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Is HP PageWide signalling the return to the office of the inkjet?

29 000 2013

Is HP's PageWide technology marking the return to the small-business office envoronment of the inkjet printer?  In any case the specs of the HP Officejet Pro X576dw multifunction make at a very attractive product likely to step on the toes of competing laser products.

The print speed of 42 ppm in normal mode (up to 70 ppm in draft), in color or monochrome makes it one of the fastest A4 MFPs on the market as a whole.  This speed is attained by having a print head the width of the page, allowing the four colors to be deposited onto a moving sheet.  There is a full set of transmission features (scan to email or network folder, faxing), and the controller is well furnished with memory and processor power.  Mobile printing is well supported with integrated WiFi and compatibility with Apple AirPrint, HP ePrint and even Google Cloud Print.  Tablet and smartphone users will be able to find theur user accounts and print PDF documents, web pages or photos directly from their mobile device.

The high-capacity cartridges promise cheaper running costs than laser equipment for a similar cost of acquisition.  We will have to wait and see how reliable this technology turns out to be in the long term.  One of the major drawbacks of inkjets has always been the requirement to clean the printheads - a process which can use a lot of ink - to prevent the nozzles getting clogged up.  HP are recommending the device for volumes up to 4,200 pages per month.