The Inkjet Printing Blog : wireless

HP Officejet Pro Challenge

Stacie Savage — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:40:00 GMT

Q&A with Bret Bottger of HP and Mark Evans of BID Blinds

After weeks of blogging about his experience with an HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-in-One, Mark Evans of BID Blinds emerged with the most votes among the five small business owners who participated in the HP Officejet Pro Challenge and won the grand prize package worth more than $2,100. Beyond the obvious advantage of receiving professional color documents while saving up to 50 percent on printing costs and energy use compared to laser¹, Mark says he learned a lot about how to use his new printer to help run his business. In this wrap-up interview with HP, Mark shares some additional perspective on printing in a small-business environment.

Mark is the owner of BID Blinds, which provides eco-friendly and affordable custom window treatments to residential and commercial clients in the greater Nashville, Tenn. area. Mark retired his Lexmark X125 All-in-One printer for the HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-in-One, and hasn’t looked back since.

Mark Evans, owner of BID Blinds and his new HP Officejet Pro All-in-One

Bret Bottger of HP, who has been chatting with Mark and other participants throughout the Challenge, touched base with Mark to get his comments. Here’s what Mark had to say about his experience:

Bret: After testing the HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-in-One for four weeks, what did you particularly like or dislike about it?

Mark: Wow, that is a dangerous question to ask if you don’t know the answer! I think the general thing that stuck out to me was the ease with which I could perform all of the tasks that HP put us through. Of course, I had the occasional – okay, more than occasional - brain cramp that complicated things because I overlooked the obvious. I also like the energy saving “sleep” mode it goes into when it has been idle for a short while. That same mode was probably the “worst” thing, too. Sometimes I get in a time crunch trying to get out the door. I hit “Print” and have to wait a sec for the machine to stir from hibernation. Again, my issue, not the machine’s.

Bret: What features did you find most useful during your four-week “test drive”? Were there any features that you found hard to use?

Mark: Let’s tackle the second part first. NO!!! Emphatic enough? There really was nothing that was difficult. For the Challenge, sometimes I was pressed for time meeting your deadlines because I am still running a business. But, man, this 8500 really came through. Had it been a bear to learn or had it required reading a 600 page manual, I would’ve put it back in the box.

Now for the Part A of your query, the feature I utilized the most was, without question, the two-sided option, both printing and scanning. Not only was it a time saver, it reduces usage and waste and saves the dollars and time it would take to produce a high quality product that is suitable for giving to my clientele!

Bret: What did you think of the quality of materials printed when using Original HP Papers, such as the HP Bright White Inkjet Paper, HP Photo Paper and glossy HP Brochure/Flyer Paper?

Mark: Okay, you got me here. I’ve only used the Photo paper once – four prints. Did I tell you I was running a business? But all of the paper products have been excellent. They have made the final presentation products “POP!” And the way they hold the ink in trying circumstances is “magnifico.” They don’t smudge up or run when wet. The brochure paper is amazing. I am still trying to find the ideal template for my biz. But the brochures I’ve produced are as good as they come.

Bret: Overall, how well did the new Officejet Pro fit the needs of your business compared to your previous printer?

Mark: This is a loaded question. Your HP bias is showing. Let me put it this way. If I hadn’t gone through this experience and learned how many more things I could do and DO WELL with this All-in-One, it would have been a tie. But this 8500 allows me to do things I never would have done with my previous all-in-one. And it does them with such ease and in such high quality.

“WOW’” is the impression the Challenge left me with.

Bret: Would you recommend this printer to other small business owners? If so, why?

Mark: Without a doubt. This machine will make you proud of what you are able to produce. Sure, there are some items that I do in the hundreds, and even thousands, that I will outsource. But for those things that take a personalized touch or those that require differentiation or contrasting ideas, the end product from this small business machine will be hard to beat (and you don’t have to wait for the Print shop to call and say that it is ready).

Finally, even the routine functions, are handled seamlessly by a touch screen input panel. It walks you through your options and maximizes the result. What more could you ask for from the machine? Espresso? Latte?

Bret: Now you have the choice. Would you ever go back to your old printer?

Mark: Somebody would have to pay me a LOT of money as an inducement to use the old machine. Even then, I’d keep my 8500 wired in and sneak back to use it at every opportunity!

