As much as I’ve dreamt about a paper-less office, I have come to realize that it will simply not happen. From employee contracts and payslips to vendor invoices, it is almost impossible to run a proper business without a printer in this day and age. Thus, I contacted some of the printer manufacturers we deal with to send out their latest All-in-One solutions and I got an interesting selection of devices ranging in sizes and technologies. Lets talk about some of these technologies first:

Inkjet vs Laser

When it comes to printing, there are two leading technologies that you need to decide between- laser or ink-jet. Traditionally, home users and small business users have opted for inkjet based printers while medium to larger organizations have chosen laser based ones. The reason for that is that ink-jets are cheaper to buy, however, they consume ink cartridges faster thus ending up more expensive in the longer run. Laser toners on the other hand last much longer and end up being cheaper in the longer run. Another reason is that Lasers are better at printing text based documents or graphics, while ink-jets generally produce better photographs- something many home users print.

Connectivity

Back in the old days, printers used to connect to your computers through the “Parallel” port that was represented as LPT1 in Windows. Over time, printers moved to USB which was not only faster but also supported the plug’n’play standard making printers much easier to install. With the explosion of networking, most modern printers now support being connected directly to your network- either through a wired or a wireless connection. All of the printers we tested for this article supported Wireless connectivity.

When we sent out an email to printer manufacturers, all we mentioned was that we are doing a round-up of All-in-One printers. Interestingly, the four models we received were quite different from another. Lets take a look at these four printers.

I never thought a printer/all-in-one device would get me excited but after playing with the HP Envy 110e, I must say that I am mildly amused. We have an AIO round-up coming up next week and this was one the printers that I got to test. In a nutshell, it defies the traditional printers by offering a lot in a small packaging and is ideally suited for the home user. With wired and wireless connectivity as well as apps downloadable from the web that include everything from spreadsheets to Disney coloring pages, it is sure to keep everyone in the family entertained.

HP was in full force at GITEX this year showing some of their new printers such as the very good looking Envy as well as the upcoming 3D scanning Top Shot.

We managed to steal some time from a couple of their execs to talk about their new products.

LG LSM-100 mouse looks like a conventional laser mouse from the outside, but once you flip it over the mouse can be used to scan documents and photos without need of any other dedicated bulky scanning hardware. The mouse is delightfully small and packs in two very different devices in a single package which is really nice if you want less clutter on your desk or have scanning needs on the move.

The built-in scanner scans at 320dpi and has really crisp results with good filters built-in to remove the wrinkles etc from pages you scan. As the mouse is moved over the surface, it will use reference coordinates to fill in the picture and combine it as a whole image which can be saved in popular image and pdf formats.

The scanner mouse has been launched in Europe and will soon be sold in other countries too. It will cost approximately around 500 to 550 AED when its launched later in Middle East.

Press release:
HP Middle East today announced new imaging and printing solutions and devices designed to help small and midsize businesses (SMBs) and enterprise organizations enhance employee productivity, both in the office and on-the-go.

“Customers need a partner that can help them solve complex business issues,” said Amin Mortazavi, General Manager, Imaging & Printing Group, HP Middle East. “Our new technologies and innovations are designed to transform paper-intense processes into simple digital workflows, allowing businesses to identify new opportunities for growth.”

Today’s launch includes:

- HP LaserJet Enterprise M4555 MFP series – A secure, easy-to-use mono MFP designed to help businesses increase efficiency and improve document workflow. The HP Laserjet Enterprise M4555 MFP series starts from 2,440 AED.

- HP LaserJet Pro 100 Colour MFP series – Ideal for small midsize businesses, provides professional-quality print, copy and scanning capabilities along with time and cost saving features that make the printer a smart strategic investment. The HP Laserjet Pro 100 Colour MFP series starts from 1,175 AED.

New additions to the HP Officejet range are:

- HP OfficeJet Pro 8000 Enterprise Printer – Designed for printing environment managers and IT decision makers who want to integrate affordable, professional colour printing into existing enterprise environments. The HP OfficeJet Pro 8000 starts from 849 AED.

