It's possible to download lots of information from your iPhone onto your computer as text files where you can then do what you like with them: archive the information, print it out, use it for whatever purpose you like. You can get SMS messages transferred as well as your call history and contacts. You can even use your iPhone as a storage device to transfer files from one computer to another (though you can't view the files themselves when they are on your iPhone).

It's all made possible by a program called PhoneView. While it's not free (it costs $20), it makes your iPhone a lot more capable. You can even use it to transfer and view PDF and MS Word files on your iPhone as Notes.