Printing system and method with local printer for locally searching, selecting and printing from remote database

A printing system for locally searching, selecting and printing one or more electronic documents on a local printer from a remote database includes a local printer having an input/output user interface that provides a search menu to a user, receives search parameters and a search request from the user, provides search results to the user, and receives a selection of one or more items from the search results. At least one remote network server having a database of electronic documents is linked to the local printer over a network. The local printer searches the database of electronic documents using the search parameters to generate the search results of one or more items. The selection is retrieved from the database and printed by the local printer.