For the first time in a long while, we are hearing some good news from HP. Good news for desktop users, that is. While the cost of owning an Inkjet printer is pretty ridiculous, for producing high-quality home and small business photos they have a perfect fit for many. Recently, HP has been preparing to launch an ultra-fast Inkjet printer. Set for release in about six months, the "Edgeline" will be pricier than most business Inkjets, but supposedly be able to crank out pages much faster than ever before, and be able to do it quieter. The reason is that the Edgeline will do an entire line of a page at once, rather than needing to go back and forth with a mechanical arm:
Vyomesh Joshi, executive vice president of HP's printing and imaging group, said that printing across the page in one blast speeds things up considerably. In traditional inkjets, the printer has to scan from side to side. Using Edgeline, time is saved by eliminating this lateral movement as the paper is fed through. Joshi added that the printer will also be a little quieter because of the reduction in mechanical movements.
Pricing isn't released yet, nor are mechanical specifications such as what sort of resolution the printer will be capable of or what exact speeds can be expected. It'll be interesting to watch it as launch approaches though. Businesses are turning more and more to LaserJets, largely for cost, but the Inkjet has the potential to come back.