HP:WORLD’S FIRST 9-INK PRINTER

[Anonymous]

HP launches world’s first 9-ink photo printer
Chennai, Sept 05: Adding
momentum to its leadership position in the printing space,
Hewlett-Packard has launched the world’s first nine-ink photo printer
— the Photosmart 8758 — for the professional segment.

Traditionally, photo printers have only eight inks, but the PS 8758 has
an extra colour – blue – which ensures that photographs are richer and
more vivid, making this printer the best possible option for commercial
photographers.

Announcing a new package of photo printing solutions to suit everyone,
ranging from the home consumer to the professional photographer, HP
also launched the HP Photosmart 7838 at the entry-level and HP
Photosmart 8038 at the mid-end.

Speaking during the launch, Ravi Aggarwal, vice-president, Imaging and
Printing Group, said, “HP is already a world leader in the printing
industry. The latest results peg us at an 82 per cent for lasers and 71
per cent share for the inkjet A4 market. At HP, we have always worked
towards products which are innovative; the new nine-ink photo printer
is another such invention from the HP stable, which will take photo
printing to the next level.”

Also present at the launch was Michael Yamash*ta, internationally
acclaimed National Geographic photographer and brand ambassador for the
HP Photosmart range of photo printers. His work has won awards at some
of the world’s most prestigious photography shows.

Commenting on his experience with HP Photosmart printers, Mike said,
“During my three-year assignment with National Geographic, following in
the footsteps of Marco Polo from Venice to Beijing, I captured some
really spectacular shots of the mountains, canals and natural
seascapes. I printed these shots on the HP Photosmart 8758 and was
amazed at how real the colours and shadows of each photo came through.
In particular, the intensity of the blue found in the water and sky
were vividly transformed onto each print.”

The photo printing space in India is growing rapidly. Digital studios
are moving towards the use of photo printers. Consumers are beginning
to use photo printers for home photo printing. Further, it is estimated
that there are roughly 1,00,000 photo studios in India. There are more
than 1,00,000 camera phones sold each month. Approximately 30,000
digital cameras are sold each month.

The rise in the use of image-capturing devices translates into huge
opportunities for photo printing. Further, vertical segments are
increasingly using click-and-print applications.

Photo printing as a market is poised for a doubling of growth
year-on-year. Printing photos with photo printers offers a number of
advantages. For the professional segment, it offers – most importantly
– much better picture quality than the traditional methods of photo
printing. Also, using HP proprietary Vivera Inks, photos remain as
bright and vivid as on the day they were printed for years.

The extraordinary performance of HP Vivera Inks results from superior
ingredients, unique ink formulations and painstaking manufacturing
processes that ensure exceptional purity. In addition, the technology
in HP Vivera Inks is designed to be adaptable across a wide range of
printing applications. Photo printers also give much richer prints,
simply because they can give an output of up to 4800 dpi, as against
traditional silver halide which offers an output in the range of 300 –
600 dpi.

Home photo printing is also much more convenient with a photo printer.
Rather than go to a studio and wait for your prints, home photo
printing offers instant gratification. Further, one can print just what
one wants. Best of all, photo printing at home now costs the same as
printing photos the traditional way at a lab. There is an overall cost
saving by printing at home.

HP Photosmart 8758

This revolutionary nine-ink colour personal photo printer is designed
for the professional, fine art, portrait and serious amateur
photographer who wants finished, professional quality prints. The
printer incorporates an additional colour – the HP 101 Photo Blue
Inkjet Cartridge. This means blue hues in common photo subjects are
richer and deeper than before, especially in the mid-tones, creating a
stunning effect.

Further, black and white photos are of gallery quality, something which
no other printer can match. This printer gives borderless prints in a
variety of sizes – passport, 4×6, 13×19 and 8.5×24 panorama up to A3+
size. The printer makes the most of high-resolution input data with its
highly optimised 4800 dpi printing.

What makes it even more attractive to the professional photographer is
the fact that this printer can be seamlessly connected to Adobe
Photoshop, thereby allowing application of colour management tools for
prints with customised colour effects. All customer requests can be
resolved at the touch of a button. The HP Photosmart 8758 is priced at
Rs.27,999.

HP Photosmart 8038

The HP Photosmart 8038 is ideal for mid to low volume printing. It is a
six-ink printer which can be expanded to eight-ink. It is a great
option for people who are comfortable with technology and who can
derive the enriching benefits that this technology can deliver. The
1.8-inch colour LCD monitor can be used to view photos and for photo
editing and printing without a PC. The printer gives true-to-life,
long-lasting photos and laser-quality text documents with graphics. The
HP Photosmart 8038 is priced at Rs.7,999.

HP Photosmart 7838

The HP Photosmart 7838 is the perfect choice for beginners. It provides
true photo output including 4×6 borderless photos. There is ultimate
simplicity via limited direct connect printing interface, as well as
full flexibility in printing photos from the PC. This printer makes
home photo printing simple and economical. The HP Photosmart 7838 is
priced at Rs.5,499.

HP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and
institutions globally. The company’s offerings span IT infrastructure,
global services, business and home computing, and imaging and printing.
For the four fiscal quarters ended April 30, 2005, HP revenue totalled
$83.3 billion.

[Author]

September 21, 2005 at 10:47 AM