Released By HP:

HP Marks Quantum Leap Forward in Black-and-White Inkjet Photo Printing

The new HP No. 59 grey photo inkjet print cartridge and the enhanced HP Premium Plus Photo Paper are part of a set of specialised HP supplies to achieve true-to-life photo prints that resist fading for generations – in black-and-white as well as colour*

Boeblingen, Germany, 18 August 2003 – today introduces the new HP No. 59 grey photo inkjet print cartridge and the enhanced HP Premium Plus Photo Paper. These HP supplies used together enable photo enthusiasts and professionals to create black-and-white photo prints in their digital studios – at home or in photo labs – that look and feel like well-crafted traditional photos that resist fading for generations*. The new black and grey photo inks of the HP No. 59 grey photo print cartridge capture subtle shades of grey for black-and-white photo prints, but also add vibrancy, contrast, and detail for colour photo prints in HP eight-ink printing.

The HP No. 59 grey photo print cartridge, in conjunction with the HP No. 57 tri-colour print cartridge and HP No. 58 photo print cartridge, is used in HP’s latest colour inkjet printer HP Photosmart 7960 which is capable of printing with now up to eight inks simultaneously. The HP inkjet print cartridges used in HP eight-ink printing on HP Premium Plus Photo Paper contribute to the broad colour gamut and true-to-life photo quality delivered by HP PhotoREt Pro – the new version of HP’s photo resolution enhancement technology.

In HP’s system approach, the three elements of HP inkjet printing systems – HP inkjet print cartridges, print media, and printers – are designed together and thoroughly tested to deliver optimum reliability, performance, and print quality.

Pure shades of grey in black-and-white photo prints
The new HP No. 59 grey photo inkjet print cartridge contains three new dye-based inks: two shades of grey and black. These proprietary, dye-based HP inks are specially formulated to produce true-to-life black-and-white photo prints. When printing black-and-white, only the HP No. 59 grey photo print cartridge is used by, for example, the new HP Photosmart 7960 colour inkjet printer. Therefore, the HP No. 59 grey photo print cartridge achieves – apart from rich blacks – true neutrals and pure shades of grey with no colour-tints, because it is not necessary for the printing system to mix composite colour inks in black-and-white prints.

Expanded chromatic spectrum in colour photo prints
Colour photo prints, too, benefit from the new HP No. 59 grey photo print cartridge, because its inks significantly expand the colour gamut available in combination with the HP No. 57 tri-colour print cartridge and HP No. 58 photo print cartridge. These three inkjet print cartridges together in HP eight-ink printing systems, such as the HP Photosmart 7960, are capable of capturing more than 79.2M colours. The new HP No. 59 grey photo print cartridge adds vibrancy, contrast, and detail for colour photos – even in shadow areas. Its grey inks further reduce grain in flesh tones and light to mid tones, such as in clouds; when rendering metallics in colour photo prints, they provide true neutrals.

The new HP No. 59 grey photo print cartridge can also be used in the new HP Photosmart 7660 and 7760 colour inkjet printers. These printers are able to deploy up to six inks simultaneously for black-and-white or colour photo prints – either using the HP No. 58 photo print cartridge or the HP No. 59 grey photo print cartridge, each in combination with the HP No. 57 tri-colour print cartridge. On these inkjet printers, the HP No. 57 tri-colour print cartridge can be combined with the HP No. 56 black print cartridge as well, thus enabling four-ink printing. Furthermore, the new portable three-ink printers HP Photosmart 145 and 245 offer the option of inserting either the HP No. 59 grey photo print cartridge or the HP No. 57 tri-colour print cartridge.

HP Premium Plus Photo Paper – the look and feel of traditional photos
Just as is the case with the HP No. 57 tri-colour print cartridge and HP No. 58 photo print cartridge, the specially formulated inks in the HP No. 59 grey photo print cartridge are designed to precisely match with the sophisticated coating technology on the enhanced HP Premium Plus Photo Paper. HP’s best photo paper now offers an increased thickness and weight of 280 g/m2, and a higher gloss-level. The photo paper has the look and feel of traditionally processed photos, and high-resolution digital images are rendered with the same brilliant colours or subtle gradations of grey, white and black one expects from analog photos. When produced on this paper with the HP No. 59 grey photo print cartridge, black-and-white photo prints resist fading for generations. The same is true for colour photo prints delivered by HP No. 57/58/59 inkjet print cartridges* in their possible combinations.

In each format (A4-size and 10 x 15 cm), HP Premium Plus Photo Paper now comes with either a glossy or satin-matt finish. The glossy 10 x 15 cm version is available with or without tear-off tab; the latter option being optimised for printers, such as the new HP Photosmart 145, 245, 7660, 7760, and 7960 that are capable of borderless printing on all four edges.

The special back coating of HP Premium Plus Photo Paper helps prevent photos from sticking together when stacked in the out-tray, allowing for unattended printing. Furthermore, the HP’s unique paper coating is more resistant to scratching and smudging.

Lifelike image quality with HP eight-ink printing
With the conjoined introduction of the HP No. 59 grey photo print cartridge and the HP Photosmart 7960 colour inkjet printer, HP has opened up the door to eight-ink printing. HP eight-ink printing works with the following inkjet print cartridges:
• HP No. 57 tri-colour print cartridge (cyan, magenta, yellow),
• HP No. 58 photo print cartridge (light cyan, light magenta, black),
• HP No. 59 grey photo print cartridge (two shades of grey, black).
With this combination of print cartridges the new HP Photosmart 7960 is able to simultaneously use up to eight dye-based inks.

While the three print cartridges hold a total of nine inks, two of the print cartridges (the HP No. 59 and HP No. 58) contain dye-based black ink. The HP Photosmart 7960 printers uses the black ink in the HP No. 59 print cartridge for photo printing. When printing text, the printer uses the black ink in the HP No. 58 print cartridge; hence the HP Photosmart 7960 prints with up to eight inks simultaneously. Customers also have the option to print text with the pigmented ink in the HP No. 56 black print cartridge with which the HP No. 59 grey photo print cartridge is replaced for this purpose.

As part of the new generation of HP printing systems capable of eight-ink printing, the HP No. 59 grey photo inkjet print cartridge and enhanced HP Premium Plus Paper contribute to the expanded colour range and true-to-life photo quality delivered by HP PhotoREt Pro colour layering technology.

Availability in Europe
The new HP No. 59 grey photo inkjet print cartridge is available in Europe as of September 2003. The enhanced HP Premium Plus Photo Paper is available with two different finishes and in various formats and pack sizes:
HP Premium Plus Photo Paper,
glossy, 280 g/m2 A4
20 sheets
50 sheets
10x15 cm plus tear-off tab
20 sheets
60 sheets
10x15 cm, borderless
20 sheets
HP Premium Plus Photo Paper,
satin-matt, 280 g/m2 A4
20 sheets
10x15 cm plus tear-off tab
20 sheets
60 sheets

About HP
HP delivers vital technology for business and life. The company’s solutions span IT infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, global services and imaging and printing for consumers, enterprises and small and medium business. For the last four quarters, HP revenue totaled $70.4 billion. More information about HP is available at www.hp.com.