The HP Photosmart Plus e-All-in-One is an inkjet MFP that prints, scans and copies. In addition, it features ePrint, which enables you to print from email-enabled mobile devices by sending the job to the printer’s own email address. Users can share the printer over a network via Wi-Fi.

Printer Specifications: HP Photosmart Plus e-All-in-One Fact Sheet, Press Release
	At a Glance: Inkjet MFP (print/scan/copy) best for home or small office. MSRP: $149 Recommended Paper: LD Heavy Coated Matte Inkjet Paper (8.5”X11”) LD Premium Glossy Inkjet Photo Paper (4”X6”) Ink Cartridges: HP 564XL High Yield Black (CB321WN), HP 564XL High Yield Photo Black (CB322WN), HP 564XL High Yield Cyan (CB323WN), HP 564XL High Yield Magenta (CB324WN), HP 564XL High Yield Yellow (CB325WN)
	Notable Features:		Based on Press Kit: Print/scan/copy, cloud printing via HP ePrint (printer has own email address), 3.5” Touchsmart screen, PC-free ePrint web apps, Wi-Fi, automatic photo tray
	Max Printing Speed:		up to 30 pages/min (COLOR) up to 32 pages/min (B/W), 16 seconds per 4”x6”
	Resolution:		1200×1200 dpi (optical scan)
	Cartridge Yield:		Based on ISO/IEC 24711: 800 pages (HP 564XL High Yield Black (CB321WN)), 290 4”x6” photos (HP 564XL High Yield Photo Black (CB322WN)), 750 pages (HP 564XL High Yield Cyan (CB323WN), HP 564XL High Yield Magenta (CB324WN), HP 564XL High Yield Yellow (CB325WN) each)
	Paper Capacity:		N/A
	Cost Per Page (OEM):		4.4 cents per page (HP 564XL Black), 11.6 cents per page (HP 564XL Black, Cyan, Magenta and Yellow)
	Cost Per Page (Compatible):		2.4 cents per page (HP 564XL Black), 6.4 cents per page (HP 564XL Black, Cyan, Magenta and Yellow)
	Connectivity:		USB, Wi-Fi
	Compatibility:		Mac and Windows
	Max Media Size:		N/A
	Dimensions:		17.8”x15.8”x7.8”
	Weight:		16.4 lbs.

When it comes to printer ink and toner, high prices for OEM cartridges are like taxes – we complain, but we pay them anyway. So it’s interesting to read the Wall Street Journal blog post about HP’s Thom Brown giving a media presentation to explain why HP OEM ink costs so much. According to Brown, the main factor is the high cost of R&D.

Using a “bag of props including a trio of shot glasses, squares of foam and some disassembled print heads,” he explains that the print mechanism is complex, and therefore expensive to develop. Apparently HP also puts a lot of money into examining broken ink cartridges to find out what went wrong. The “challenges in shooting drops of ink at moving pages of paper” can add to costs, and the “perils of refilling ink cartridges” are cited as a reason to buy new HP cartridges despite the higher prices.

So should we believe the reasoning? It’s interesting to note that when consumer advocates recently protested that ink cartridge packaging fails to report the amount of ink in each cartridge, Lexmark gave a similar “it’s complicated” explanation, referring to ink cartridges as “micro-machines.” Maybe it’s a coincidence, maybe it’s a copout. Either way, as a consumer, I don’t really care how much it costs for OEMs to develop their ink and toner cartridges. All I know is that compatible and refilled ink cartridges are more affordable than OEM cartridges, and they work just fine for what I print. So in this case, I’ll go with the free market over a bag of props.

(Photo via Morguefile)

Fresh off its recent acquisition of Palm, HP has announced that it will be integrating Palm’s webOS operating system into its touchscreen web printers. It’s unclear whether you’ll be able to install webOS onto HP’s existing web-connected touchscreen printers, or if HP will come out with a new line of printers that have webOS built in. Either way, no timetable has been set for the introduction of webOS-enabled models.

I think the announcement is interesting on two levels. First off, back when we first talked about the HP Photosmart Premium with Touchsmart Web, I openly wondered whether the introduction of a touchscreen and PC-free web connectivity was a step towards bridging the gap between a computer and a printer. And now that HP is talking about integrating an actual operating system into a printer, it feels like we’re getting even closer to a true computer-printer all-in-one.

Secondly, we’ve seen more and more printer companies offer apps for mobile phones to help you print on the go. The fact that webOS would be the operating system for both your Palm mobile device and your HP Photosmart touchscreen printer may make the two products easier to sync, and therefore easier to use. Plus, using the same OS for both the main device and the peripheral could improve print quality.

Of course, it’s tough to come to conclusions before we see these webOS printers in action. Until then, consider this story to be one small step for HP, and one potentially giant leap for mobile printing.

(Photo via Palm.com)

As more and more users go mobile, printer companies are doing their part to make the world a little smaller with downloadable apps that let you print from your cell phone. HP has already come out with iPrint Photo, a consumer-oriented iPhone app that prints photos and files on certain HP printers. Now the company has released ePrint, a Blackberry app for businesspeople on the go.

ePrint utilizes HP’s CloudPrint technology, so all you need is an Internet connection to access your emails and documents on the Blackberry server, and then get them printed on the nearest recognized HP printer via the HP server. As a result, if you’re visiting another branch office of your company and need to use a printer, you don’t have to ask IT to give you access to a PC with the required software, drivers, operating system and LAN connection. After you download ePrint, you can just turn on your Blackberry and print to any of the registered printers in any of the branch offices you visit.

