HP bets on digital image printing

Shagun Lal

SINGAPORE: Hewlett Packard has announced that it will soon be launching three new printers for the Asia Pacific market as part of its largest ever rollout of consumer products. At the HP Print Technology Tour held in Singapore last week the company also showcased the technology behind the new range, the result of three years of research and $1.2 billion investment. The new range, which will replace HP’s existing line of products in the consumer inkjet market over the next three years is geared to drive the digital imaging market mainstream. Announcing the rollout, Margaret Ong, Asia Pacific General Manager, Digital Imaging and Personal Printing said that the company had redesigned the products and supplies "to meet the need of consumers as digital imaging increasingly becomes part and parcel of how we live and work."






Out of the thirty products planned in the new rollout, the company introduced the first three launches at the Technology Tour. While the Deskjet 3820 is a 4800-optimized dpi colour printer for professional quality pictures, Deskjet 3420 is a 2400-dpi printer that offers a print speed of 8 ppm in color. The showstopper was the Deskjet 5550 printer that has an optional 6-ink cartridge that uses HP’s new PhotoRet 4 imaging to offer grain free photo quality pictures that beat traditional studio prints in consumer tests conducted by the company. The new printers will be launched in parts of the Asia Pacific region, including India over the next two-three months.





Despite the technology enhancements, the new products will be competitively priced. Rajesh Tibrewala, Asia pacific Marketing Manager, Digital Imaging and Personal Printing said, "Prices in India will be less or equal to the existing HP products in the country". While the Deskjet 3420 has an estimated street price of $ 79, the 3820 will cost approximately $99. The Deskjet 5550 will cost around $149.





The company also introduced its new ColourFast Photo Paper and HP 58 Photo inkjet cartridge, both products that are also aimed at the booming digital image printing market. HP claims that the new paper and cartridge together when used with the 5550 printer can offer images that last up to 70 years, outlasting even traditional studio prints. HP already has a 70% share of the Indian inkjet printing market and the new exercise is aimed at expanding the market and getting ready for the increasing demand for digital photo printing.