HP pre-announces 4800dpi ink-jet development

16th March - 2002
By Ian Burley

UPDATE - 11th May - First sighting of new HP Deskjet family - click here.

We’ve just come across an interesting press release from Hewlett-Packard in the US. It was apparently timed to coincide with the first day of the CeBIT show in Hannover, Germany, but has had virtually no coverage in Europe.

Basically, HP has announced that its future ink-jet printer range will be upgraded to produce ‘4800-optimised dpi’ print to improve photo quality output. HP’s current Photoret III technology is looking distinctly past its sell by date in photo printing terms. Photoret III is limited by both resolution (1200x2400dpi) and the lack of intermediate photo inks.

Both Canon and Epson have much more advanced photo ink-jet solutions than HP, while before the end of this month we’re expecting some significant announcements from Lexmark.

HP doesn’t say when its 4800dpi technology will be a shipping product.

Here’s the full official press release:

PALO ALTO, Calif., March 13, 2002

Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HWP) today announced it will incorporate industry-leading 4800-optimized dots-per-inch (dpi) technology in many of the company's future inkjet printers. With this major technology advancement, HP directly addresses the increasing consumer demand for high-quality output and the ability to print true-to-life color photos at home or work.

"Increased dpi is the first in a series of innovative technological enhancements HP will introduce this year," said Larry Lesley, vice president and general manager, HP Personal Printing Organization. "As the leading inventor in this field, HP recognizes the rapidly changing needs of consumers who want to do more with their printers simply and reliably -- and with the best results possible."

By offering 4800-optimized dpi, HP is providing the first among a series of elements that together offer the industry-leading technology that consumers will find best meet their printer-based digital needs. As part of this combined suite of technologies, 4800-optimized dpi will allow consumers to produce lifelike photo-quality images that rival the quality of current analog prints.

Today's consumers are printing more images at home, along with black-and-white text and color graphics. In fact, digital imaging is a rapidly growing worldwide trend and HP is leading the transformation from analog to digital by offering consumers simple ways to capture, store, share and print images that rival the quality of traditional photos. "The majority of today's digital photographers print their photos on home inkjet printers," said Kristy Holch, principal, InfoTrends Research Group, "And most people who purchase new digital cameras are expecting to print photos at home. With this new demand for digital output, printer manufacturers like HP will be challenged to continue delivering enhanced features and improved output quality."

The 4800 x 1200-optimized dpi to be employed in future HP inkjet printers is an alternative photo mode that is useful in printing high-resolution source images on premium photo papers. HP's high-resolution image rendering enables the printer to optimize ink-drop placement to deliver stunning detail to high-resolution files. The 4800-optimized dpi mode is specifically tailored to printing source images larger than 600 dpi on premium photo papers with the appropriate computer system resources.(1)

About HP

Hewlett-Packard Company -- a leading global provider of computing and imaging solutions and services -- is focused on making technology and its benefits accessible to all. HP had total revenue of $45.2 billion in its 2001 fiscal year. Information about HP and its products can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com.

(1) Up to 4800 x 1200-optimized dpi color printing on premium photo papers and 1200 x 1200-input dpi.

 

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