Having just returned from the AIMM and ON DEMAND Conference and Expo in Boston, where sleek, gigantic commercial printers dominated a huge chunk of the show floor, I am gripped with
mild curiousity an insatiable lust for news, information and fun facts about inkjets, my new
fleeting interest lifelong obsession.
But not even I, a nascent inkjet consultant/pundit, saw
this one coming:
Hewlett-Packard has announced that the company is introducing a new line of business multifunction inkjet printers called Edgeline. What makes these printers special is their efficiency: they're so thrifty with ink that HP isn't planning to sell them at all. You could rent one, though!
[T]he printers use a new technology where the print head which is the entire width of the paper remains stationary as the paper moves through the printer. The print head applies a hydrophilic bonding agent to the paper before the ink is applied, resulting in near-instant drying. ...
In a departure from its usual sales practices, HP will only be offering these printers under a managed HP print contract: they will not be available for direct sales to either customers or retailers.
From a business standpoint, HP's refusal to sell their magic printers makes perfect sense. Where's the post-sale revenue? But once competitors jump in and begin selling (with service contracts attached) their own versions of the magic printers, I think HP will reconsider. And I say that as a burgeoning inkjet consultant/pundit.
Alas, if you're looking for a magic printer for personal use, don't hold your breath. According to the
Ars Technica article, HP "does not expect to bring the printers to the consumer level any time soon, at least not as long as it holds an exclusive to the new technology."
I'd give you my expert take on that, but you've all gotten enough freebies for the day. You want more professional inkjet analysis, we go on the clock. Just protecting the brand.
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