Method and system for mobile devices to communicate with shipping peripheral devices using distributed instances of custom hardware

A system for generating and printing postage using a mobile device, the system comprising:

• a first intermediate processing device coupled to a network, the first intermediate processing device including a short range communication device for communicating wirelessly with the mobile device;
• a second intermediate processing device coupled to the network, the second intermediate processing device including at least one physical connection interface;
• a peripheral device coupled directly to the second intermediate processing device by the at least one physical connection interface, the second intermediate processing device storing a driver for the peripheral device coupled directly thereto;
• wherein an application executing on the mobile device to generate and print postage can control the peripheral device without the mobile device being directly connected to the peripheral device by wirelessly communicating a command to control the peripheral device to the first intermediate processing device, sending the command from the first intermediate processing device to the second intermediate processing device via the network, and executing by the peripheral device under control of the driver stored by second intermediate processing device the command to perform a function associated with the generation and printing of postage.