HP has announced its line-up of printers for FESPA Digital in Hall 3, including the first showing at a major international exhibition of the new HP Designjet L28500 and HP Designjet L26500 Printers that use HP Latex Inks, and offer a broader range of indoor and outdoor signage.

In a comprehensive display that extends beyond the exhibition hall, HP will present a range of its printers for flexible and rigid applications both on its stand and at its GSB Experience Center in nearby San Cugat. Visitors to the stand will find examples of new applications that can enable print service providers (PSPs) to develop new revenue streams and grow their businesses.

Adding value to the visitor experience, HP will be demonstrating the full Sign and Display portfolio (including the new HP Scitex FB7600 Industrial Press, the HP Scitex TJ8600 Industrial Press and HP Scitex XP series printers) at its GSB Experience Center- just 25 minutes away. A shuttle service will be in operation throughout the show.

The 2.64m HP Designjet L28500 Printer, launched in November, delivers speeds up to 70 per cent faster(1) than the HP Designjet L25500 Printer, while the 1.55m HP Designjet L26500 Printer is ideal for customers entering the growing soft-signage market.(2)

Both systems feature new HP 792 Latex Designjet Inks, which produce rich blacks and glossy results on banners and self-adhesive vinyl, and offer double-sided printing capabilities(3) with less user intervention and more accurate, automated registration.

Also on show from the HP Latex printing range is the established 3.2m HP Scitex LX850 Industrial Printer, a production solution that delivers maximum versatility and productivity with multiple workflow features, including dual-roll, roll-to-free fall and roll-to-collector handling and an ink collector.

Along with the printers using HP Latex Inks, there will be information and advice available to help PSPs reduce their environmental footprints.

Tools for growth
Among other versatile printers on the stand are:

•     The HP Scitex FB700 Printer helps PSPs increase their capacity to fulfil customer requests and grow their businesses with high-quality prints on virtually any rigid or flexible media(4) using UV-curable inks. The FB700 prints on materials up to 64mm thick and up to 2.5m wide by 3.05m long(5) for the production of durable outdoor and indoor applications, including point-of-purchase displays, tradeshow graphics, interior decorations, banners and furniture. An optional White Ink Upgrade Kit for specialty applications is also available.

•     The HP Designjet Z6200 Photo Printer with HP Vivid Photo Inks, delivers high-quality output and the highest speeds of large format printers in its price class.(6) With chromatic red, HP Vivid Photo Inks offer a wide colour gamut with vibrant colour and deep rich blacks and uniform gloss, enabling PSPs to expand their offering to include top photo-quality prints.

•     The HP Designjet Z5200 PostScript Printer - a simple, affordable device for small commercial print businesses interested in entering the large-format market. Suited for a broad range of applications, the 1120mm printer includes HP Instant Printing Pro software that offers fast, easy file preparation and automates production tasks. The printer is compatible with new ColorPRO papers that produce striking, cost-effective everyday prints.

HP personnel will be on the stand to provide information on high-end production devices like the new HP Scitex FB7600 Industrial Press that features new HP FB225 Scitex Inks, workflow improvements for increased productivity and versatility and an optional multi-sheet loader. A video will focus on the capabilities and versatility of the HP Scitex FB7600 Industrial Press to enable PSPs to evaluate its potential for their businesses. Delivering power production capabilities with speeds up to 95 full boards per hour and a new POP print mode that images 55 full boards per hour with indoor quality, the HP Scitex FB7600 Industrial Press offers a variety of enhancements to accelerate throughput on a wide range of flexible and rigid media.

Special focus areas on the stand will provide business-building advice and examples of applications that will show PSPs how to expand their services into areas of interior decor and textile printing, as well as their environmental programmes.

(1) The HP Designjet L28500 and L26500 Printers produce an extremely broad range of both outdoor and indoor applications from a single device, which surpasses the number of different applications that traditional eco-solvent printers or water-based printers can produce. The HP Designjet L28500 Printer achieves speeds up to 70 per cent faster than the HP Designjet L26500 and L25500 Printers .
(2) For best results, print on media that does not let the ink trespass onto the printer. Performance may vary depending on media. Users should consult their media supplier for compatibility details.
(3) For best results use media options intended for double-sided printing.
(4) Flexible media printing with an optional HP Scitex FB700 Roll-to-Roll Upgrade Kit.
(5) HP Scitex FB700 Extension Tables are required for long materials. Two sets are required for printing materials up to 3.05m (120in) long.
(6) Based on published manufacturer specifications as of June 2010.

