HP's New Chipped Printers Showcased at COMDEX
December 1, 2002
Hewlett-Packard showed off several new printers at the recent COMDEX Fall 2002 trade show in Las Vegas. The five main printers on display included products from the laser, inkjet and MFP lines — all of which contained chips.
HP Business Inkjet 3000
HP boasts that the Business Inkjet 3000 series printers have the company's lowest color cost per page, at 7.9 cents per page color (20 percent coverage) and 1.9 cents per page black (5 percent coverage). The 3000 has a "laser-like" look and printing speeds of 14 ppm for black and 8 ppm for color with a capacity to handle up to 700 sheets of paper. These printers use four separate chipped cartridges (CMYK) and have print heads that are separate from the cartridge. The base price is $799 and ranges up to $1,299.
HP Color LaserJet 2500
The HP 2500 is HP's first color laser printer that starts at under $1,000. From its engine to its appearance, it is very different from other printers in the HP line. With a base price of $999, and versions that go up to $1,899, this printer will likely be popular as an entry-level color laser. This printer has its four toner cartridges on a rotating wheel with a separate drum unit; this requires multiple passes, offering 16 ppm for black, but only 4 ppm for color. It has an instant-on fuser, and all of the cartridges contain new chip technology -- similar to 4600. Reports indicate per-page costs of 2.4 cents for black and 12 cents for color.
HP LaserJet 4200/4300
The HP 4200/4300 printers are intended to be the monochrome workhorses that will replace the 4100. Part of the reason they are likely to be popular is that they have faster print speeds -- the 4200 prints at 35 ppm and the 4300 prints at 45 ppm, as compared to the 4100's 25 ppm. The cartridges, though, also contain the new generation of chips. The pricing for this series ranges from $1,099 to $2,625. Also note that flyers HP was distributing at COMDEX advertised that "the new HP LaserJet 4100mfp just dropped in price from $2,999 to only $1,999."
HP Color LaserJet 4600
Introduced in the summer of 2002, the 4600 series workgroup printers feature single-pass color technology. They feature four (CMYK) toner/roller all-in-one cartridges that have "smart printing supplies" -- i.e., chips using technology similar to that of the 4100. The black cartridges are rated for 9,000 pages and the color cartridges do 8,000 pages at 5 percent. HP claims these printers have "the same speed as black and white" at 17 ppm. HP's similar 5500 (not shown at Comdex) is a wide-format color printer and boasts 21 ppm for letter size, with 13,000-page black cartridges and 12,000-page color cartridges.
HP LaserJet 9000mfp
While not a new item (it was introduced in March 2002), HP had its 9000mfp on display at COMDEX. The machine offers scan-to-e-mail capabilities and 50-ppm monochrome printing. With a chip that is similar to the existing 9000 printer, the HP lists the "Estimated U.S. Street Price" as $12,051, down from $13,999 at its introduction.
All prices and information from HP's selection guide dated Nov. 1, 2002, to Jan. 31, 2002.
