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HP is dumping laser printer prices
May 2007HAVE YOU checked out the prices on low-end HP laser printers recently?
It’s
clear HP is clearing the shelves of inventory, but for what is an
interesting question.Does it roll out an under $150 laser printer with
a faster engine for the low-cost market to slug it out with Lexmark and
the Japanese printer makers? Drop prices on colour laser printers?All
the Big Boxes are selling the HP 1020 (15PPM) for $99.99 ($100) this
week a far cry from the list price of $184.99 and significantly
discounted from the $129.99 ($130) alternating week sales price they
were offering a few months ago. The price undercuts the $129.99 ($130)
“rebate price” on the 12-ppm HP1018 printer over at Staples, but you
can get an HP1018 direct from HP’s website for $64.59 after a mail-in
rebate.Let’s think this through. You buy the printer direct from HP for
$129.99. They ship you the printer. You cut off the UPC bar code, fill
out the form, and mail it back to get a $64.50 check some time in the
future. And this costs HP how much out of that $64.50 check to
process?Of course, HP gets to keep some of that money since not
everyone will fill out the rebates on time, but if Best Buy and Staples
can figure out the “instant rebate” concept, surely HP can, hmm? But HP
has figured out instant rebate on its website for the HP1020 plus free
standard shipping, so the real reason is the marketing people need to
justify their salaries this month.I’m surprised it has taken HP this
long to start dropping the prices on its low-end lasers. I may get one
this weekend just so I can junk my trusty-but-power-hungry HP LaserJet
4 I got for free a couple of years ago. With the exception of a little
duct-tape to keep the back cover in place, it has continued to reliably
crank out pages for several years, with no preventive
maintenance.However, when it starts its initial warm-up, the lights dim
in my office, it take about a minute or two for the first page to spit
out, and it clicks and cracks and throws off a lot of heat. I forget
the exact numbers, but it takes something like 300 watts or so to warm
up, as compared to 180 or so for the 1020, plus quick first page print
and virtually no power consumption when it is idle. So, less heat, less
power, faster printing both on first-page and sustained. I’ll call it
my “green” contribution for the month and shop for some solar panels
next month so I can be like Mike (Magee).If I change my mind before I
go shopping this weekend, I may sit on the fence and wait for the
HP1022 (19 ppm, covered paper tray) to drop in price. It’s currently
loitering at $199.99 ($200) on HP’s website, but you’ll likely see some
discounting on it in four to six weeks as the 1018/1020s clear out.
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