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From March 13 to 15, 2012, TSC Auto ID EMEA Technology GmbH will be at LogiMAT 2012 in Stuttgart to present their latest product development, the Alpha-3R portable label printer, for the first time in Germany. This superlight 550 g printer has a variety of attractive standard and high-performance features that simply cannot be found in comparable printers in its class. TSC Auto ID will also be presenting its TTP-2410M Pro series, which is based on the familiar best-selling TTP-2410M and guarantees top performance in industrial thermal transfer printing.

With the new Alpha-3R portable thermal direct printer, TSC Auto ID is setting yet another new highlight. The Alpha-3R prints a maximum print length of 2268 mm (more than twice that of a comparable model from the competition!) and at a print speed of 100 mm/sec and a resolution of 203 dpi, for razor-sharp labels with a printed width of up to 80 mm. That makes the Alpha-3R perfect for many requirements in commerce, in sales, in the warehouse, in production or in transportation - but also in the public arena such as the police, fire-fighters or clinical uses. 8 MB DRAM and 4 MB of Flash memory provide plenty of storage capacity. USB 2.0 is integrated by default, along with the programming languages TSPL-EZ (EPL2, ZPL2) and CPCL.

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Today only, and while supplies last, Amazon has the Epson Stylus NX530 multifunction printer for $59.99 shipped. Like all good printers, this one's wireless. In other words, it connects via Wi-Fi to your home or office router, meaning you can place the stylus just about anywhere and use it from any network-connected PC (or Android or iOS device, thanks to Epson's free iPrint app).

The NX530 prints, scans, and copies. If you need fax capabilities, you'll need to look elsewhere. Amazingly, this model offers double-sided printing, which is great for saving paper. It also sports a 2.5-inch color LCD, memory-card slots for PC-free photo printing, a 150-sheet paper tray, and a four-cartridge ink system. And you'll be glad to know that remanufactured cartridges are available for this model, which uses Epson 125 ink. I haven't found any notable reviews of the NX530, but the dozen or so user reviews on Amazon suggest a speedy, well-rounded, and generally quite good printer.

One noteworthy complaint is that you can't scan (or do anything else) when there's an empty ink cartridge, something I've noticed as well with my higher-end Epson WorkForce 840. That's really annoying, but easy enough to remedy if you keep extra ink on hand.

For 60 bucks out the door, I think this feature-packed MFP is hard to beat. Your thoughts?
Bonus deal: Also today only, and also while supplies last, Mobile Daily Steals has the refurbished TomTom XL550 5-inch GPS for $59.99, plus $4.99 for shipping. That may just be the lowest price to date on a 5-inch navigation system. And although it's refurbished, TomTom backs it with a six-month warranty and lets you download one map update.

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Epson has expanded its K-series monochrome inkjet printers with the New Epson K300 – an all in one monochrome printer with an auto document feeder (ADF).

These new mono inkjet printers have been designed to outperform mono laser printers for users who only need to print black and white documents at low cost per page. The Epson K-series consists of a single function model: the Epson K100, an all-in-one model: the K200, and now, the Epson K300 all-in-one with an automatic document feeder.

Key Features of the Epson K-Series
Low cost per page – the Epson K-series printers offer users one of the lowest cost per page (cpp) of any monochrome cartridge-based printer at only 0.60 paise. This cost per page is up to 70% lower than original toner used by laser printers of similar price.

Built in duplexer helps save paper – The new printers both feature a built in duplexer that helps users conveniently save money by printing on both sides of the paper. High printing speed – With a default ISO print speed of 16 pages per minute (ppm), the new printers are as fast as laser printers in default mode. They are even faster than laser printersin their draft mode that can reach a very high 37ppm to help consumers get their documents quickly in urgent situations or when printing quick reference material.

Better print quality and flexible media – The Epson DURABrite Ultra black pigment ink used by the new printers produce sharp text and better grayscale graphic prints on plain paper. Prints are also smudge, fade and water-resistant. In addition to plain paper, the printers can also print on a wide range of media that laser printers cannot – such as thick craft paper, cardboard and specialty media.

