HP brings printers that 'talk to cloud'

NEW YORK, USA: HP on Monday unveiled a new category of web-enabled printing solutions designed for the cloud that will, for the first time, allow people to print from any email device to any new ePrint-enabled printer from anywhere in the world through the new HP ePrint platform.

The new solutions will allow one to store documents or files in the cloud and print direct when needed. Moreover, the new solutions help people transform their printers into publishing platforms from which they can customize print apps and schedule timed delivery of content — such as news from msnbc.com and Yahoo! and creative after-school activities from Disney — directly to their home or business printers, the company said in a press release.

The web enabled printers will feature HP ePrintCenter, which helps manage and customize the printing experience.

HP has announced a full suite of web-empowered e-All-in-One printers for home and business that start at a price of $99.

These will be the first printers that is able to 'talk' to the 'Google Cloud' without requiring a local proxy PC or web appliance, which means people will be able to access Google Docs, Photos and Calendar directly from their printers.

A selection of new print apps from partners such as Yahoo!, msnbc.com, Facebook, Live Nation, Crayola, Reuters, DocStoc and Picasa Web Albums also will be available.

“We are once again revolutionizing printing to make web-empowered, cloud-enabled printing the new industry standard,” said Vyomesh Joshi, executive vice president, Imaging and Printing Group, HP. “We know that our customers want an easy way to print their content, anywhere, anytime. We’re making that a reality today by giving people the power to print from any web-connected device — smartphones, iPads, netbooks and more — to any printer in our portfolio above $99.”

HP web-connected products and services are supported by a digital print advertising platform that can be leveraged by print app partners. Customers can get premium content at no additional cost and brands can add value to their audience by populating select print content with customized messages, promotions and information like coupons or local services, the release further said.

The HP ePrint platform allows people to send the files they want to print from their mobile devices. Every HP ePrint printer will have a unique simple email address that allows the sender to deliver a print the same way they would send an email message. Customers also can send documents to print through an HP ePrint mobile app on their smartphone device to a home, office or public print location such as a hotel or FedEx Office store. Customers will be able to send Microsoft Office documents, Adobe PDFs and JPEG image files, among others.