reception in fringe areas

I thought I would share this for whatever it might be worth. I recently got a new cell phone and service but found I got poor reception in my home because I live right at the edge of the service area. I knew an external antenna would fix my problem but there was no external antenna or antenna port on my phone. I researched this on the internet and could not believe all the nonsense I found. I am not an radio engineer but I knew from experience that when it comes to antennas, trial and error usually works. After a few days of trying everything - wires, coils, aluminum foil, and putting the phone on various appliances, I finally hit paydirt. I put the phone over the antenna on one of my wireless printers - a Lexmark with the power off. Within ten seconds I went from no bars to three. I checked this to make sure it was no fluke and made a couple of calls. Everything came in loud and clear. Hope this helps somebody and maybe saves them some money.