Built in Ethernet – The Epson K-series printers feature built in Ethernet connectivity that allows them to be conveniently shared on a computer network.

70% lower power consumption than laser printers – These printers use Epson’s highly reliable Micro Piezo print head that lasts the life of the printer and uses up to 70% less power than conventional laser printers, helping their users save on power costs.

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There's a serious security vulnerability on some HP LaserJet printers. The good news is that it's been patched. The bad news is that you don't know if your HP LaserJet printer needs the fix - because HP hasn't told you. Late last year, owners of HP LaserJet printers were warned that their confidential data could be at risk, because of a security vulnerability in the devices.

Researchers at Columbia University demonstrated to reporters that it was possible for remote hackers to install malicious firmware on certain HP printers, without the owner necessarily realising that they were under attack. Although there was speculation that affected printers could also be fire hazards, that fear appears to have been overhyped - but there were genuine security concerns raised by the vulnerability.

The normal convention for companies disclosing a flaw, is to document which products are affected and what the risks are if the vulnerability is not patched. That, after all, is useful information for customers and helps them decide if they need to take action.

HP, however, hasn't provided any details in their press release about which printers are impacted by the vulnerability - which means that you don't know if you need to update your printer's driver or not. Instead, HP recommends that LaserJet owners visit www.hp.com/support and select "Drivers".

Imagine the millions of people who could waste their time, looking for a driver update when it might be that their printer doesn't require one. Wouldn't it have been easy and much *better* for HP to have been a little more open about which of their products suffer from the security issue?

My suspicion is, sadly, that HP's lack of information and low key response to the security vulnerability will simply mean that many LaserJet owners will be blissfully unaware that they could be at risk, and won't look for a security update. Be honest - if you have an HP LaserJet, have you gone looking for a firmware update since December 23rd?

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Hewlett-Packard has released a firmware update it says will fix a susceptibility in some of the company's popular LaserJet printers that researchers said could allow hackers to remotely take control of the devices.
In November, MSNBC reported a team of researchers from Columbia University discovered that some Hewlett-Packard LaserJet printers, and possibly similar devices, did not verify software upgrades contained within so-called remote firmware updates. The researchers were able to offer firmware updates that included malicious software and then take control of the printer.

Once the researchers were able to take control of HP printers, they were able to accomplish a host of potentially dangerous tasks. They said they could print a tax return while sending a copy to a hacker's remote computer, compromising personal information; easily disable printers; and even command a printer to continuously heat up its ink-drying component until it set on fire. The company issued a statement after the report was released vehemently denying that printers could be commanded to burst into flames and saying ''no customer has reported unauthorised access'', but it did admit there was a flaw.

''HP has identified a potential security vulnerability with some HP LaserJet printers ...  if placed on a public internet without a firewall. In a private network, some printers may be vulnerable if a malicious effort is made to modify the firmware of the device by a trusted party on the network,'' the statement read. On December 23, HP issued a news release reiterating that no customers had reported unauthorised access to their LaserJet printers, and offered a firmware update that the company said would ''mitigate this issue''. The update is available on the company's support website, in the ''Drivers'' category. Researchers warned that if a hacker had gained control of a printer in this manner, however, there would be no way to reverse the process.

''If and when HP rolls out a fix, if a printer is already compromised, the fix would be completely ineffective. Once you own the firmware, you own it forever. That's why this problem is so serious, and so different,'' a researcher, Ang Cui, said. ''This is nothing like fixing a virus on your PC.''Hewlett-Packard recommends placing printers behind a firewall to protect exposure to remote hacks and disabling remote firmware upload capabilities on exposed printers.

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The good: The Canon Pixma MG6220's Intelligent Touch System gets high marks for design and utility, and the Printable Disc Tray adds CD and DVD printing to this all-in-one's generous list of features.

The bad: The oversensitive virtual buttons make it too easy to active the wrong function.

The bottom line: Unique features like HD Movie Print, CD/DVD printing, and Apple AirPrint compatibility make the Canon Pixma MG6220 a no-brainer for amateur photographers, families, and home offices.
Canon's new Pixma MG6220 multifunction printer carries an impressive list of features compared with other consumer-level printers that sell for $200. This capable machine achieves top-scoring marks in both speed and output quality, but also innovates with features you can't get with the competition, like a 3-inch display that pairs well with the touch-sensitive control panel. The touch sensitivity can use some tweaking, but if you're on the hunt for a printer truly worthy of its all-in-one moniker, the Canon Pixma MG6220 won't disappoint.