Bret: Congratulations on your win, Mark! I hope that you continue to enjoy the HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-in-One. Be sure to follow the new HP Officejet Pro Challenge: Laser Edition when it launches in a few weeks to hear what a fresh group of small business owners are saying about the Officejet Pro. Click here to check it out.

Opinions expressed here and in any corresponding comments are the personal opinions of the original authors, not of HP and may not have been reviewed in advance by HP.

¹Majority of color laser AiOs <$600, June 2008; for details, www.hp.com/go/officejet. OJ Pro ISO yield with highest-capacity cartridges based on continuous printing; see www.hp.com/go/learnaboutsupplies. Energy use based on HP testing using the ENERGY STAR® program's TEC test method criteria.

A Recipe for Culinary Success: How to make a cookbook in 15 minutes or less

Angela_LoSasso — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 23:41:00 GMT

I love food. I love to cook. And I love to share recipes with family and friends alike.

Actually, that's a bit of an understatement: I make, print, and share cookbooks. And you can, too.

Follow these three steps to print and make your own cookbook in 15 minutes or less.

Step 1: Grab recipes from food blogs and websites. Use tried and true recipes from top food blogs and culinary websites who freely share. Some of my favorites are listed below. Just remember to respect their copyright and intellectual property rights.

Step 2: Hit print brilliantly. The best food blogs have gorgeous color photography and have preformatted printer-friendly pages (usually designated with a little printer icon). Be sure to click through to a printer-friendly page (like this one from Simply Recipes) before you hit print, or use HP's free Smart Web Printing software to grab only what you want from the web and build your own recipe page to print. (Tip: I print my cookbooks using HP Brochure and Flyer paper on an HP Photosmart All-in-One.)

Step 3: Bind and share. You can make this step as fancy or as simple as you want. Use a stapler or paper clip to hold pages together. Or use a hole puncher (one in the top left corner, or two holes at the top, or traditional three holes on the left side of the pages) and insert the pages into a binder. Even prettier - hole punch and tie together with a ribbon. Or insert pages into a Photobook.

Favorite food blogs and websites

Want to make a cookbook using your own recipes and photos?

Making a personalized cookbook takes a bit more time and effort, but the payoff is big -- especially if you want to give it as a gift to friends and family. Spice up your recipe pages with photos -- of the preapred dish, of the people who created and shared the recipe, of places, of things (like pots, pans, or an apron ).

See how I made a cookbook using family recipes and free HP templates in this step by step guide on the HP Wiki.

Send me a link to your favorite food blog, and please ping me if you share your finished cookbook on the HP Wiki.

Angela LoSasso manages HP's Creative Wiki and HP's Small Business Wiki. When she's not cooking or writing, you'll find her on Twitter.

New Officejet Pro Printers and All-in-Ones Deliver Professional Color at up to 50% the cost per page and energy use of lasers

Stacie Savage — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 21:48:00 GMT

Posted by Bret Bottger, HP IWS Market Development Team

Today HP is introducing new HP Officejet Pro and Officejet inkjet printers and All-in-Ones which give small businesses the impact of professional color at up to 50% less cost per page and energy use than lasers.⁽¹⁾Color makes printed pages stand out and helps with readability and comprehension, and these new HP Officejet Pro and Officejet products enable small businesses to print quality color pages affordably.

These products were developed to challenge preconceptions about ink printing compared to laser printing, and are designed to deliver outstanding business-class output at a great price. Color printouts from these new printers rival the quality of print shops. In addition, the new HP Officejet Pro 8500 All-in-One series, HP Officejet Pro 8000 Printer series and HP Officejet 6500 All-in-One series offer small businesses laser-comparable print speeds⁽²⁾ while only consuming up to 50% of the energy of competitive laser printers.⁽¹⁾

These new Officejet Pro products offer the best combination of features among inkjets in their class -- printing at the fastest color speeds⁽⁵⁾ with the lowest cost per page and highest-yield supplies of up to 2,200 pages.⁽⁶⁾This video gives a quick overview of the HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-in-One.

The Officejet Pro products use four new individual, water-resistant HP 940 Officejet Inks which are pigment-based and provide professional print quality with premium durability. These inks are like liquid laser toner and create pages that stand up to rain and water spills when used with plain papers.⁽³⁾ You can actually dunk printed pages in water or take them out in the rain. (I’m not sure why you’d want to do that, but you can.) It’s more likely that you might accidentally place a wet cup on an important page. I’ve poured water on freshly printed pages and the ink stays right where it’s supposed to be. And of course, the ink delivers deep, sharp blacks and brilliant colors for professional-looking print projects that resist smudging.

