HP has launched its Vivera branded inks and a raft of imaging products
ranging from digital cameras to photo printers, as well as cutting the prices of
its inkjet and laser print cartridges.
Following the US launch of Vivera
last year, HP this week unveiled the new ink brand to EMEA press at an exclusive
event in Dublin, Ireland. Several HP products have already been optimised for
use with Vivera inks, including HP’s own Premium Plus Photo Paper, its new
Photosmart 8750 series printers (which are the first to feature nine-ink
printing), and its forthcoming Designjet 90 wide-format A2 printer, due in
June.
HP’s Vivera Inks have been developed to resist fading for a
lifetime with tests by Wilhelm Imaging Research finding that these inks, when
used in conjunction with HP’s printers and papers, resist fading for up to 82
years for 3-ink printing, up to 108 years for 6- and 8-ink printing, and 115
years for black and white printing.
HP also claims that when Vivera inks
are combined with its own media this results in an average cost per photo print
of 46 US cents. Therefore in an effort to encourage print users to buy both its
new Vivera inks and its proprietary media, the company has launched HP Photo
Packs – consumable bundles that contain Vivera ink cartridges and the correct
number of Premium Plus Photo Paper sheets to last the life of each cartridge.
“HP Photo Packs contain the ideal combination of HP inkjet print
cartridges with Vivera inks and Premium Plus Photo Paper to make printing high
quality photos easier than ever,” said Kim Holm, vice president and general
manager, HP Supplies, EMEA. “This offers users a cost transparency which allows
them to determine the cost per photo when printing at home.”
Price wise,
HP has cut the prices of both its inkjet and LaserJet print cartridges,
effectively immediately. The recommended selling prices of its inkjet cartridges
have come down by an average of 7.8% while its LaserJet cartridge prices have
been cut by 7.3%