Design
The Pixma MG6220 features a thin shape and a unique design that incorporates folding trays to keep the footprint small. The printer measures 18.5 inches wide, 14.5 inches deep, and just under 7 inches tall with both front and rear trays folded. It also weighs slightly more than average at 20.1 pounds due to the rear-mounted ADF and the six internal ink tanks, but it should still be relatively easy for anyone to transport around the home or office.

The far left side of the printer houses the only hard button for power. Touch-sensitive virtual buttons for copy, scan, and print controls light up the top-mounted interactive panel when you initially hit the hard power button, but the printer only illuminates the commands necessary for each function once you select a print mode. This feature helps eliminate confusion typical of heavily populated control panels.
The MG6220 will always display the "home" and "back" navigation buttons regardless of which application you access (print, copy, scan), but you can also scroll through the menus and adjust the number of print copies using the active touch wheel. Finally, an ample 3-inch color LCD screen lifts up from the middle and tilts 90 degrees forward and back to allow visibility no matter where the printer sits in relation to the user.

The new "as-needed" buttons are useful and easy to use, but I hope the next version will let you adjust sensitivity settings. The fixed setting is so sensitive that a quick swipe can easily trigger an accidental press, and even hovering your finger over the sensor can activate it.

Dual 150-sheet paper trays fold out of the top and bottom of the MG6220 and adjust forward and backward to accept a range of paper sizes from 4-inch-by-6-inch snapshots all the way up to legal-size sheets. The 300-sheet overall paper capacity means you can put different-sized media in both compartments, but the trays themselves both feel easily breakable; I can't vouch for their durability over time and continued use.

The MG6220 can also print labels for your blank CD and DVDs using the extra feed tray included in the box. Canon calls it the Printable Disc tray, and it even has notches that fit full-size CDs as well as mini-media, but the special slot located just above the paper output tray can only accept one disc at a time. Regardless, the process is easy to use thanks to Canon's free label-printing software (included) that lets you design and print your own stickers.

Setting up the printer is simple no matter how you choose to connect it to a computer, and the installation disc offers onscreen instructions that guide you through three connectivity options using either 802.11 b/g/n wireless, an Ethernet cable, or a simple USB cord. You can choose Easy Install to grab everything, or pick Custom Install for a-la-carte features, including Easy-PhotoPrint EX for managing your digital photos, MP Navigator EX to guide you through the scanning process, and more. Keep in mind you'll need 691 megabytes of free hard drive space on your computer if you go with the comprehensive Easy Install.
Once Easy Installation is complete, Windows users will notice several new buttons displayed above the taskbar on the lower right side of the screen. These shortcuts are designed to give you quick access to five of the most commonly used printer functions: Scan a document, Layout print, Photo Print, Show Main Screen, and Hide.

The MG6220 also includes Canon's HD Movie Print that pulls still photos out of videos shot with compatible Canon HD video cameras. I tested the printer with a Canon Powershot S95 top-flight handheld camera and was impressed with the Canon Solution Menu EX software's step-by-step walkthrough instructions.

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The overall ANZ printer market recorded a decline in unit shipments by 7% year-on-year (YoY) and 20% sequentially during Q3. Weak business and consumer sentiment as a consequence of the global economic outlook exacerbated by European sovereign debt issues and the introduction of the carbon tax in Australia made up a difficult economic environment. Although print vendors continued the usual price discounting to encourage sell-through during the quarter, this was not enough to fuel growth in end user demand in the print market. Cautiousness prevailed and therefore spending was very conservative.

The inkjet printer market posted about 389,000 units in Q3 and declined by 12% YoY. "The lacklustre quarter was propelled by an extremely strong channel uptake in Q2 leading to stock surplus and reduced number of deals in the commercial space,” said IDC Market Analyst, Arunachalam Muthiah.

Laser printers, on the other hand, grew 4% YoY, achieving 200,000 units. Aggressive promotional efforts by Fuji Xerox Printer (FXP) mainly contributed to this growth which falsely depicts healthy demand from end users.

