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This story was printed from CNET Asia.
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HP prints a warning for the opposition

By Edvarcl Heng
27/04/2006
URL: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/printers/0,39051182,39353921,00.htm

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SEOUL, KOREA--HP launched Wednesday 11 new printers targeted primarily at the Asia-Pacific market. The range of offerings includes new additions to the company's LaserJets and OfficeJets.

According to Margaret Ong, vice president of Commercial Volume for HP Asia Pacific's Imaging and Printing group, the new printers represent the company's focus on optimizing its products to the specific requirements of the local user. Particularly in the Asia market, Ong explained that HP printers are designed to be affordable and resilient enough to operate in a stressful environment.


Cool with blue. Who's the clown?

When queried on HP's definition of a stressful printing environment, Cheryl Carruth, product manager for monochrome LaserJets, HP Asia Pacific, clarified that based on the company's findings, a large number of printers are operating in very high-dust and humid environments. Since such adverse working conditions are typical in the India and China markets, the new printers are built purposely to withstand it.

Carruth added that some of the printers such the LaserJet 1018 are especially built from the ground up for Asia. For example, when HP designers discovered that tracing paper was used widely in China as a print media, the LaserJet 1018 was designed with roller feeds capable of handling this ultra-thin paper.

HP also touted its OfficeJets as the most economic solution for small businesses looking to produce their own creative collaterals. Quoting research figures, Ong claimed that an HP OfficeJet 9120 would keep printing costs lower than printing with a third-party vendor up to a 1,500 print run. HP predicts this cost factor will help drive the growth of its color printer products, and in turn, the Palo Alto giant states that one of its business goals is to fully dominate the in-house collateral printing market.

Model name In a nutshell
Notable features:
  • Printing speed of up to 8ppm in both color and mono
  • Faster first print (within 20 seconds) with Instant-on technology
  • Single door access for toner cartridge replacement
  • Two-line LCD display
  • 264MHz processor

    Availability: April 2006

    Price: No information

    Who is it for: The cheapest of HP's new line LaserJets, the LaserJet 1600 represents good value for money for the small business which does not wish to compromise decent performance for a shoestring budget.
  • Notable features:
  • Printing speed of 10ppm for color and 12 ppm for mono
  • Faster first print (within 20 seconds) with Instant-on technology
  • Automatic two-sided printing
  • Two-line LCD display
  • 300MHz processor
  • Built-in 10/100 Base-TX Ethernet/Fast Ethernet printer server
  • Built-in photo memory card slot (dtn model only)

    Availability: May 2006

    Price: No information

    Who is it for: A step up from the LaserJet 1600, the LaserJet 2605 is suitable for a small business outfit looking to up its game with a slightly more powerful printing solution.
  • Notable features:
  • Printing speed of 12ppm in mono
  • First print from PowerSafe mode in less than 10 seconds
  • Cost-saving host-based print driver uses PC's processor and memory instead of printers. Allows for complex jobs without the cost of additional printer memory

    Availability: May 2006 (China, India)
                      June 2006 (Taiwan)

    Price: US$129

    Who is it for: One of the smallest laser printers on the market, the LaserJet 1018 is catered for the micro business to which cost savings is the most important factor.
  • Notable features:
  • Printing speed of 35ppm in mono
  • Faster first print (within 10 seconds) with Instant-on technology
  • 1,200 x 1,200dpi print quality
  • Duo CompactFlash slots for third party solutions
  • Open EIO slot allows for feature expandability such as IPv6/IPsec Gigabit networking or HP EIO hard disk
  • 460MHz processor and 512MB expandable memory
  • Two-line display

    Availability: May 2006

    Price: US$999

    Who is it for: A premium quality printer certainly doesn't come cheap, but for businesses which values advanced network A3 printing and fast print speeds, the LaserJet 5200 comes highly recommended.
  • Notable features:
  • Printing speed of 25ppm in mono
  • Faster first print (within 10 seconds) with Instant-on technology
  • 1,200 x 1,200dpi print quality
  • Supports optional HP Jetdirect external print servers
  • 460MHz processor and 128MB expandable memory
  • Two-line display
  • Larger than A3 size printing
  • Downloadable HP Easy Printer Care software and HP Universal Print Driver for fuss-free printer management.

    Availability: 26 May 2006

    Price: US$799

    Who is it for: For business outfits which demand to see things in a bigger picture, the LaserJet 5200L promises dependable performance even for multiple users.

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    Expecting a 14 percent growth rate this year in the emerging markets of China and India, HP intends to further increase its 53 percent market share (according to IDC figures) of the color laser market in Asia Pacific excluding Japan. HP's new All-in-Ones (AIOs) are primed to suit the needs of small businesses where the component costs of a separate scanner, fax and printer machine can be too much to bear. Margaret Ong, vice president of Commercial Volume for HP Asia Pacific's Imaging and Printing group, said these LaserJet AIOs are built to deliver printing and imaging resources at prices and productivity levels almost comparable to large businesses.

    Model name In a nutshell
    Notable features:
  • Printing speed of 19ppm in mono
  • Faster first print (within 8 seconds) with Instant-on technology
  • 1,200 x 1,200dpi print quality
  • Color scanning with send to email feature
  • Fax documents (33.6kbps, 110 page digital storage)

    Availability: No information

    Price: US$299

    Who is it for: AIOs are the best solution for the small business entity which requires multiple office document hardware without the resulting component costs. The LaserJet 3050 seeks to satisfy with a compact form factor.
  • Notable features:
  • Printing speed of 19ppm in mono
  • Faster first print (within 8 seconds) with Instant-on technology
  • 1,200 x 1,200dpi print quality
  • Color scanning (1,200 x 1,200dpi 24 bit), remote scanning, send to email feature
  • Copy resolution up to 600 x 600dpi
  • 50 sheet automatic document feeder
  • Multiple user connectivity via 10/100Base-T TCP/IP
  • Fax documents at 33.6kbps with 110 page digital storage (LaserJet 3055 only)

    Availability: No information

    Price: LaserJet 3052 US$349.
             LaserJet 3055 US$449.

    Who is it for: For companies for whom monochrome documents are the lifeblood of the business, the LaserJet 3052/3055 reduces costs while improving efficiency by enabling network sharing of its AIO functions.
  • Notable features:
  • Printing speed of 22ppm in mono
  • Duty cycle of 10,000 pages per month.
  • Faster first print (within 8.5 seconds) with Instant-on technology.
  • 1,200 x 1,200dpi print quality.
  • Color scanning with send to email feature.
  • Standard duplex for two-sided printing.
  • 128MB memory (expandable to 192MB, 4MB fax memory).
  • Multiple user connectivity via 10/100Base-T TCP/IP.
  • 250-sheet input tray and additional 64MB DIMM (LaserJet 3392 only).

    Availability: Available now

    Price: LaserJet 3390 US$699.
             LaserJet 3392 US$899.

    Who is it for: Built for small businesses where the AIO is integral to the business, the LaserJet 3390/3392 is a workhorse with the stamina and speed to match.