HP unveils Net-savvy printers

From Anand Parthasarathy

KOCHI, APRIL 16. Hewlett Packard today unveiled a new range of nine `Net-ready' laser printers for the Indian market, that anticipate the day when they will be controlled from the Internet, rather than from a personal computer (PC). Once latched to the web, some models can even check on the level of toner consumed - and order replenishments on their own.

The monochrome printers in three series, from entry level home/office models, to shared `workgroup' leviathans, use either an external `JetDirect' print server or an internal `Embedded Web Server' (EWS), which enables them to be remotely controlled from the Internet. They can be `ordered' to print a document sent from another country or to send a printed document or picture by e- mail.

The entry-level Laserjet 1200 supersedes the earlier 1100 model and offers better resolution (1200 dots per inch), higher print speeds (15 pages per minute) and more RAM memory ( 8 MB. minimum). There is an enhanced model 1220 which incorporates a colour scanner. While HP was not revealing selling prices in India, the global price of the 1200 launched last month at the CeBit IT Fair in Germany, is $399 and stiff competition among resellers here has ensured that the street prices of printers in India are only slightly above the prevalent exchange rate. Hence Indian users may expect the price of the Laserjet 1200 to settle down a few weeks after launch to around Rs. 25,000.

HP also launched today, three models in the 2200 series which incorporate an infrared port which enables mobile devices users to control printers by wireless. The models are in the price range of Rs. 53,000-70,000.

At the high-end, HP also unveiled the 4100 series which it calls embedded virtual machine (EVM). Unlike the 1200 and 2200 which require a separate JetDirect driver, these come with built-in smart chips which enable users to directly execute Java applications. If `allowed', the printer will order its own spares by going online to the authorised supplier. These high speed (24 pages per minute) printers are internationally priced between $1000 and $2100.

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Section  : Business
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