Hewlet Packard have just released the Officejet Pro 8500 series of multifunction printers. The HP 8500 performs printing, copying, scanning and faxing duties - all in color. There are a total of 3 variations in the range - the A909a, the A909g and the A909n - each offering progressively better features.
The sales pitch from HP is that the 8500 is for "customers who want laser speeds at as little as half the price". The press release then goes on to say that it's an inkjet printer offering "professional color document quality at laser-comparable speeds". The justification is a cost saving of up to 50 percent per page when compared to equivalent laser printers.
Print technology used in the Officejet Pro 8500 is a HP Thermal Inkjet from 4 individual ink cartridges (black, cyan, magenta and yellow). Print speeds are quoted 15 pages per minute for black and white laser quality and 11 pages per minute for color. Maximum speed is 35 ppm in monochrome.
Input paper capacity is 250 sheets in the standard paper try, although an additional paper tray can be added taking the capacity up to 500 sheets (this is standard on the A909n "Premier" model). Automatic duplex printing is standard on all models.
Connectivity is achieved through a (wired) ethernet network connection, USB 2.0 or a PictPridge interface if you have a digital camera with this capability. The HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless (A909g) and Premier (A909n) comes with wireless 802.11 b/g capability as standard.
As with most all in one printers, there is a flatbed scanner built into the top of the unit. A nice touch (in the A909g and A909n models) is the scan size of 8.5 x 14 inches (the A909a only does 8.5 x 11 inch). Optical scan resolution is up to 4,800 dpi. An automatic document feeder is a standard feature with a capacity of 35 sheets for the base model and 50 sheets for the 2 higher models.
The photocopier runs at over 30 copies per minute in both black and white and color and does enlarging and reduction of anywhere from 25% to 400% of the original size.
The fax machine does all of the standard stuff like delayed sending, forwarding and broadcast (up to 48 locations). The fax has a 125 page memory and speed dial capability which stores up to 99 numbers.
This line up of multi-function printers is aimed at the small to medium business market. At around $400 for the wireless model, it's not one of the cheaper MFP's around, but if Hewlett Packard's claim of cheaper running costs is true, then the HP Officejet Pro 8500 could be a more economical buy in the long run.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Samsung SCX-4521F All In One Laser Printer
The SCX-4521F is at the cheaper end of Samsung's all in one printer range. But even though at that price point it's aimed at small office or home office user, it still offers a reasonably rich set of features. The Samsung SCX-4521F is a 4 in 1 multifunction printer - it prints, scans, copies and faxes.
Printing
The SCX-4521F is a monochrome (black and white) laser printer. The print speed is quoted at 20 pages per minute and the print resolution is 600 x 600 dpi. The paper input tray has a capacity of 150 sheets and doesn't appear to be expandable. That should be fine for average home use and even low volume office use, but probably indicates that the printer was not designed with high workloads in mind. Also, as far as I can tell, there is no option to add on a duplexer unit.
Connectivity is achieved via a USB 2.0 interface or parallel port - no networking capability.
Scanning
A flatbed scanner is built into the top of the unit. Scanning is done in color at 600 dpi (or 4,800 dpi in enhanced mode). It also comes with OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software. This can be used to scan text documents into an editable rich text format. An automatic document feeder (ADF) with a 30 sheet capacity sits on top of the scanner.
Photcopying
The copier provides all of the basic functions you would expect. You can zoom anywhere from 25% to 400%. And the ADF makes copying multiple page documents easier.
Faxing
Faxing can be done either directly via the automatic document feeder, or you can use the SmarThru software to send a fax directly from your PC (but you can't receive directly on your PC).
The SCX-4521F is relatively compact for an all in one printer with dimension of 374mm x 438mm x 368mm and reasonably light at around 10 kg.
Samsung SCX-4521F reviews from customers are mostly positive. There are a few minor gripes about the automatic document feeder and about paper jams, but on the whole most buyers are very happy.
