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Brother's New Compact Portable Printer

Brother has announced the launch of the PJ-673 portable printer, the latest addition to the OEM’s growing range of portable business printers, with the new model capable of printing documents up to A4 in size from tablets, smartphones and Windows laptops via a wireless or USB connection.

Noting the growing demand from organisations wanting their staff to be able to print whilst out in the field, Brother stated that the printer is ideal for emergency workers, sales reps, health workers and delivery drivers who can use it to print reports, invoices or receipts "on the spot" to improve efficiency and reduce costs.

The printer, which weighs just above 1 lb, can print documents up to A4 in size at resolutions of up to 300 dpi and speeds of up to 6 pages per minute using thermal printing technology, meaning that ink, toner and ribbons are not required. In terms of power, the device can run on rechargeable batteries or via AC or vehicle power kits.

The Brother PJ-673 is available now at a price of $579. For more info click here.

Source: Brother expands portable business printer range

HP Intends to Enter the 3D Printer Market

CEO Meg Whitman announced Hewlett Packard / HP aims to enter the 3D printer market in mid-2014.

The Register reported on Whitman's announcement to the Canalys Channels Forum in Bangkok that HP intends to enter the 3D printer market next year; with the OEM looking to develop technology that will make the 3D printing process faster and cheaper, as Whitman pointed out that "to print a bottle can take eight to 10 hours. That's all very interesting, but it is like watching ice melt".

HP will focus on providing 3D printing technology for service providers "to help them establish 3D printing bureaux", but it is yet unclear what form HP's 3D printing products will take.

"We are excited about 3D printing," said Whitman said. "We want to lead this business. HP labs is looking at it."

She added that "3D printing is in its infancy" but said that "it is a big opportunity and we are all over it. We will have something by the middle of next year".

While Whitman said that 3D printing is not expected to become a big business very quickly, she explained that "these businesses go along, get a little traction, go along, get a little more traction, then hit the knee of the curve", although she admitted that hitting the "knee of the curve" could take around three years.

We at Priceless Ink & Toner are proud to announce we will be soon offering 3D Printing Filaments as well!

Source: HP to enter 3D printer market

Mobile Printing is the Future

Analyst evaluates impacts of computing technology developments on the future of printing and the hard copy industry.

The report released by Photizo Group, titled The Future of Printing as Personal Computing Evolves, notes that mobile printing is currently one of the few growth markets in the printer industry and "shows great promise", but added that it is "no panacea" for the printer supplies stores and printing industry's challenges all together, particularly the diminishing desktop print volumes.

However, it stated that "the sooner the industry and mobile device vendors can simplify and universalize print functionality on smartphones and tablets, the faster mobile printing will grow", leading less users to find non-print alternatives for viewing and sharing documents.

The shift to mobile devices in the long run will, according to the report, "force users to develop new ways to manage and share documents", leaving printing to be "slowly squeezed" as digital methods of sharing and viewing documents get increasingly easier. It is also already quickening the transformation of paper-centric workflows to electronic business processes, which eliminate the need to print.

The results of the DWTAS 2013 US Office Worker Survey already showed that a large percentage of users do not need to print from their mobile devices, and those that do are mainly put off from printing due to a lack of awareness and the complexity of printing from smartphones and tablets.

The report from Photizo also looks at the forces driving computer technology, including hardware performance, device format, wearable computers, the computing environment, and new input technologies. The Group’s analysts then look at mobile printing solutions and printer-based apps; assessing whether vendors are keeping printing vital and what improvements need to be made in the future.

Ann Pride, Vice President of Consulting and Services at Photizo Group, commented: "Combined with a broad survey of current user thinking on the evolution of computers and computing devices, we have been able to evaluate how new developments in computing technology will impact the future of the hard copy industry. Our knowledge of printing and print habits allows us to develop a framework for evaluating how projected changes in computer technology will affect print."

Source: Photizo Group publishes report on the future of printing

Konica Minolta Speeds Output With Newest Monochrome bizhub MFP

Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta) announced the launch of the bizhub® 554e monochrome MFP. Featuring the award-winning INFO-Palette design, the bizhub 554e boasts advanced scanning capabilities for streamlined workflow and faster overall output.

In addition to print/copy speeds of 55 ppm, the Konica Minolta bizhub 554e includes a standard DF-701 Dual Scan Document Feeder that captures both sides of a document in a single pass at up to 160 originals per minute. Color and B&W originals can be scanned to multiple destinations or users, and standard PageScope software further streamlines workflow across all networked devices. In addition, TWAIN scanning from PCs is compatible with industry-standard scanning solutions for smoother integration in legal, educational and healthcare settings.

