Paper handling perks up printer performance
The phaser color printer from Tektronix features a new model that allows users to start with a black and white printer then transfer to color by adding a color cartridge.; Minolta updates its CF line of digital copier/printers with the CF911P color printer.; Latest product launch of Hewlet-Packard includes the Color LaserJet 4500 and Color LaserJet 8500 printers.; Mita's first desktop color laser printer, teh Ci1000.
By Staff -- Purchasing, 3/25/1999
Corporate buyers looking to purchase new printers this spring will find models equipped with additional paper-handling options. These new features, in fact, are sophisticated enough to make them appear more like copiers.OEMs are designing these printers to meet growing demands of workgroups: Printing is easier and new units provide such features as capability to print a secure document from the control panel and "proof and hold," a feature that allows users to proof the first set of a multiset document. Other new features provide increased performance, user control, and lower overall cost of ownership.
Color printers, for their part, are becoming more affordable. As equipment and supplies continue to remain costly compared to those needed to perform monochrome printing, buyers mostly have stayed away from purchasing new color printers. Now, product development strategies of major OEMs are centering mainly on reducing prices. Here's a sampling of what's new:
From Hewlett-Packard comes the Color LaserJet 4500 and Color LaserJet 8500 printers which enable users to incorporate color into presentations, fliers, sales materials, reports, and other documents. It uses the following HP LaserJet technologies:
* Image Ret 2400 delivers 2,400 dots per inch (dpi) color laser-class quality, varies amounts of the four different toner colors--cyan, magenta, yellow, and black--placed on a single dot to provide photo-like images, bold graphics, and sharp output.
* Color Smart II helps to automatically achieve optimal color output by intelligently using halftone and color settings to provide the best print-quality color matching for each object on the page. It uses Standard RGB as its default color space for accurate definition and communication of color.
* Automatic color calibration. The printer monitors and adjusts its key printing components to ensure that the quality of its color output will remain consistent over time.
The LaserJet 4500 printer uses an NEC 133MHz processor, custom asics, dual-path compression, and HP's EIO interface for fast image processing. It has an engine speed of up to 4 ppm color and 16 ppm monochrome.
The new HP LaserJet 8100 printer has a NEC 166MHz processor and a variety of paper-handling capabilities. The HP 8100 incorporates such standard HP LaserJet printer features as mopying capabilities, HP JetSend technology, HP Web PrintSmart, and HP Web JetAdmin.
The new HP Mopier 320 features a new, 32-ppm, 60-dpi print engine and HP FastRes 1200 and uses the JetDirect network interface. HP Web JetAdmin 5.0 software provides a common interface to manage, administer, and monitor HP network copiers.
Lexmark's new Optra Se 3455, a 34 ppm monochrome laser printer, comes standard with 8MB RAM, a new high-performance 167MHz NEC VR4310 processor, and a duty cycle of 150,000 pages per month. Standard paper-handling includes one 250-sheet drawer and two 500-sheet drawers. The network-ready model includes 16MB RAM and a 10/100Base TX Ethernet adapter. It provides 1200 Image Quality at up to rated speeds of 34 ppm and 1200 x 1200 dpi capability at 17 ppm.
Buyers can choose Lexmark Optra S models in five engine speeds--12, 16, 18, 24, and 34 ppm. Media input options are modular and can be added to any of the models. They include: an 85-envelope feeder and 250-sheet, 500-sheet, and 2,000-sheet drawers. Models share the same optional memory, flash memory, hard disk, MarkNet network adapters, tiff simm, and OptraImage convenience copying systems. The 12, 16, 18, and 24 ppm models share a choice of toner cartridges with a new 23,000 page-capacity toner cartridge.
The Tektronix Phaser 740L color-capable laser printer is a full-featured workgroup printer that allows users to start with a black-and-white printer then transfer to color by adding a color cartridge. With 16 ppm black-and-white and a standard 10BAseT Ethernet (interface), the Phaser 740L printer handles a range of business documents from labels to reports and presentations.
When color-enabled, the Phaser 740L delivers photographic color prints at up to 5 ppm. Features include: PhaserLink printer job management that provides printer status, configuration, e-mail notification of printer status, intranet support, and Tektronix support via standard Web browsers. Usage profile function monitors usage status, page counts, and intervention history on the printer. Adobe PostScript 3 language and PCL provide compatible access to networks, computer platforms, and applications.
Also from Tektronix: the Phaser 840 solid, the next generation and most technologically advanced of the company's line of solid ink color printers. With print speeds of up to 10 color ppm, the Phaser 840 provides users with automatic duplex page printing and high print resolutions (up to 1200 dpi). The Phaser 840 is plug-and-play ready for networks with its built-in 10Base T Ethernet connector and PhaseLink network management tools.
Minolta's CF911P digital color printer is based on a new version of the company's CF line of digital color copiers/printers. It features Minolta's enhanced limos color imaging technology and an embedded Electronics for Imaging Fiery X2e controller.
The CF911P meets the need for full-bleed 11 in. x 17 in. print output on 12 in. x 18 in. paper. Another feature: an option to add automatic duplexing. The printer boasts of 6 ppm color and 23 ppm black-and-white print speeds. It has 400 x 400 dpi print resolution. Finishing options include: ten-bin sorter, ten-bin stapler sorter, automatic duplexer, and large-capacity cassette.
Mita's first desktop color laser printer, the Ci1000, produces full color prints at up to 1200 x 1200 resolution on plain paper. The Ci1000 boasts of black and white printing at up to 14 ppm and color printing at up to 3.5 ppm. The color laser printer accepts letter or legal-size paper and comes standard with a 250-sheet universal paper tray and 100-sheet multipurpose bypass tray.
It features a built-in Fiery X2e Raster Image Processor capable of printing from PC or Macintosh business or graphics application packages. Fiery Web Tools and print job controls allow onsite or remote management of Mita color printers using standard Java-enabled Web browsers across all computing platforms.
The Ci1000 includes Adobe PostScript 3 Emulation for use with either Macs or PCs. It comes with 16MB printer memory standard, which can be upgraded with up to 192MB of memory or with an optional 2.1GB eide hard disk drive. It is designed to be compatible with Novell NetWare, EtherTalk, TCP/IP & IPX/SPX Network Protocols using the built-in Ethernet 10/100Base T Network Interface, providing compatibility with PCs, Macs, and unix workstations. A token right interface is optional.
Ricoh throws its hat into the ring with the introduction of its AP1400 and AP2000 printers. The Ricoh AP1400, a 14-ppm printer, and the AP2000, a 20-ppm printer, both deliver 1200/600/3000 dpi resolution and can handle envelopes and various-size documents. Fully PC and Macintosh compatible, the printers may be used in small workgroup applications.
Both models support PCL 6 and PostScript Level 2 and come equipped with Aficio Manager Utility Software to manage document flow. The AP1400 comes equipped with 4MB of memory, upgradeable to 32MB, and a 350-sheet paper capacity expandable to 850 with an optional paper tray. The AP2000 has 8MB of memory, also upgradeable to 32MB, and boasts a 350-sheet paper capacity that can be increased to 1,350 with two optional paper trays.
Talkback
Related Content
Related Content
Sponsored Links
View All Blogs
Now Playing:
