The Palo Alto computer giant clearly believes that Web solutions are the way to go in the printing business. After introducing its first Web-connected printer, the Photosmart Premium with TouchSmart Web, a year ago for the US market, HP recently unveiled its new lineup of Web-powered All-In-Ones (AIOs) for Asian consumers at a launch event in Hong Kong.
With a promise to deliver prints anytime, anywhere, these four new Photosmart AIOs will be the first Web-empowered and cloud-enabled printers in Asia Pacific. According to HP, this will allow the inkboxes to access the Internet directly without a PC or any Web appliance.
What’s a Web-connected printer?
Think of it as a printer with Internet access, so you can print directly off the Web without requiring a PC. In HP’s case, the Photosmart Premium with TouchSmart Web that was launched last year allows users to install apps, which are like shortcuts, to online content such as customized news articles, coloring pages for kids and personal calendars.
New features in this year’s lineup
In addition to being able to install apps just like a smartphone, one of the most interesting features about the new HP printers is the ability to print via email. Called the ePrint platform, each Web-connected printer will be assigned a unique email address during registration. All the user has to do is send an email to that printer, and the content of the email will be printed.
No driver installation will be needed and you can print from any email device, even smartphones like the iPhone or the iPad, without having to worry about OS compatibility. Some of the file formats supported include JPEGs, Adobe PDFs and Microsoft Office. An online hub called the ePrintCenter is also available for users to configure their devices, track print jobs, and stay updated with the latest print apps.
Another key feature to be made available later this year in HP’s new Photosmarts is the capability to store, access and print files in the cloud. HP mentioned in its press release that business customers will enjoy print apps from services such as Google Docs, Box.net, Daily Brief and Biztree.
Speaking at the launch, Vyomesh Joshi, executive vice president of HP’s Imaging and Printing Group, believes the company’s latest Web-printing solutions can address the key concerns of consumers today. That is to print without having to worry about compatibility, location or accessibility to content. He also added that being able to scan to the cloud is an important capability as it transforms the printer into a content device. He gave an example of how this can be applied in a scenario where there is a scheduled delivery of content, such as a digital newspaper.
Limitations and security concerns
While the idea of printing via email to a single address sounds rather intuitive, most journalists at the HP event expressed concern about security and spam control. After all, it’s going be quite costly, both in terms of consumable cost and energy, if you start getting spammed with print ads.
In response to this, HP said it has several preventive measures in place. First of all, the 14- to 16-character email address is randomly generated, so a new one can be created any time. Users can also set a whitelist or blacklist of email addresses in the ePrintCenter to allow only specific users to print. Lastly, the Palo Alto firm reassured the media that spam filtering is implemented in its servers.
Here are a few other scenarios HP has addressed:
•The printers will come with a Wake-on-LAN feature that should help conserve electricity during idle time.
•In the event the printer is turned off, the print job will be queued and stored until the printer is switched on again.
•A confirmation notice will be sent to the sender only after the print is completed.
•To simplify the whole printing process, the sender cannot adjust the specific print settings (such as size or print quality), though HP has not ruled out adding such features if there is consumer demand for it.
•Currently, there is a 5MB email limit for each print job.