"For customers looking for fast, efficient output capabilities with intuitive workflow management, the bizhub 554e is an ideal solution," says Kevin Kern, senior vice president, Marketing, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. "By delivering more speed, more power and more information, the newest bizhub is another example of why customers can count on Konica Minolta for innovative document management solutions."

The bizhub 554e employs System on Chip (SoC) architecture, which helps it achieve power consumption rates among the lowest of any MFP in its class. Konica Minolta’s unique Eco-indicator enables users to monitor paper, toner and energy usage by device, account or user to promote greater environmental- and cost-consciousness. Konica Minolta’s exclusive Simitri® HD toner formulation uses biomass plant-based materials to further reduce environmental impact.

Visit our e-store for Konica Minolta printing supplies.

Source: Konica Minolta bizhub 554e Speeds Output With Newest Monochrome bizhub MFP

New Brother Printers Launched

3 new low cost laser toner printers designed to save money for those printing up to 500 pages per month and an A3 all-in-one range of inkjet printers targeted at mid-range office users seeking good connectivity options.

Brother has announced the launch of three new mono laser printers designed to be compact and affordable, with print speeds of 20 pages per minute and a 150 sheet paper tray reducing the need to replace paper as often.

The printers all feature LED control panels and have the option of using an "easy-to-replace" 1,000 page toner cartridge. They also boast a full speed USB 2.0 interface, print resolutions of up to 600 x 600 dpi, or 2400 x 600 dpi with Resolution Control, and take less than 18 seconds to warm up. In terms of power consumption, the devices use less than 380 Watts (W) when in operation, less than 40W when "ready", under 0.8W when in "sleep" mode and below 0.28W when in "deep sleep" mode.

The Brother HL-1110 compact mono laser printer is the lowest priced of the three printers at $105, with just a single print function and a 1GB memory.

Meanwhile the Brother DCP-1510 compact mono laser all-in-one printer, which costs $190, has the additional capabilities of scanning and copying as well as a larger 16MB memory and the ability to compress two or four pages onto a single A4 sheet to reduce paper consumption.

Finally, the $210 Brother MFC-1810 compact mono laser all-in-one printer offers the same functions and features as the first two devices and also has a 16MB memory, but offers further features including a 10 sheet automatic document feeder (ADF) and print, fax, scanning and copying functions, including multi-page scanning, copying and faxing options.

Brother also stated that the new devices feature the latest technology to ensure "the best" connectivity for mobile and tablet devices, as well as direct access to cloud services, with all the printers featuring wireless, USB and wired network connectivity in addition to smartphone and tablet printing options, for example Apple AirPrint and Google Cloud Print.

The range features the first ever A3 printer with near-field communication (NFC), with users being able to print from and scan to an NFC-enabled mobile device using Brother’s iPrint&Scan app by holding the mobile device next to the printer. The OEM added that this option is ideal for use in areas where Wi-Fi connection is limited and for when users want to print and scan quickly and easily from their smartphones and tablets.

LCD screens and electrostatic keys are also featured in the range, enabling fast access to cloud services such as Google Drive, Dropbox, Facebook, Flickr, Picasa, Box, SkyDrive and Evernote so that users can print and scan directly from and to these programs.

Brother said that the new range "will help to consolidate our position as number on brand in the A3 inkjet market" and will cater for SMBs that tend to print up to 1,000 pages per month.

Visit Priceless Ink & Toner Company for Brother Printer Supplies

Source: The Recycler Magazine

Printer Ink Prices Expected to Rise

Increasing prices of raw materials will mean price hikes for inks and consumables, according to Flint Group.

Print Week reports on Flint Group’s warning that printers should expect ink and consumables prices to rise as the cost of certain raw materials increases, with Jan Paul van der Velde, Senior Vice President of Procurement at Flint Group, explaining that "different cost drivers are having different effects in different market segments", and that "the key issues revolve around publication inks, given the situation of rising process for gum rosin and crude oil based products".

He added that in the first half of 2013, as many raw materials went up in price as came down, with crude currently trading at around $110 per barrel – above the level forecast at the end of 2012. The price of materials in the base chemical markets, such as benzene, styrene, toluene and xylene, which are used for pigments and resins, also continued to rise during 2013 "despite low demand in these markets".

"Looking at third quarter developments, we have witnessed significant changes in some of our key markets since June and July with crude oil, gum rosin and pigments being among the key areas affected," said van der Velde.

The increasing price of oil has affected packaging and logistics as well as ink cartridges, with gum rosin prices in China escalating "dramatically" from July resulting in a 40% increase impacting on pigments.

Van der Velde said that "it is likely that prices will remain at the current levels or potentially even increase until such time as the next crop is harvested" due to the low stocks of crude gum rosin, adding that the conditions are "very similar to the situation in 2011 which resulted in gum rosin being traded at up to $3,500 per metric ton".