HP is also working to implement ePrint at hotels, copy and print stores, airports, and other establishments. So if you’re a businessperson who’s either out of the office or in transit, you can still print from HP printers at convenient locations. Some spots may let you do it for free, while others may charge you a fee.

Overall, HP ePrint looks like a practical application for global businesses and mobile businesspeople. When you’re on the road, you have easier access to email and attachments from the phone in your pocket than from a PC or laptop, and ePrint should make it easier to get hard copies no matter where you go in the world. To learn more and try the app for yourself, visit the ePrint homepage. The whitepaper is also worth a read if you want to better understand how it all works in layman’s terms.

(Story via eWeek.com; Photo via Morguefile) ]]> http://www.cartridgenews.com/hp-introduces-eprint-blackberry-smartphone-printer-app/?p=01611/feed 0 http://www.cartridgenews.com/kodak-invokes-non-compete-clause-to-protect-prosper-printing-press/?p=01545 http://www.cartridgenews.com/kodak-invokes-non-compete-clause-to-protect-prosper-printing-press/?p=01545#comments Fri, 07 May 2010 11:33:56 +0000 Taeho Lim http://www.cartridgenews.com/?p=1545

Is it just me, or does it seem like someone at Kodak is a serious Star Trek fan? Their “Print and Prosper” ad campaign sounds a lot like that famous line from Mr. Spock. And now they’re releasing the Prosper press, a commercial inkjet machine that rolls out high-volume, professional output. The Prosper press uses Kodak Stream Inkjet technology, which is supposedly faster, cheaper, and more precise than traditional commercial printing methods. According to CEO Antonio Perez, Kodak estimates making $1.5 billion per year in revenue from its commercial inkjet division within the next few years.

In other words, the stakes are high for the Prosper press, and it makes sense for Kodak to ardently defend its technology from competitors. The only question is how far the company would be willing to go to do it. Ex Kodak VP Robert Carmosino got his answer when his former employer took him to court, citing a non-compete clause to keep him from sharing insider knowledge at his new job with arch rival HP.

Kodak notified Carmosino in November 2009 of his impending layoff, and wanted him to stay on through March 2010. But Carmosino jumped the gun, telling Kodak in January 2010 that he’d taken a job with HP to sell its T300 press, which is a direct competitor of the Prosper press. According to court documents filed by Kodak, Carmosino knows about profit margins on color printing presses, as well as “the development and execution of Kodak’s confidential, strategic commercialization cycle for the Prosper printing platform.”

We’ve covered the recent bad blood between HP and Kodak, including the dispute over Kodak’s ink ads and the competition over photo kiosks at Wal-Mart. In any case, it’s fair to say that Kodak, Carmosino, and HP have all done their due diligence in protecting their own interests. And with Kodak struggling to maintain its position in the digital printing market, its civil suit against Carmosino could be another small sign of internal insecurity.

(Photo via Kodak.com)

If anyone ever thought that printing couldn’t get political, they haven’t been watching the race for the US Senate in California. Former HP CEO Carly Fiorina is running as a Republican, and as you’d expect in a campaign, her opponents are leaving no stone unturned in their search for dirt. Fellow candidate Chuck DeVore has gone so far as to call in during a local radio interview with Fiorina to confront her about charges that an HP subsidiary violated a trade embargo with Iran by selling printers to the country.

Not to get all CNN on you, but DeVore’s tactics make sense. Voters pay attention when you mention certain buzzwords, and “Iran” has been synonymous with terrorism for quite awhile now, at least in America. And if HP was selling printers to Iran under Fiorina’s watch, DeVore probably hopes voters infer that as a senator, she’ll support selling nuclear weapons to terrorist nations. Or something like that.

Personally, I think the allegations are just a case of a candidate throwing the kitchen sink at his opponent. And to expand on Fiorina’s response to the charges, what’s the worst Iran could do with some extra printers – produce some propaganda leaflets about how 9/11 was a lie? Yes, printers can be valuable and useful products, but they’re pretty irrelevant to the discussion. In any case, the fact that even HP printers and ink can become a visible issue in a high profile campaign just goes to show that all is fair in love and politics.

(Photo via Morguefile)

If you’ve been to Walmart in the last couple of years, you may have noticed the Kodak picture kiosks on your way to the DVD bargain bin. In fact, Kodak had been supplying the retail giant with nearly 8,000 photo kiosks and ink at locations across the nation as a result of a partnership that began in 2006. But the imaging company announced in its 2009 third quarter report that the deal had expired, and that Walmart was opting out. Word on the street was that HP kiosks would eventually take over, and the news was recently confirmed in the Wall Street Journal.

It’s a tough blow for a company that saw 2009 third quarter global sales decrease by 26% from the third quarter of 2008, and the recent tussle with HP over Kodak ink ads rubs a little extra salt in the wound. According to Scott Brownstein, an industry consultant and former Kodak executive, the loss of the Walmart contract could cost Kodak nearly $100 million in sales, as well as important brand visibility with consumers. Brownstein considers the developments even more troubling for Kodak in the long run as it struggles to maintain its share of a shrinking pie in the digital photo printing market.

All that said, industry observers could see HP creeping up on Kodak in the retail photo printing industry as early as 2005. And by beating out Kodak in the Battle of Walmart, the home and office printing giant has made a buzzworthy breakthrough in another important consumer channel. It all feels like a high stakes game of Risk, and Kodak could be in danger of getting squeezed off the map if it doesn’t act fast.

(Photo via Kodak.com)