“The soil” of Canon is extremely fertile this month. Believe it or not, but here come three more multifunctions from that manufacturer – Pixma MX300, MX310, and MX700. As you may gather it from the word ‘multifunction’, these devices perform functions of printing, copying, scanning, and faxing.

Apart from the functions mentioned above, Canon Pixma MX700 features networking, two-sided printing, and an auto document feeder. The device prints and copies 30 pages per minute (ppm) for black text and 19 ppm for color documents. The printer employs 4 separate color cartridges (pigment black, cyan, magenta, and yellow) that are capable of producing 2-picoliter-sized droplets at up to 4800 x 1200 dpi in color and 600 x 600 dpi in black.

The printer also features a 1.8-inch LCD screen to helps navigate the menu, and supports PictBridge connection as well as memory cards. The MX700’s scanner has a CIS sensor to achieve 2400 x 4800 dpi; copy zoom ranges from 25 to 400 percent. For easier copying, scanning, and faxing Canon Pixma MX700 employs a 30-page auto document feeder.

Canon Pixma MX310 has the same basic design of MX700. Both the MX310 and the MX300 use one black and one combined color ink cartridge to print 4800 x 1200 dpi in color and 600 x 600 dpi in black. Both MX310 and the MX300 can print as fast as up to 22 ppm black and 17 ppm color. The printers are compatible with a PictBridge connection for direct printing from cameras, but don’t support memory card slots.

All in all, this month Canon has released 12 inkjet printers – 6 all-in-ones, 2 compact photo printers and 4 “men of mould” – regular color inkjet printers. Frankly speaking, I can’t imagine there is necessity for that many devices, however, there is surely someone at Canon who can. Wilson Rotham of Gizmodo.com is confused, too; in his acticle “Canon Launches 12 Printers, Only Needed To Launch 4” he tells why 4 printers would be enough and calls to put an end to this “product spam.”

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In January, 2007 Zink Imaging announced it was developing a technology that would enable mobile printing with out a drop of ink. The core of the technology was paper with incorporated color crystals that would be activated by heat of printhead. The resulting device should be similar to Polaroid cameras, combining photo camera and printer in one unit. Actually, both Zink and its innovation are successors of Polaroid. Zink started as a project inside Polaroid, now it’s an independent company employing some of ex-Polaroid specialists.

After the January announcement, there has been no news from the company, except for the purchase of a factory previously run by Konica Minolta. Now Zink shed some light onto what kind of products it’s going to release.

First off, a combined digital camera and printer. It turns out, Zink is not the first company (except Polaroid, of course) to try to combine the function of these two devices in one. FujiFilm and Olympus each released one model in late 1999. The Zink’s gadget is said to have 7MP resolution with 3x optical zoom, 2-inch LCD display and SD card slot. Images can be printed right away on Zink borderless 2×3-inch paper. An internal, rechargeable battery powers the device.

Another product is a standalone printer. It also prints on 2×3 borderless paper and uses battery power. The printer is said to be compatible with all Pictbridge cameras and camera phones with wireless connectivity.

While conducting a market research, Zink priced digital camera-printer for $199 and pack of 10 photo paper sheets for $1.69, but actual retail prices likely to change. Zink plans to release the products late in this year, that is 2007.

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In one of my previous posts I wrote about the results of a study done by Australian researchers. According to the study, laser printers seem to be emitting into air presumably printer toner particles hazardous to health. And it turned out that majority (12 of 13) of tested printer happened to be made by HP.

Soon after the results of the study were published, HP responded with a letter posted on Wired.com blog. The blogger Charlie Sorrel believes this response is only to pacify the public, though the matter definitely requires further careful investigation, and advises to sit away from your printer (inkjet printer owners may feel relieved

Here is what HP’s vice president of marketing for supplies Tuan Tran said:

After a preliminary review of the Queensland University of Technology research on particle emission characteristics of office printers, HP does not agree with its conclusion or some of the bold claims the authors have made recently in press reports.

