Inkjet Wholesale News aims to provide updates on the latest significant occurrences in the field of printing. Whether it’s the launch of a new technology or volatility of market prices, we’ll be here to give you the lowdown on what happened, when it happened, and what it means!
Next Generation A3 Printing Portfolio Comprising 16 New Devices Launched
Last month, we reported that HP Inc. has acquired the Samsung Printer Business and disrupted the copier market segment in the process. The Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) has continued its disruption of the $55 billion market segment with the launch of its next generation A3 printing portfolio. The new HP A3 printing portfolio will contain no less than 16 new devices falling in either the company’s PageWide or LaserJet platforms.
Of the 16 new devices in the A3 printing portfolio, 13 can be placed in the LaserJet category while the rest three can be placed in the PageWide category. However, there are 54 different iterations of the 16 devices in the new A3 printing portfolio. These iterations or SKUs vary on the basis of a number of features and components including the depth of customer service, booklet, staple, and stack makers, hole punchers, in-cave staple stackers, and even finishes. The new A3 printing portfolio is being pegged by the OEM as next generation because of certain specific innovative features such as world-class print security, advanced monitoring systems, and affordable colours.
The security features protect all aspects including data, documents, and devices, while the purpose of advanced monitoring systems is to allow users to project supply needs by analysing cloud and big data metrics. Affordability has been provided to make the A3 printing portfolio cost effective for prospective users which would, in turn, drive adoption in the market. The cost effectiveness of devices in the new A3 printing portfolio is ensured by the use of HP’s PageWide Pro and PageWide Enterprise platforms. These platforms are touted by the OEM to have the best print speeds and least energy consumption in their respective classes.
The print speeds of these devices will vary between 40 pages per minute (ppm) and 60 ppm, while the use of the General Office mode may even push these speeds to 80 ppm. According to HP, they’ve paid special attention to the security aspect of all devices in their new A3 printing portfolio. HP explained that security features in the HP PageWide and HP LaserJet Enterprise devices will include features such as Whitelisting, run-time intrusion detection, and Sure Start. The HP PageWide Pro devices, on the other hand, will benefit from security features such as firmware integrity checking and secure boot. Furthermore, all 16 devices in the new A3 printing portfolio will be compatible with the company’s additional security services and software suites falling in the JetAdvantage category. This will include the recently launched JetAdvantage on Demand cloud platform.
The Pagewide Pro and PageWide Enterprise platform based devices will also offer low maintenance costs to users on the back of their unique characteristics. Both these platforms have only three components that need to be replaced. This is something that reduces maintenance costs by reducing spare parts’ costs. Devices based on PageWide platforms will become available next year onwards. (provigil) The PageWide Pro devices can be sourced by spring next year, while the PageWide Enterprise devices will only become accessible by fall next year.
The LaserJet Managed Multifunction Printers, however, will all become available by the spring of 2017. The LaserJet series of the new A3 printing portfolio will include both, colour and monochrome devices. Their printing speeds will vary over a wide range of 22 ppm and 60 ppm. These devices of the new A3 printing portfolio, as per the OEM, can be expected to have quick repair times and more durable components.
Apart from the 16 devices of the A3 printing portfolio, HP Inc. also announced HP Smart Device services. HP Smart Device services will be a combination of device based sensing capabilities and multiple cloud-based tools. These services will track and project users’ service needs so as to reduce maintenance costs and minimise downtime of the devices. Essentially, these services can be expected to improve users’ service experiences.
HP Inc. Admits to Faulty Communication and Commits to Update for Removing Aftermarket Cartridge Block
In our last two News Updates, we’ve covered the subject on the lips of virtually every HP printer owner in the world i.e. HP firmware updates. Those firmware updates resulted in HP printers rejecting aftermarket cartridges overnight and caused a huge amount of backlash for the OEM. In fact, while there were threats of lawsuits from a number of sources in the world, one such threat actually materialised.
Initially, HP Inc. was fairly brash about these firmware updates, saying that they will continue to look for ways to protect “HP’s innovations and intellectual property”. However, they seemed to have realised that there may be merit in many users’ belief that their stealth software update and software rejection time bombs may be flouting consumer protection laws of many states and nations. Now, the OEM has come out and “apologised” to its “loyal customers”. More importantly, HP Inc. has stated that it will be removing the offensive aftermarket cartridge block that has troubled its users so much. The removal will take place through an optional software update for its printers, currently in use.
It is still worth noting that HP’s apology wasn’t for the firmware updates themselves but instead for the way they were sneaked into people’s computers. Thus, the admission from HP was that it should have communicated with its consumers better about the presence of the aftermarket cartridge blocking time bomb in its printers.
The announcement came through HP’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Jon Flaxman. Flaxman stated that the OEM will continue to restrict the use of “unauthorised cartridges”. The objective for this obviously remains the same i.e. protecting its intellectual property. Even so, Flaxman specified that “we commit to improving our communication”.
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