Printing
The SCX-4521F is a monochrome (black and white) laser printer. The print speed is quoted at 20 pages per minute and the print resolution is 600 x 600 dpi. The paper input tray has a capacity of 150 sheets and doesn't appear to be expandable. That should be fine for average home use and even low volume office use, but probably indicates that the printer was not designed with high workloads in mind. Also, as far as I can tell, there is no option to add on a duplexer unit.
Connectivity is achieved via a USB 2.0 interface or parallel port - no networking capability.
Scanning
A flatbed scanner is built into the top of the unit. Scanning is done in color at 600 dpi (or 4,800 dpi in enhanced mode). It also comes with OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software. This can be used to scan text documents into an editable rich text format. An automatic document feeder (ADF) with a 30 sheet capacity sits on top of the scanner.
Photcopying
The copier provides all of the basic functions you would expect. You can zoom anywhere from 25% to 400%. And the ADF makes copying multiple page documents easier.
Faxing
Faxing can be done either directly via the automatic document feeder, or you can use the SmarThru software to send a fax directly from your PC (but you can't receive directly on your PC).
The SCX-4521F is relatively compact for an all in one printer with dimension of 374mm x 438mm x 368mm and reasonably light at around 10 kg.
Samsung SCX-4521F reviews from customers are mostly positive. There are a few minor gripes about the automatic document feeder and about paper jams, but on the whole most buyers are very happy.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
The World's Smallest Printer?
Could the PrintBrush printer from PrintDreams be the world's smallest printer?
Even though this printer weighs only 250 grams and is about the size of a stapler, the PrintBrush can print up to A4 sized documents. If you don't believe me, check out this video.
Apparently this device uses something called RMPT or Random Movement Print Technology. You use it by 'brushing' the printer across your paper (or any printable surface really) with the RMPT logic working out what to print where based on the movement of your hand.
The PrintBrush uses injet technology to print in black and white at 600 dpi and supports bluetooth and USB connections.
Apart from the novelty value, you could imagine this device will have many commercial uses. I would imagine that warehousing and logistics functions could be simplified with the ability to print bar codes and consignment information directly onto most surfaces.
According to the PrintDreams website, the PrintBrush will be available around the end of this year and will retail for around $200.
Even though this printer weighs only 250 grams and is about the size of a stapler, the PrintBrush can print up to A4 sized documents. If you don't believe me, check out this video.
Apparently this device uses something called RMPT or Random Movement Print Technology. You use it by 'brushing' the printer across your paper (or any printable surface really) with the RMPT logic working out what to print where based on the movement of your hand.
The PrintBrush uses injet technology to print in black and white at 600 dpi and supports bluetooth and USB connections.
Apart from the novelty value, you could imagine this device will have many commercial uses. I would imagine that warehousing and logistics functions could be simplified with the ability to print bar codes and consignment information directly onto most surfaces.
According to the PrintDreams website, the PrintBrush will be available around the end of this year and will retail for around $200.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
HP Officejet All In One Multi-Function Printers
The Hewlett Packard range of all-in-one printers is an impressive lineup. Anyone who has made any effort to compare all in one printers will know that HP make staggering number of models in this market segment. So in an effort to untangle all of the model names and features, I thought I'd put together this article on the HP Officejet AIO range.
All of these Officejet multifunction devices are 4-in-1's. They all print, scan, copy and fax (all in color), which is what you'd expect in a printer aimed at the small office market - the ability to do a little of everything.
The least expensive model is the J3680. As you would expect, it has less features than some of the others, but does have one very useful feature - a built in phone. It makes a lot of since when you think about it. For a small office, or perhaps a home office, where space is often at a premium, it's ideal.
Next up is the HP Officejet J4580. The print speed is a little quicker than the J3680 and the copy function is faster all well. The J4580 and each of the subsequent models int this review all have flat bed scanners, while the J3680 is a sheetfed model.
