The industry’s first multi-function printer (MFP) using Edgeline printhead technology was officially launched today in Sydney – an HP-developed technology which the company claims will not only save business massive costs on printing, but is also much friendlier for the environment than any laser printer on the market.
Two HP Edgeline models – HP CM8060 and HP CM8050 – are currently being trialled through three channel partners, Commander Australia Limited, Data#3 and ImageTech, serving a potential $32 billion market, said HP Imaging and Printing Group commercial and enterprise manager, Luke Duggan, at today’s event.
“This is going to be huge for HP,” he said.
The printers rely on “chemistry rather than heat” to fuse images and texts to the paper, meaning the machines run on less heat and therefore output less greenhouse emissions and use 30 per cent less power, according to Duggan.
Four colour ink cartridges join a separate cartridge full of bonding agent which coats the paper and acts as a fastener for the ink, in contrast to the way a laser printer uses heat to burn text and images into the paper.
All the plastic covers on the two Edgeline printers are fully-recyclable, and the innards are made of stainless steel which is designed to last a lifetime. The printers also use HP rather than third-party technology end-to-end meaning HP has complete control over commercial aspects of the printer, such as pricing and distribution.
HP’s deals with its three channel partners will be reviewed in April and May next year, but Duggan is confident that the company chose its representatives well. However, reportedly the company will be receptive to new channel bids.
“It’s about picking resellers who have the right specialties. We researched this intensively,” said Duggan.
According to an IDC representative at the launch, MFPs should experience double digit growth in the coming year, with 20,000 units currently sold per month.
HP has sold “several hundred” units in Australia and New Zealand since the product’s soft launch in March, to an array of customers including government agencies, large construction firms, SMBs and retail photo kiosks.
Customers pay per page printed rather than for the Edgeline printer itself – a price which varies according to the customer’s needs – and service and spare parts are part of the deal.
According to HP research, the market is now printing five times as more pages than it is photocopying, with colour-page-printing estimated to grow 80 per cent in the period between 2004 and 2009 while mono-printing has grown only 4 per cent on normal printers, in contrast to printing on MFPs which is expected to grow a massive 400 per cent for colour versus a decline of mono-printing.