"Q3 was all about supply-side push and who will win the aggressive pricing battle,” said IDC Market Analyst, Cheryl Looi. "This is particularly evident in FXP’s go-to-market strategy, which was focused on differentiating themselves with steeper-than-usual price discounts. Particularly in Australia, this has resulted in Brother and Samsung losing sales to FXP in entry-level laser printer range.”  

As for the ink and toner supplies, IDC has reported that the ANZ market has grown by 5% sequentially and 3% year on year. "Although vendors are being aggressive in the market, a fragile business environment has led to a very cautious spending pattern by businesses. A widespread concern exists within the market that a lot more consumers are shifting to compatible products for the obvious price advantage", said Avtar Ram Singh, Peripherals Analyst at IDC.

IDC expects a final round of aggressive price promotions to persist throughout Q4 2011.  "Vendors who are able to provide channels with higher profit margin and emphasise on passing the extra savings to end users, will have a higher chance of gaining wallet share in the Christmas period,” concluded Looi.

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Kodak? In the workplace? I know it seems odd, especially as you’ll be printing documents, not photographs. But the latest top-of-the-range printer from Kodak is one of those rare marvels, a machine from a consumer-orientated company which serves small businesses well and arguably better than some bigger products aimed specifically at enterprise use.

Of course, it’s great for photographic prints, delivering strong results from glossy photo paper, for instance. But it also includes a proficient scanner that is worth a mention. Where some scanners involve downloading the results to your PC, with some set-up headaches to persuade printer and computer to play along, the Hero 6.1 also allows you to save the scan direct to a USB stick, which is very handy. Of course, it also works as a photocopier and even a fax. What’s different about this machine is the way Kodak has taken the business model for printers and turned it on its head.

Usually printers are sold cheap, even at a loss, and the manufacturers make their money back from super-pricey ink cartridges. This printer comes at a higher price, and Kodak promises it has the lowest ink costs of any brand. Black ink refills retail for £6.99, promising 425 pages, colour for £12.99, for about as many pages. And unlike most printers which come with “starter” cartridges to make sure you have to visit the refill store soon, the Kodak arrives with full standard cartridges.

The initial cost is still affordable, mind you. What’s more, if you’re happy to manage without faxing capabilities, the Hero 5.1 costs £100. Alternatively, there’s the Hero 9.1 which is similar to this model but charges a premium for a touchscreen display instead of colour LCD and buttons, for £199. It’s a shame there is only one colour cartridge with all colour inks in instead of the single colour cartridges many printers have. This is doubtless part of the plan to keep costs down by reducing the number of cartridges, but it may mean you have to throw some ink away, which is never good. The balance of low ink costs, strong print quality and easy set-up – even for wi-fi – make this something of a bargain.

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Focused on the small and medium enterprise marketplace, Epson has announced a new range of WorkForce Pro multifunction printers. The devices can cut printing costs by up to 50% per page and reduce power consumption by up to 70% over comparable colour laser printers, and are faster than comparable inkjet printers.

Epson is known for high quality printing for photographers and home users, but this range is squarely focused on the features that a productive small office would require.

The Epson WorkForce Pro WP-4540, WP-4530 feature super fast automatic two-sided printing - up to 53% faster than comparable inkjet models in duplex printing mode and 15% faster during single sided printing, remote and mobile printing, and use up to 70% less power than laser printers.

"Designed with the busy small office front of mind, these printers will enhance workflow efficiency and add dollars to the bottom line - a welcome return for all small business owners and managers," said Mike Pleasants, Director of Marketing Communications for Epson Australia.

"The WorkForce Pro range adds some very business-like features for high print volume multitasking offices, such as included auto duplexer for two sided printing, scanning, faxing and copying, extra large ink cartridges to ensure fewer changes, and a very robust duty cycle of up to 20,000 pages," said Mr Pleasants.

"This is a serious and profitable addition to our successful home office and small business range of inkjet printers, with some very obvious speed and low cost advantages over the traditional office laser printer."

Key features
- Super Fast auto two-sided print speeds
- Ultra efficient paper handling
- High-speed faxing
- Higher capacity cartridges, so you change cartridges less often
- Built-in wireless networking
- Convenient scanning features
- Laser sharp text and vibrant graphics

Pricing starts from $499 at leading retailers.

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