HP earlier this week announced breakthroughs in printer ink, printer toner, and media technologies that allow customers to get color printing quality comparable to offset printing.

The list of the HP’s breakouts includes:

• ColorSphere Toner
• Dual Drop Volume Technology
• Enhanced ‘Low Melt’ Monochrome Toner
• ColorLok Media
• XL Inkjet Print Cartridges
• Simple Black range of cartridges
• Dual Pack LaserJet Cartridges

Now let us see what is what and who is who. (more…)

Surely you have faced this problem: one fine day the printer stops printing and starts flashing with its LEDs. You know that something went wrong but don’t know what it is.

The thing is when broken, printer can’t TELL you happened (I imagine it would be breathing like Darth Vader or speaking in Optimus Prime’s voice,) but it can give you a sign. It is the you who should understand that signs (as a higher developed species.) At least, it’s in your interest to do so.

So let’s learn some printer signals language. (more…)

Xerox launched five new products in the laser printer and MFPs to extend its already broad line of document imaging solutions for the midsize and small businesses.

The Phaser 3100 MFP is the Xerox’s low-end new solutions with speeds of up to 21 pages-per-minute and such features as scan to e-mail, a full keyboard for the fax directory and Optical Character Recognition software to convert scanned documents into searchable files.

Individual users and small work groups may take advantage of Xerox’s Phaser 3250 laser printer. The device features double-sided printing and can print up to 30 pages-per-minute.

Next laser printer, the Phaser 3600 can print at speeds of up to 40 ppm and is provided with a standard one-year warranty that can be extended to three years. With advanced security features and Xerox CentreWare Internet Service technology, the Phaser fits workgroups best.

The Phaser 5500 is the top printer in this Xerox’s release. Designed mostly for larger workgroups, the printer has the PhaserSmart online troubleshooting tool and printing speeds of up to 50 pages-per-minute. The Phaser 5500 can bolster the ability to produce double- or single-sided tabloid-sized printouts.

Last in the release, the Phaser 2625 multifunction printer can speeds up to 35 ppm and includes security options like image overwriting, encryption and authentication tools.

While being just another low-cost color inkjet printer, Lexmark Z2420 Wireless stands out for its integrated 802.11b/g wireless connectivity, which makes it as flexible as only few other printers in this price range. Unfortunately, that’s all there is, because its performance is moderate, according to, discovers Melissa Riofrio, in PC World review of Lexmark Z2420.

In tests the Z2420 performed fairly well. It produced 10 pages of text in 1 minute, which is slightly above average for this category. As for color graphics printing, here Z2420 rates slowest among the likes.

It was noticed that the Z2420’s print quality greatly depends on the type of paper. On the plain paper, the black ink produced slightly faded and fuzzy-looking letters. Color photos also looked faded and grainy. On Lexmark’s own photo paper, the same images brightened and showed improved, crisper details.

Lexmark calculates its ink yields using a suite of typical documents. The cartridges that came along with the Z2420 printer ran out fast, after 175 “black” pages and 150 “tricolor” pages. A higher yield, yet more pricy cartridges are available; black cartridge costs $25 and lasts 500 pages or 4.9 cents per page. A tricolor cartridge lasts same 500 pages, but costs $35, which makes 7.2 cents per page.

The printer is easy to install via USB or wireless, thanks to the helpful installation process. The overall design is of the printe is described as simple, too.

The printer can hold up to 100 sheets through rear-loading input area and has a 25-sheet output tray. The cartridges are hidden behind a top panel and have easy-release latches. There are only 2 buttons on the control panel that perform all, but this is a common site for a budget printer like that.

In conclusion Melissa finds Lexmark Z2420 Wireless rather disappointing as main printer. However, as a cheap secondary device for occasional photo printing, Z2420 is a good choice. Besides it has a wireless connection, something that other low-cost printers don’t.