| When purchasing printers or multifunction copiers for | | | | the paper under the fixed printhead, and an ink system |
| an office, trade-offs are typically made. Is the speed | | | | that can adapt to different requirements. The new ink |
| appropriate for a workgroup or a department? Is color | | | | contains colorants that immobilize rapidly on the paper |
| or monochrome output sufficient? If color, would ink | | | | to ensure consistent dot size, high color saturation, and |
| technology or the faster laser technology be better? | | | | high optical density. Prints dry rapidly at 70+ |
| Typically, if color output is needed, the user must | | | | pages-per-minute, resist smear (even from a |
| decide between the photo quality of an ink technology | | | | highlighter) and are water resistant. |
| or the slightly more grainy output of a color laser. Of | | | | Will the quality be good? |
| course, the color laser can print much faster than the | | | | Edgeline technology also includes intelligent and |
| ink technology so that is also a factor. If a large | | | | self-calibrating writing systems to deliver consistent |
| volume of output is necessary, the user must choose | | | | image quality. The printheads are designed to print at |
| a color laser because ink printing is just too slow and | | | | 1200dpi. This equals the best native resolutions of |
| ink machines are not built to handle volumes of paper. | | | | current products. The printheads also know when a |
| In many cases however, laser printing is more costly to | | | | specific nozzle is acting up and it's duties can be |
| print (per page) than ink technology. | | | | passed to an adjacent nozzle. There will also be a |
| Edgeline technology from Hewlett Packard promises | | | | 2-pass option for further increasing print quality. |
| to deliver the best of both ink and laser technologies. It | | | | Will it be more expensive? |
| will bring low machine cost, low operating costs, fast | | | | Pricing has not been released as of the date of this |
| print speeds and photo quality output. | | | | writing, but the base technology is already in use and |
| What is Edgeline? | | | | HP is promising best-in-class operating costs as well |
| Edgeline is the result of 4 years and 1.4 billion dollars of | | | | as reliability, quality and speed. The machine itself |
| research and development by Hewlett Packard. What | | | | should not cost more than current color laser MFPs |
| they created was a patented process to economically | | | | due to the much simpler mechanics. There will be no |
| manufacture an inkjet printhead that spans the entire | | | | high voltage power supply, laser scanner mechanisms, |
| width of a printed page. This means that during printing, | | | | transfer belts, or fuser assemblies. And those are just |
| only the paper moves not the printhead. Combined | | | | the major components. In fact, the machine will only |
| with new ink formulations, the speed of the printer can | | | | need to move paper passed the printheads. This is |
| be increased to 71 pages per minute with outstanding | | | | much simpler than any current design. |
| image quality. The printheads are very reliable, | | | | When will it arrive? |
| designed to last for 2 million printed pages or the useful | | | | Multifunction devices utilizing this technology are |
| life of the machine itself. | | | | expected to be shipping during the second quarter of |
| Three Key Elements | | | | 2007. Because of all its advantages, it is very likely that |
| The three main features of this system are a | | | | you will see this technology in an office near you |
| printhead that spans the entire printed page, moving | | | | before the end of this year. |