The Officejet J4680 offers a wireless networking capability to distinguish itself from the cheaper models. The fax unit also stores more pages and has a few more speed dial numbers available.
Another step up is the HP Officejet 6310 multifunction printer offering slightly faster printing and copying again. It also provides direct photo printing functionality through memory card slots and a PictBridge (USB 2.0) interface. Ethernet is standard and wireless connectivity is available through an optional bluetooth adapter.
The J6480 offers both wireless and ethernet connectivity as standard. It also has slightly faster print and copy speeds than the models above and a greater capacity in the input paper tray. It supports direct photo printing via memory card slots but is missing the PictBridge interface. Unlike the above models, the J6480 (as do each of the remaining models) offers duplex printing as standard.
A step up again in speed of printing and copying is the HP Officejet Pro L7590 all-in-one printer. Although there is no wireless capability in the L7590, it does offer ethernet, supports common memory card formats and PictPridge capability.
In addition to features offered by the models alreadys discussed, the HP Officejet Pro L7680 also has a 2.4 inch color LCD screen. But like the L7590, there is no wireless connectivity.
Last, and most expensive, is the HP Officejet Pro L7780 Color All-in-One Printer, Fax, Scanner & Copier. This one has all the bells and whistles, including wireless and a much larger paper capacity through a second input paper tray.
All of these Officejet multifunction devices are 4-in-1's. They all print, scan, copy and fax (all in color), which is what you'd expect in a printer aimed at the small office market - the ability to do a little of everything.
The least expensive model is the J3680. As you would expect, it has less features than some of the others, but does have one very useful feature - a built in phone. It makes a lot of since when you think about it. For a small office, or perhaps a home office, where space is often at a premium, it's ideal.
Next up is the HP Officejet J4580. The print speed is a little quicker than the J3680 and the copy function is faster all well. The J4580 and each of the subsequent models int this review all have flat bed scanners, while the J3680 is a sheetfed model.
The Officejet J4680 offers a wireless networking capability to distinguish itself from the cheaper models. The fax unit also stores more pages and has a few more speed dial numbers available.
Another step up is the HP Officejet 6310 multifunction printer offering slightly faster printing and copying again. It also provides direct photo printing functionality through memory card slots and a PictBridge (USB 2.0) interface. Ethernet is standard and wireless connectivity is available through an optional bluetooth adapter.
The J6480 offers both wireless and ethernet connectivity as standard. It also has slightly faster print and copy speeds than the models above and a greater capacity in the input paper tray. It supports direct photo printing via memory card slots but is missing the PictBridge interface. Unlike the above models, the J6480 (as do each of the remaining models) offers duplex printing as standard.
A step up again in speed of printing and copying is the HP Officejet Pro L7590 all-in-one printer. Although there is no wireless capability in the L7590, it does offer ethernet, supports common memory card formats and PictPridge capability.
In addition to features offered by the models alreadys discussed, the HP Officejet Pro L7680 also has a 2.4 inch color LCD screen. But like the L7590, there is no wireless connectivity.
Last, and most expensive, is the HP Officejet Pro L7780 Color All-in-One Printer, Fax, Scanner & Copier. This one has all the bells and whistles, including wireless and a much larger paper capacity through a second input paper tray.
HP Officejet 6310 Multifunction Color Inkjet Printer
Like many HP all in one printers, the Officejet 6310 is packed with features. This 4-in-1 combines scanning, copying and faxing with its photo and document printing capabilities - all in color. Rounded out with an automatic document feeder and network connectivity, the Officejet 6310 becomes a useful addition to a small office (or home office) environment.
In addition to the ethernet adapter, the 6310 also has a USB 2.0 interface. These options provide the flexibility of having a standalone printer connected directly to your PC or Mac (through USB) or of having a network enabled printer for shared use among multiple machines. HP 6310 wireless support is available through an optional bluetooth adapter.