The HP Officejet Pro 8500 All-in-One series ($299-$499) and HP Officejet Pro 8000 Printer series ($149-$179) are ENERGY STAR® qualified and have laser-comparable print speeds of up to 15 pages per minute (ppm) black and up to 11 ppm color,⁽²⁾ embedded wired and wireless networking options, and device management software. For small-offices and home-offices, the HP Officejet 6500 All-in-One series ($149-$199)⁽⁷⁾ offers a multitude of features including individual inks, automatic two-sided printing,⁽⁸⁾ laser-comparable print speeds of up to 7 ppm for both black and color,⁽²⁾ wireless networking options and deliver professional color documents at up to 40% lower cost per page and energy use than competitive lasers. ⁽¹⁾

These products come with a one-year limited warranty as well as HP Total Care advice and support. More information about HP’s new printing and imaging portfolio, including videos and images, is available in an online press kit at www.hp.com/go/HPSMBEvent.

I’m interested in your thoughts, experiences and questions about small business inkjet printing. Please feel free to jump into the conversation with blog comment.

Opinions expressed here and in any corresponding comments are the personal opinions of the original authors, not of HP and may not have been reviewed in advance by HP.

⁽¹⁾ Cost-per-page (CPP) and energy-savings claims for HP Officejet Pro 8500 All-in-One (AiO) series are based, as of June 2008, on the majority of color laser AiOs less than $600 when using HP Officejet Pro products with high-capacity cartridges. CPP and energy-savings claims for HP Officejet Pro 8000 Printer series are based, as of June 2008, on the majority of color lasers less than $300 when using HP Officejet Pro products with high-capacity cartridges. CPP and energy-savings claims for HP Officejet 6500 AiO series are based, as of June 2008, on the majority of color laser all-in-ones less than $300 when using HP Officejet Pro products with high-capacity cartridges. Energy use is also based on the manufacturers’ stated power consumption when printing. Test methods may vary. Details are available at www.hp.com/go/officejet.

⁽²⁾ Based on pages per minute measured using FDIS ISO/IEC 24734. Standard applies to inkjet and laser products and excludes first set of test documents.

⁽³⁾ Based on HP internal testing, using papers with the ColorLok logo.

⁽⁵⁾ Color print speeds are based, as of Q2 2008, on the majority of inkjet printers less than $200 and inkjet all-in-ones less than $500 from major vendors. More information is available at www.hp.com/go/officejet.

⁽⁶⁾ Compared to inkjet printers < $200 and AiOs with fax < $500 from major vendors as of Q208. Average based on ISO/IEC 24711 or HP testing methodology and continuous printing. Actual yield varies considerably based on content of printed pages and other factors. For details see www.hp.com/go/learnaboutsupplies. Based on products offered by manufacturers as of March 2009.

⁽⁷⁾ U.S. estimated street price, actual prices may vary. Availability varies by region.

⁽⁸⁾ Automatic two-sided printing only available on the HP Officejet 6500 Wireless All-in-One.

Microsoft and Windows are U.S. registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. ENERGY STAR is a U.S. registered mark of the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

10 Things You Can Do with a Wireless HP Printer

Angela_LoSasso — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 00:03:00 GMT

When people hear that I work for HP, they often ask, "What can I do with a printer?"

The possibilities are endless, but I like to keep it simple. Here are 10 things you can do with a Wireless HP Printer:

Share life.
Be a character.
Play.
Spread joy.
Be kind.
Be Martha.
Dress yourself.
Brand yourself.
Publish yourself.
Print from any room in the house. (I personally prefer to print from the sofa in my bunny slippers, but it's really up to you.)

Tell me what makes your Top 10 list (comment link is below).

Angela LoSasso manages HP's Creative Wiki and HP's Small Business Wiki. Inbetween creative projects, you'll find her on Twitter.

Print from any computer, anywhere in the house

Angela_LoSasso — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:42:00 GMT

Go ahead: Let your imagination run wild.
Create art.
Snap photos.
Write a story.
Make and share a calendar, or a cookbook, a card, a magnet, or a 3D elephant for your 7-year-old's science project.
You can do it from your office, couch, bedroom or kitchen table.
Watch and see how.

Live and print wirelessly. Learn more .

This post was originally published on the HP Community Wiki Blog.