HP partners with Yahoo to bring targeted ads to printers

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Matthew DeCarlo

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We've seen plenty of interesting news on HP printers lately, from self-installing LaserJet Pros to talk of "interconnected" models that use Palm's webOS mobile operating system. The PC maker has now joined forces with Yahoo to launch a pilot program to deliver targeted advertisements to HP's latest line of Web-connected printers.

Some of HP's new units have a feature called "scheduled delivery," which lets users schedule printing tasks. For example, one could set the printer to run off portions of a newspaper every morning – and that's where Yahoo's ad network steps in. HP ran two trials where people received content that included ads, and apparently, they were okay with it.

Based on that success, the company may configure printers to use your IP address to lace its "scheduled delivery" service with ads based on your behavior as well as the content itself. Before you go all Facebook on HP, the pilot with Yahoo is reportedly in its early stages and the company acknowledges that "the program has to be done with privacy in mind."

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So the lack of proactive objections is taken as acceptance? I wonder if this ad delivery will be disclosed in advance to users of this service.
 
It's a cute idea but I bet there will be a LOT of wrinkles to iron out in v1.0... such as, will there be a block-this-ad feature? How voluntary will the program be - required for Web-accessed features but default to regular non-Web printer mode? Extra payment or subscription fee available if you don't want the ads? I'm wondering how well "Gray Lady" HP will think this through in advance.

Personally, I wouldn't mind the ads if they didn't come in huge, paper-wasting volume. Seems a practical way to pay for extra services. I'm already on the info grid, so wot the 'ell, might as well accept a few benefits too.
 
Huh...my comment must not have posted...here we go again:

We have ads on TV, on the side of the road, in newspapers and magazines, in the movie theaters before the movie starts, on our web browsers, flying through the air behind small airplanes, stuck to our car windshields after coming out of the store...and now on printers. We even see ads advertising ads...ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the Advertisement Age. We are in 2 ages right now:

~the Information/Computer Age
AND
~the Advertisement Age

I'm getting tired of being bombarded with ads. My family and I are traveling and we're going down the interstate and seeing all the beautiful scenery and BAM! Billboards out in the middle of all the trees. Can't even enjoy scenic routs anymore. I don't mind the ones on the side of the road, but cutting into the trees and into the middle of the wooded area to put up your ugly signs just P*$$es me off. I realize that with advertising, certain things are free (YouTube, Hulu) and companies can sell services for less money...but enough is enough with all these ads. I would say that I should just pack up my stuff and move out to the middle of nowhere and become a hermit, but I know that eventually the ads will find me, and i'll be surrounded by them.....

*cradles in a corner, rocking back and forth while sucking his thumb, and saying "they're coming for me...the ads...they're everywhere...THEY'RE OUT TO GET ME!!!"*
 
I may be wrong, but I think its still cheaper to buy a paper than print a bunch of articles from the same paper.
 
So HP is going to waste YOUR printer ink to print unsolicited ads for you? How do people not complain about this?
 
Docnoq said:
So HP is going to waste YOUR printer ink to print unsolicited ads for you? How do people not complain about this?

If they start printing ads out in the middle of a project I'm would be PISSED. But I doubt they would start doing that unless they are providing free ink :p.
 
Not sure why anyone would waste paper and ink on stuff they could read online, any way, but, whatever. HP would benefit from this in two ways: 1) they get advertising revenue for delivering targeted ads; 2) users of the service will be having to buy that much more ink just to print out the advertising. Given how expensive HP ink cartridges are (frequently, you can buy a new printer for less than you'd pay to refill all the ink wells), I can't see ever joining up for such a service (not unless they start giving away such printers or GREATLY reduce the price of ink cartridges).
 
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