Sep. 2005 -- In keeping with its motto – Invent – HP is changing the way the world prints photos and documents.
HP’s new print engine packs 3,900 microscopic ink nozzles on one square inch of silicon to deliver up to 140 million drops of ink per second.
Why is this important? Because it means cheaper and faster prints for consumers.
The breakthrough is called HP scalable printing technology (SPT) and it took five years to research and develop at a cost of $1.4 billion. It marks a milestone in HP's 21-year printing history, which began in 1984 when HP introduced the first mass-marketed personal inkjet printer.
The affordable HP ThinkJet democratised printing. Its thermal inkjet technology delivered a high-quality, low-price personal printing experience, spelling the end for noisy dot-matrix printers - and the beginning of HP's leadership in imaging and printing.
SPT demonstrates how HP is still setting the pace for innovation in the industry: HP generates 11 patents per day - faster than any time in its history. That adds up to 25,000 patents, and counting.
In order to make SPT possible, HP scientists changed the way the printhead is fabricated. Rather than welding printhead parts together after each was produced, a new "photolithographic" method produces a fully-integrated printhead made as one, perfectly aligned unit.
The higher-precision fabrication leads to higher-precision printing capabilities — at speeds that inkjet designers back in 1984 could only dream about.
HP Photosmart 8250 Photo Printer
HP's scalable printing technology powers three of the world's fastest home photo printers: The HP Photosmart 8250 Photo Printer, the HP Photosmart 3210 and 3310 All-in-One.
These breakthrough printers feature six individual ink cartridges and produce beautiful photos and crisp text at blazing speeds and low cost.
As well as being able to print a standard 10 x 15 cm photo in just 14 seconds (in fast draft mode), the three new sleek HP Photosmart Photo Printer and All-in-Ones will also breeze through black text at up to 32 pages per minute (ppm) and colour documents at remarkable speeds of up to 31 ppm.
How is this possible? A wide print swath and the high number of nozzles ensures that more ink is delivered onto the page with each pass with maximum accuracy to allow professional quality printing at up to 4800 x 1200-optimised dots per inch (dpi).
HP Photosmart 3310 All-in-One
HP scalable printing technology also boasts a remarkable new ink delivery system.
Unlike other printing systems on the market, HP's new platform features an ink recirculation technology that minimises the need for priming. The innovative solution actually purges air bubbles and sends the 'clean' ink back to the ink reservoir. As a result, a significantly greater proportion of the ink in each ink cartridge makes it onto the printed page.
HP's new printing platform also features intelligent ink level monitoring as part of HP Smart Printing Supplies.
Before printing a photo or document, the printers actually check that sufficient ink is available to complete the job.
This means you never need to experience the frustration of wasted ink, paper and time you would get when you run out of ink mid-photo or document.
Available in a range of sizes, HP Photo Paper is the first to feature a barcode on its reverse side and is designed to work seamlessly with the new HP Photosmart 8250 Photo Printer and the HP Photosmart 3210 and HP Photosmart 3310 All-in-Ones.
In addition, HP Photo Paper is the company’s most water-resistant photo paper and features a glossy, instant-dry finish – so photos will not stick together.
The HP “Auto Sense” technology in the new range of printers actually "reads" each sheet of HP Photo Paper and will not print on a page that has been inserted wrong side up. It automatically detects and selects the required paper setting - you do not have to change any software settings yourself.
These are all examples of how HP inventors continue to bridge the gap between ideas and solutions. Thanks to HP, it just keeps getting better.
See how the new printers and ink delivery system were designed.
Printable version
