By Angela Dorizas

SYDNEY: HP has launched a fleet of SMB and home office printers, building on its strong position in the laser printer market. The company was the number one single function colour printer vendor for Q1 2008.

“HP has a strong heritage in laser printing and we offer some great features our competitors do not have,” said HP South Pacific market development manager – volume laser printers, Adam Faccin.

HP has reported positive results from its new LaserJet printer range officially launched this week.

“The initial response from the market has been very positive. We are seeing a shift towards laser printing in the retail market,” Faccin said.

The Color LaserJet CP1515 series offers what HP claims is near professional-quality prints, fast print speeds and time-saving features. It boasts faster print speeds up to 12 pages per minute (ppm) for black and white and 8 ppm for colour. The printers are claimed to be cost effective, saving consumers up to 50 per cent off outsourced print jobs.

HP has incorporated HP marketing resources software and a new in-house marketing starter kit with specialty media samples and pre-designed templates. The improved HP ColorSphere toner and HP ImageREt 3600 technology delivers sharper text, better colours and higher gloss.

HP has included greener features, such as instant-on technology to reduce standby power consumption. HP claims the LaserJet uses 50 per cent less energy than traditional fusing and prints faster from PowerSave mode.

“These printers are geared to use less standby power than competitors,” Faccin said.

The CP1515n and CP1518ni are available now for $449 RRP and $499 RRP respectively.

HP multifunction printers (MFP) are gaining traction in the retail space, according to the company.

“There has been growth in the adoption of colour and multi-function devices,” Faccin said.

HP is releasing the CM1312 MFP series in June – its lowest priced Color LaserJet MFP. The MFP offers print, copy, fax and scan to email in one easy-to-use device.

The CM1312 features enhanced HP marketing resources, HP ColorSphere toner, copy speeds of up to 12 ppm, instant-on and LED-based time and energy saving technology. With a 450MHz processor and up to 160 MB memory, the device performs complex tasks efficiently. HP has incorporated print management tools, including easy printer care software and HP SureSupply.

The CM1312 and CM1312nfi will retail for $599 RRP and $899 RRP respectively.