TCPglobal - news, views and issues on total cost of printing

Issue #0823/2 - Designed to improve the accuracy of gas gauge information presented to inkjet printer users, Hewlett-Packard has introduced a direct detect system of determining when the ink in a cartridge is exhausted. The system currently works only on the new HP364 pigment black cartridge, used in the new Photosmart D5460 printer (available August 2008 – ), at this stage.

Issue #0822/1 - In one of the most exciting developments seen in the field of business inkjet printing for years, brother has announced an A3 format inkjet All-in-One device, the MFC-6490CW, boasting a very high multifunction specification. Although the product is not yet announced in Europe, nor has it reached stores fully in the US, pricing is available for both hardware and print cartridges in the US so comparisons can be made against A3 single function inkjet, A4 multifunction inkjet and A4 multifunction laser devices.

Issue #0821/1 – Following the postponement of this article in favour of last week’s article ("Lexmark in-store inkjet visibility plummets"), we now consider the elusive new home/student range of inkjet devices from Lexmark and see just how expensive the X4650 is in comparison to its competition – Brother DCP-560CN, Canon PIXMA MP610, Epson Stylus Photo RX585 and Hewlett-Packard Photosmart C5280.

Issue #0818/2 - Sadly, the claims of most manufacturers need to be taken with a large pinch of salt when the words “affordable”, “lowest”, “smallest”, “fastest”, etc. are used in their marketing literature. In the case of the newly announced C3600 colour laser printer from Oki, the use of some of these terms is unfounded. Even “competitively-priced” can be misleading. Comparing with 10 competitors, Oki does not fair well overall where it really matters.

Issue #0816/1 – New printing technologies don’t come along too often, so when Océ announced a new hybrid toner/ink technology for use in its large format printers, “CrystalPoint” using proprietary “TonerPearls”, we ask the question, “does this technology have a place in the office market”? In this article, we examine the technology and explore that potential.