsewhere and there are bitcoin ATMs around where physical cash is deposited and converted into bitcoin deposits. I was looking to jump in early and adopt it sooner."

Prosser founded the business in 2008 under its former name Merge Print Mail, with a rebranding last year. It says it is experimenting in other new spaces, including 3D printing and computer aided design. 

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