Event Coverage

HP Hits Print in Beijing

By Alvin Soon - 22 Apr 2010

HP Value Equation Printer Event in Beijing

HP Value Equation Printer Event in Beijing

Often times enterprise-level tech events sidetrack from a straightforward point with the inevitable barrage of buzzwords, and the HP Value Equation enterprise and SMB event held in Beijing on the 20th and 21st of April didn't disappoint. Phrases like 'flight to value' (that's a new one), 'data point' (is 'data' not good enough anymore?) and 'greenovator' (we see what you did there), and long mission statements crammed to the brim with multi-syllable words. Despite this, there were some real gems hidden amongst the buzz to be found and that's the reason for this article as we report the more interesting developments that were shared with us.

HP Senior VP of the Imaging and Printing Group, AP and Japan, John Solomon (middle), who gave the keynote address. He is seen here with Ivy Liang, VP, Marketing, IPG, AP and Japan (left) and Leong Han Kong, VP, LaserJet and Enterprise Solutions (right).

 

New HP Features

 

Save Power, Save Money, Save the World

HP introduced a smart, power-saving feature installed in some of its new printers, called Auto-On/Auto-Off. It does what you think it does, automatically powering down a printer after a period of inactivity. The difference between normal sleep mode and AOAO (jokingly called coma mode) is that it uses up to three times less energy and powers back on almost instantly when sent a print job.

HP estimates that present printers still draw 3 to 25 watts of energy when not in use, but printers in AOAO mode will draw slightly less than 1 watt. Seeing that most printers aren't printing all the time but are left on almost 24/7 (especially in offices), using less power translates to savings on your power bills. This isn't just good news for the environment, but for the bottom line, especially in offices with lots of printers.

HP's new Auto-On/Auto-Off feature can be found on the new LaserJet Pro 1606dn, 1566, 1102, 1102w, LaserJet 1212nf, M1213nf, M1132 and M1136 MFPs.

A graphic shows how the cost of annual energy use in HP printers has gone down, from $56 in the early-generation LaserJets to $1.10 a year with the latest models.

Plug and Print - No CD Needed

Ever lost your printer driver CD or had to download massive driver files off the Internet? HP comes up with a solution so obvious it's a wonder why no one has ever done it before. Smart Install makes installing a printer fast and easy, all you have to do is connect your printer to your PC via a USB cable and the driver will be installed straight from the printer. Hoorah! No more fussing over CDs or downloads.

According to HP, while updates to the drivers can be flashed to the printer, it's not recommended. Instead, just download them into your existing PC setup. Also, printers with wireless features can install drivers wirelessly through the network. HP Smart Install only works on Windows today. Sorry, Mac users. Printers with this new tech include the LaserJet Pro P1100, M1130, M1210 MFPs and the P1566, P1606dn series.

 

Make Sure it's the Real Doc

Something for the security-conscious is EzStampGuard, made for HP by TrustCopy Pte Ltd. Easily installed by flash drive with select HP printers, it creates a watermark stamp with a hidden image that can't be seen without unique transparent film keys overlaid. While the hidden image can be seen on the original document, it degrades when copied, giving you an easy way to make sure you've got the real deal in your hands.

EzStampGuard prints a square watermark stamp on the bottom right of the printed page and the hidden image can only be seen using unique transparent key films.

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