By Marlene Orr, Senior Analyst, Printers/A4 MFP, December 11, 2012
Not too long ago, both Kodak and Lexmark made public their plans to leave the inkjet market; HP went the other direction in late October, announcing its PageWide inkjet technology, which promises to bring the best of laser and ink to business users. HP claims the new Officejet Pro X series printers and MFPs (scheduled for Spring 2013 availability) will deliver speeds of up to 70 ppm (in General Office mode; up to 42 ppm in Professional mode) at about half the cost per page for supplies of competitive color lasers. Can HP deliver on these promises and how will these products fit into business environments? Though the products won’t be on the market for months, BLI saw the products in action at a recent analyst event and has taken a closer look at the technology and what it could mean to the office printing market.
PageWide Array: What it is and What it Does…
PageWide technology is a series of staggered, overlapping dies (groups of ink nozzles) that, as the name implies, span the width of the page. Rather than travelling back and forth on a carriage to deliver ink dots across the page as with traditional inkjet printers, the new HP printhead is stationary; the page moves under it during the imaging process. The most obvious advantage of having a stationary printhead is, of course, speed (case in point: one of the fastest desktop inkjets available, the Epson B-510DN, advertises a draft speed of 37 ppm, though BLI found actual tested speeds in default mode to be much slower). Another key advantage, according to HP, is quality, as it eliminates the banding that occurs from the back-and-forth motion, especially at higher speeds.
When speaking of new trends and new market shifts within the printing industry, it has become increasingly more difficult to avoid talking about digital printing. Digital printing is the process of moving large amounts of information through the Internet and then being able to print this information at a desired location with advanced technologies like a digital press. A good example of this would be how the publishing industry is able to send information directly to printers and distributers who can then use large digital presses to print the material.
Although it is sometimes overlooked, having quality functioning office equipment at your business can save a lot of unnecessary hassle and wasted time. You want to be able to find the accurate balance between saving oncosts and purchasing machines that are capable of the workload. Should you buy used or brand new? Should you opt for one multifunction system or individual printers for each workstation? These are all important factors to consider when making the decision to purchase new office equipment.
efficient and orchestrated properly. Workflow is important because it is the flow of data and communications through your business. As an employer or employee, your aim should be to have the workflow of your company under control and as efficient as possible. By utilizing the proper channels, your business is setting itself up for success.
and copier industry, is proud to announce that the year 2012 has been one of their best award-winning years to date. Both customers and industry experts are praising the efficiencies in design and use of Canon products. Experts have also taken a note of Canon’s efforts to build a more ecologically friendly and sustainable future. Canon was selected as one of Interbrand's 50 Best Global Green Brands 2012 and also placed among the top five companies in the computer industry on Fortune magazine's 2012 World's Most Admired Companies list.