HP inkjets' foray into the SMB market

Everyone has his firsts and this writer's virgin visit to a nail lounge was at the invite of an HP launch of new inkjets. A total of three new inkboxes were introduced at the event: The OfficeJet Pro K850, the OfficeJet 6310 All-in-One and the OfficeJet 4355 All-in-One.

The company wishes to change the perception that laser printers are more economical when printing in bulk, according to Paul Anthony, general manager of the Imaging and Printing Group for HP Singapore.

The OfficeJet Pro K850 series "has raised the bar for DIY marketing by providing an in-house printing solution which enables businesses to be cost-effective, while having the ability to print high-impact color or black-and-white marketing collaterals up to A3+ size in-house", said Anthony in a press release statement.

HP claims a user can expect to print 850 pages with a standard ink tank and 2,150 pages with a high-yield cartridge, both with 5 percent coverage. However another journalist questioned the rationale for using 5 percent coverage for comparision since it wasn't indicative of actual consumer use. In response, an HP representative replied that the basis for using a 5 percent coverage was to follow industry standards.

"Since using the printer, our company's [The Polished Divas Nail Lounge] print costs have been slashed by approximately 50 percent," said Cheryl Ou, owner of the beauty care center. HP also has an online print cost calculator which customers can utilize to gauge their cost savings using the company's printers.

Two other inkjets were also launched. The OfficeJet 6310 All-in-One features built-in networking capabilities that allow users on a small computer network to print, scan, copy and fax on a single machine. The same printer also comes with a 35-sheet automatic document feeder (ADF).

Not present at the launch but also announced was the OfficeJet 4355 All-in-One which has the same capabilities as the OfficeJet 6310 AIO, but with an integrated phone for easier communication.

The OfficeJet Pro K850 will be available from May 1 with an estimated street price of S$599 (US$441.02). The OfficeJet 6310 AIO and OfficeJet 4355 will be released one month later at prices of S$399 (US$293.76) and S$199 (US$146.51), respectively.

Together with the new printers, HP is offering a 100-piece pack of matte A3-sized paper (120g/m2) for S$36.50 (US$26.87). For consumables, each high-yield ink cartridge (the OfficeJet Pro K850 uses four) is priced at S$53.30 (US$39.24) while the standard cartridge costs S$0 (US$0).

Model name	In a nutshell
HP OfficeJet Pro K850 Click for more images	Wow factor: Wide-format color inkjet printer targeted at small- and medium-sized businesses Other notable frills: 7ppm (black); 6ppm (color) 4,800 x 1,200-optimized dpi USB 2.0; IEEE 1284-compliant parallel port Prints up to A3+ size Dimensions: 610 x 434.6 x 205mm Weight: 2.3kg Availability: May 1 Price: S$599 (US$441.02); S$799 (US$588.27) (network-ready OfficeJet Pro K850dn)
HP OfficeJet 6310 All-in-One Click for more images	Wow factor: Multifunction (print, scan, copy, fax) printer with networking capabilities Other notable frills: Thermal inkjet printing 4,800-optimized dpi 8.5ppm (normal, black text); 5.3ppm (normal, color graphics) 33.6 kbps fax modem; 300 x 300dpi 2,400dpi optical scan resolution Flatbed with automatic document feeder 30cpm (black); 24cpm (color); 4,800 x 1,200 optimized dpi Two-lined text LCD Dimensions: 456 x 517 x 396mm Weight: 7.7kg Availability: June 1 Price: S$399 (US$293.76)
HP OfficeJet 4355 All-in-One Click for more images	Wow factor: Multifunction (print, scan, copy, fax) printer with integrated phone Other notable frills: Thermal inkjet printing 4,800-optimized dpi 7.1ppm (normal, black text); 2.9ppm (normal, color graphics) 33.6 kbps fax modem; 300 x 300dpi 1,200 x 1,200dpi optical scan resolution 20cpm (black); 14cpm (color); 1,200 x 1,200 optimized dpi Two-lined text LCD Dimensions: 425 x 505 x 330mm Weight: 5.5kg Availability: June 1 Price: S$199 (US$146.51)