- HP OfficeJet 100 Mobile Printer – Designed for mobile professionals who need to be able to print professional-quality documents directly from selected Bluetooth-enabled notebooks, smart phones and other mobile devices. The HP OfficeJet 100 Mobile Printer starts from 1,099 AED.

New additions to the HP DeskJet range are:

- The HP DeskJet 3050a. This easy to use unit is web-connected, and allows users to print wirelessly, scan and copy while also incorporating HP’s new ePrint technology. The DeskJet 3050a eAiO will be available from July for 289 AED.

- The DeskJet range is also joined by two new entry level models; the DeskJet 2050a which is a stylish all-in-one colour printer, copier and scanner with a recommended retail price of 199 AED, and the DeskJet 1050a which retails at a smart 179 AED.

By making strategic decisions about their imaging and printing investments – including streamlining paper-intense processes – businesses can improve office efficiencies and uncover new revenue streams.

Replacing the PIXMA iX4000, the PIXMA iX6540 is ideal for advanced home and office users looking for superb quality when producing photos or documents; offering complete functionality for everyday business tasks including printing large spreadsheets, newsletters and schedules.

Advanced print quality
The PIXMA iX6540 includes 5 Single Inks which are individually replaceable to optimise ink usage and features a pigment black ink for crisp, sharp text. The PIXMA iX6540 uses dye inks to produce exceptional quality photos with minimum 1 picolitre ink droplets, and maximum 9,600dpi print resolution. For document printing, the PIXMA iX6540 has impressive ISO ESAT speeds of approximately 11.3ipm in mono, and 8.8ipm in colour. It can produce a photolab-quality 10x15cm borderless photo print in approximately 36 seconds .

Practical solutions and software
Featuring a range of superior software, the PIXMA iX6540 is a versatile and creative option for users looking for advanced functionality. Easy-WebPrint EX plug-in offers smart, yet simple web printing, allowing users to clip, combine and print pages from multiple websites. Users of the PIXMA iX6540 also have access to Solution Templates, allowing small businesses to download and customise general notices, menus and point of sale material. The templates are compatible with Microsoft Word and help create quick and professional looking documents. The enhanced Canon Easy-PhotoPrint EX makes printing photos and more creative content easy and has the benefit of direct access to Flickr.

Canon’s unique Full HD Movie Print enables users to print images by selecting a single frame from a full HD movie captured on select Canon Digital SLR or Canon Digital Still Cameras.

With use of genuine inks the PIXMA iX6540 features ChromaLife 100+ for long lasting beautiful photos and customers can also access CREATIVE PARK PREMIUM to print and use a range of high quality professional content, including exclusive images from recognised artists.

PIXMA iX6540 – key features:
•Ultra compact and stylish A3+ printer ideal for home or small offices
•Photolab-quality prints with minimum 1picolitre ink droplets and up to 9600dpi
•5 Single Ink Tanks minimise waste and print costs
•Efficient document print speeds – ISO ESAT 11.3ipm for black and 8.8ipm for colour
•Print high quality 10x15cm borderless photos in approximately 36 seconds
•Create professional marketing materials with Solution Templates
•Print quality photos from movies captured with select Canon cameras using Full HD Movie Print
•Efficient web printing with Easy-WebPrint EX
•Access exclusive professional content with CREATIVE PARK PREMIUM
•ChromaLife100+ for long lasting beautiful photos

Packaged in a relatively small box, at least as far as printers are concerned, the Samsung CLP-325 comes bundled with a power cord, a quickstart guide and a drivers CD. Four toner cartridges are also included inside the package with the black cartridge rated at 1000 pages and Yellow, Magenta and Cyan cartridges rated at 500 pages. Replacement toners cartridges are rated at 1500 pages for black and 750 for color so you are not getting a full toner cartridge which is sadly true for almost every single printer that is sold.