There is also an option to plug in most of the popular memory cards (SD, MMC, CompactFlash, etc) or to connect via PictBridge (from compatible digital cameras) to enable photo printing without having to go through your computer. The only drawback here is that there's no ability to preview photos directly on the printer - you'll need to print out a photo index.
The maximum resolution is 4,800 x 1,200 dpi and top printing speed comes in at 30 pages per minute in black and white and 24 in color.
The Officejet 6310 uses 2 ink cartridges - one black and one tricolor (yellow, magenta and cyan). You can replace the black cartridge with an additional tricolor ink cartridge for printing 6-color photographs or with a gray photo cartridge (three shades of gray) for black and white photos.
Customer feedback on print quality is mixed. Most seem happy with the photo quality, taking into account the fact that this is an all-in-one printer and not a dedicated photo printer. However a number of consumers have expressed concern about the print quality of some fonts when printing text. Others say that the HP 6310 manual is not up to scratch.
Scanning is made easier with the addition of the automatic document feeder. The ADF holds 35 pages and also comes in handy for copying and faxing. The scanner is a flatbed type suitable for scanning documents up to A4 size at a resolution of up to 2,400 dpi.
The photocopier will do black and white copies at up to 30 copies per minute with color being a little slower. Copies can be scaled by between 25% to 400% of the original size.
The fax unit has a memory capacity for up to one hundred pages and there is a speed dial function which holds up to 100 numbers. One of the things I like about HP's 6310 fax machine is the junk fax barrier. Using this function will prevent printing of faxes from a predetermined set of numbers which you can set.
The only other feature which would be nice to have is a duplex unit. As far as I can tell there is none available - even as an option.
As with most of these products, prices can (and do) vary greatly. I have seen the HP Officejet 6310 all in one printer available for under $100 but that may have been with some sort of rebate.
In addition to the ethernet adapter, the 6310 also has a USB 2.0 interface. These options provide the flexibility of having a standalone printer connected directly to your PC or Mac (through USB) or of having a network enabled printer for shared use among multiple machines. HP 6310 wireless support is available through an optional bluetooth adapter.
There is also an option to plug in most of the popular memory cards (SD, MMC, CompactFlash, etc) or to connect via PictBridge (from compatible digital cameras) to enable photo printing without having to go through your computer. The only drawback here is that there's no ability to preview photos directly on the printer - you'll need to print out a photo index.
The maximum resolution is 4,800 x 1,200 dpi and top printing speed comes in at 30 pages per minute in black and white and 24 in color.
The Officejet 6310 uses 2 ink cartridges - one black and one tricolor (yellow, magenta and cyan). You can replace the black cartridge with an additional tricolor ink cartridge for printing 6-color photographs or with a gray photo cartridge (three shades of gray) for black and white photos.
Customer feedback on print quality is mixed. Most seem happy with the photo quality, taking into account the fact that this is an all-in-one printer and not a dedicated photo printer. However a number of consumers have expressed concern about the print quality of some fonts when printing text. Others say that the HP 6310 manual is not up to scratch.
Scanning is made easier with the addition of the automatic document feeder. The ADF holds 35 pages and also comes in handy for copying and faxing. The scanner is a flatbed type suitable for scanning documents up to A4 size at a resolution of up to 2,400 dpi.
The photocopier will do black and white copies at up to 30 copies per minute with color being a little slower. Copies can be scaled by between 25% to 400% of the original size.
The fax unit has a memory capacity for up to one hundred pages and there is a speed dial function which holds up to 100 numbers. One of the things I like about HP's 6310 fax machine is the junk fax barrier. Using this function will prevent printing of faxes from a predetermined set of numbers which you can set.
The only other feature which would be nice to have is a duplex unit. As far as I can tell there is none available - even as an option.
As with most of these products, prices can (and do) vary greatly. I have seen the HP Officejet 6310 all in one printer available for under $100 but that may have been with some sort of rebate.
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