The significant increases in pigment costs, according to van der Velde, have "mainly been driven by the ongoing and increasingly stricter enforcement of environmental rules in China and India" – both for pigment suppliers and the suppliers of base chemicals for pigment production.

"It is clear the ink industry is again being confronted with the rising cost of raw materials and it does not look like this will quickly disappear. The result of these rising costs to some of the key raw material markets will inevitably have an increasing impact on the costing of publication inks".

Visit Priceless Ink & Toner for OEM and remanufactured inkjet cartridges

Source: Ink prices expected to rise

HP launches new Instant Ink program

The HP’s new program will work like a phone contract, whereby users pay a fixed monthly plan to be sent cartridges for printing.

QZ.com reported on the recently-introduced program, Instant Ink, which forms part of the HP’s effort "to get people to subscribe to printer ink" and in turn locking them into "making a purchase every month by default".

CEO Meg Whitman is said to have "enthusiasm" for the program, with printing still forming 22% of HP’s revenue, but QZ.com pointed out that the program "requires that users invest a lot of trust in HP", as it works by the user’s internet-connected printer telling HP "how many pages they’re printing every month", with them sending HP inkjet cartridges "as needed".

HP’s site for Instant Ink in turn notes that "ink, shipping and cartridge recycling are included in plans", with the pricing based on "pages printed, not cartridges used", with no annual fees and the ability to "change or cancel plans anytime". The Instant Ink cartridges are also said by the OEM to have "more ink than standard HP ink cartridges, so you’ll replace them less often".

In financial terms, three plans demonstrate the program’s scale. The first, occasional printing, is $2.99 a month or $36 a year for 50 pages, which HP states saves $84 over a year in comparison to spending $120 a year on standard cartridges (based on printing 600 ISO pages in one year). The second, moderate printing, comes in at $4.99 a month, $60 a year for 100 pages a month (or 1,200 a year), and offers a supposed saving of $180 a year in comparison to spending $240 on standard cartridges. The final model, frequent printing, comes in at $9.99 a month and $120 a year, for 300 pages a month or 3,600 pages a year. This comes in at a saving of $600 a year, compared to the standard cartridges purchases adding up to $720 a year. All of the models are based on the "estimated street price" of $35 for a set of cartridges.

Likening this approach to the "telecoms’ model of pricing", the website notes that "additional pages" would cost more for users, so if 'user behavior for printing follows that of telecom customers, HP Instant Ink customers could end up overpaying", by either going for a small plan they overspend on, or a large plan they don’t fully utilize.

The site noted that the "added convenience" to be found in the program may "be enough to lure customers who care less about price" into joining the program, and if HP can convince users that the program "is worth" the convenience, "it might make a difference to the company’s bottom line", but the growth of the paperless office, and the increase in tablet use might mean Instant Ink "may merely allow HP to decline a little more slowly".

Visit our e-store for OEM and compatible/remanufactured HP printer supplies

Source: HP launches new Instant Ink programme

New Cloud-Based Printing Service by Ricoh

In an increasingly bring-your-own-device (BYOD) world where employees are using personal smart phones or tablets for work, the simple act of printing can be frustrating for workers and burdensome for IT.

That’s why Ricoh Americas Corporation introduced a new cloud printing service, FlexRelease CX, which enables workers to simply press "print" and pick up their job at the nearest Ricoh device.

Workers can send documents to the cloud from their mobile phones, tablets, laptops or PCs, and instantly retrieve them from any FlexRelease CX-enabled Ricoh printer or multifunction product (MFP) in the world. As a cloud service, FlexRelease CX requires little or no capital investment or IT involvement, enabling IT staff to focus on more strategic work. The secure print release service requires users to verify their identities with a user name and password to release a print job. FlexRlease CX’s time out feature helps reduce wasteful printing and unnecessary costs by allowing administrators to specify an amount of time a job is held in queue before automatically being deleted. Users can also control environmentally-friendly device features, such as two-sided printing, document resolution, and whether or not the document is in color.

"Many organizations are scrambling to catch up to the demands of their increasingly mobile workforce, putting enormous pressure on IT staffs," said Jason Dizzine, Vice President, Technology Marketing, Ricoh Americas Corporation. "FlexRelease CX, however, provides a location-independent printing experience that, unlike other solutions, requires no server purchase, installation or management. Just subscribe and use it as long as you need it."

Ricoh FlexRelease CX supports all email-enabled mobile devices, and adds additional file upload and extended management features through an iOS app for iPad and iPhone. The FlexRelease CX solution also includes a print driver for direct print to cloud capability. The FlexRelease CX-embedded MFP client installs without external hardware on most A3- and A4-class Ricoh MFPs.

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Source: Ricoh Unveils New Cloud-Based Printing Service