The Samsung CLP-325W measures 388mm x 313mm x 243mm making it reasonably small for a color laser printer. In fact, it is the smallest color laser printer that I have seen. The input tray can take upto 130 sheets and with its 360MHz CPU, it has a printing speeds of 16ppm for black and 4ppm for color in fast mode with a 2400×600 dpi effective output. On the connectivity front, the Samsung CLP-325W supports USB, Wired and Wireless connections making it very flexible for any location.

Packaged nicely in a not-too-big of a box, the HP OfficeJet Pro 8500A Plus comes with everything except the paper to get you started. You have four ink cartridges (CMYK), two print heads and a duplexer for double-sided printing along with the main printer. A drivers CD as well as a quick start guide is also included.

Putting the printer together is fairly easy and shouldn’t take more than ten minutes as long as you follow the guide. HP has done a good job of explaining the process. Once the printer is assembled, you plug it in and it takes another 20 or so odd minutes to initialize everything. This is a one time process.

I’m not sure how to say this, but the HP OfficeJet Pro 8500A Plus is a pretty good looking printer. You might wonder how good can a boxy device that chews paper out can look but with its slick black paint job and a big touchscreen LCD, its definitely one that you wouldn’t think of intentionally hiding which is something I’ve done with most printers in the past.

Using the printer is mainly done through its touch screen which seems capacitive in nature. I am saying that purely on my experience with its finger-friendliness. I was easily able to select options as well as input email addresses and passwords. The main menu has options to copy, fax, scan and access apps while the sides on the screen have navigation keys for home and moving left and right.

Once you have your HP OfficeJet Pro 8500A Plus connected to your computer, you can very easily scan documents to a folder on the computer or email them right away from the printer itself. I tested the HP OfficeJet Pro 8500A Plus on a Mac and setting it up was a breeze. The printer was available on the network as well as a bonjour device. Once installed, the HP control panel lets you control all aspects of the device.

Alternatively, the HP OfficeJet Pro 8500A Plus also has a web server built-in and you can access that through almost any modern browser. The web server is quite rich in functionality allowing you to scan and fax documents as well as check supply levels and change settings. In fact, you can pretty much get away without installing a native app to access the HP OfficeJet Pro 8500A Plus on your computer- all you need is the driver and the web server can pretty much do the rest. For offices this is great as its one less piece of software to manage across their computers.

Printer also supports return programme cartridges, Jing high yield cartridges that supply around 600 pages.

Paul Rooke, Lexmark Executive Vice President and President of company’s Imaging Solutions Division, said: “Interact cases Lexmark’s innovative solutions and functionality deuced in our latest wireless AIO line, relieve that the ability to create customized solutions and connect directly to the Web via our 4.3 inch colour touch screen will resonate with Apple customers, taking them way beyond tag.” Three-in-one printer also features Lexmark’s standard SmartSolutions and Lexmark says it aims to provide a fast and printing service for small and medium businesses.

More versatile than many other printers, the BX625FWD can print business-quality documents at 15 mono or 7.1 colour pages per minute on a wide range of media, and has an easy-access, front-loading paper tray which holds up to 250 sheets of A4 plain paper for high volume printing. It uses Epson DURABrite Ultra Ink to deliver fast-drying prints that resist water, highlighter pens, smudging and fading. Users can choose from a variety of cartridges to suit their needs, including XL inks for high volume printing, and individual cartridges mean that only the colour used needs to be replaced. ENERGY STAR^®-qualified power efficiency assures further savings.

Further, the included Presto! PageManager 9 software makes it easy for users to edit text and manage scanned documents using the BX625FWD’s Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity.

Khalil El-Dalu, General Manager, Epson Middle East, said, “The BX625FWD has the speed and durability to offer micro businesses in the Middle East an affordable laser alternative. With double-sided printing and an automatic document feeder, plus copy, scan and fax functions, it is an all-in-one solution that is built for business.”