HP stands behind the safety of its products. Testing of ultrafine particles is a very new scientific discipline. There are no indications that ultrafine particle (UFP) emissions from laser printing systems are associated with special health risks. Currently, the nature and chemical composition of such particles – whether from a laser printer or from a toaster – cannot be accurately characterized by analytical technology. However, many experts believe that many of the UFPs found in common household and office products are not discrete solid particles, but may be condensation products or small droplets created during thermal processes.

HP agrees more testing in this area is needed, which is why we’ve been active with two of the world’s leading independent authorities on this subject: Air Quality Sciences in the United States and the Wilhelm-Klauditz Institute in Germany.

Vigorous tests are an integral part of HP’s research and development and its strict quality-control procedures. HP LaserJet printing systems, original HP print cartridges and papers are tested for dust release and possible material emissions and are compliant with all applicable international health and safety requirements. In addition to meeting or exceeding these guidelines, HP’s design criteria for its laser printing systems incorporate guidelines from both the Blue Angel program in Germany and the Greenguard program in the United States.

Based on our own testing, HP knows that many variables can affect the outcome of tests for ultrafine particle emissions. Although HP is not aware of all of the specific methodologies used in the Queensland study, based on what we’ve seen
in the report – as well as our own work in this area – we do not believe there is a link between printer emissions and any public health risk. Specifically, HP does not see an association between printer use by customers and negative health effects for volatile organic compounds, ozone or dust. While we recognize ultrafine, fine, and coarse particles are emitted from printing systems, these levels are consistently below recognized occupational exposure limits.

HP hopes to learn more from the study authors about how products were chosen for the study, how ranges were determined given no standards exist, and many other factors that could have influenced the results.

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Printer makers just can’t stop pleasing their customers with new releases. Epson USA introduced three new Hi-Definition printers. Epson Stylus Photo R280 is a single-function photo printer capable of printing on wide media (up to 8.5″ x 44″) and CDs and DVDs. It features very fast speed – up to 38 ppm in black and 37 ppm in color at maximum resolution of 5760 x 1440 dpi.

Epson’s Stylus Photo RX595 and Stylus Photo RX680 are multifunctional printers that can copy and scan. Both printers have a built-in 2.5” LCD preview screen and support direct print from memory cards and PictBridge-enabled cameras. Stylus Photo RX595 perform as fast as R280, while RX680 is faster – it prints 40 ppm in black and white (color printing rate is that same). The printers also support maximum resolution of 5760 x 1440 dpi.

Printing speed put aside, the new devices seem pretty ordinary, so where “Hi-Definition” come from? The trick is in use of Advanced MicroPiezo printhead that produce ink droplets as tiny as 1.5 picoliter. Yet the printers utilize 6 individual color cartridges filled with Claria Hi-Definition Ink, a proprietary in by Epson to print smudge, scratch, water and fade resistant photos. The manufacturer promises that pictures printed with Claria inks will last as long as 200 years.

From Canon’s side, there is a trio of new printers, too – Pixma MP520, MP610, and MP970. All three all-in-one printers feature PictBridge and memory card direct print, reduced warm-up time and improved Easy Scroll-Wheel interface; they also support. Easy Scroll-Wheel now not only gives information on specific functions, but also takes the user to the specific function selected. All three models feature Auto Image Fix, a tool to adjust image quality.

Canon Pixma MP970, being the top-of the-line model, has a large, 3.5-inch LCD screen, uses seven individual cartridges and features a CCD in its scanner. Printing rate is 30 ppm for black, 22 ppm for color documents at 9600-dpi maximum resolution using 1 picoliter droplets. MP970 is network-ready device with a film adapter for both slides and negatives.

Pixma MP610 support the same speed of 30 ppm for black, 22 ppm for color documents at 9600-dpi maximum resolution with 1 picoliter droplet size. However, it uses only five individual cartridges (without photo cyan and photo magenta). The printer has a smaller, 2.5-inch LCD screen, and a CIS sensor in its scanner.

Canon Pixma M520 is low-end model with only 2-inch LCD screen. It utilizes four color cartridges to print Black text at 30 ppm and color text at 19 ppm. Supported resolution is 4800 dpi with 2 picoliter droplets.

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