HP revamps inkjet printheads

Hewlett-Packard is introducing new technology in inkjet printers that it hopes will help fend off rivals.

The company said on Monday it is using a new photolithographic process to create inkjet printheads as a single unit, instead of welding different components together. This manufacturing shift is designed to better align the chamber, nozzles and heating element and, in turn, to improve the accuracy of ink drop placement. The new printheads can also support at least 3,900 nozzles. The higher nozzle density and greater accuracy in dot placement yield faster and better quality prints, HP said.

With the new product, HP said, it can increase the area the printhead covers with each pass over a page and thus reduce the amount of time needed to print a page. The increase in the number of nozzles also translates into more available colours, HP said.

"This technology is the next step in our business transformation -- the master key that unlocks new market opportunities and further growth in our printer business," Vyomesh Joshi, executive vice president of imaging and printing at HP, said in a statement.

On Monday, HP also announced new printers based on the new printheads. The Photosmart 8250 Photo Printer, priced at $199 in the US, and Photosmart 3000 All-in-One series, priced from $299 to $399, can print 100x150mm photos in 14 seconds, HP said. These printers feature six individual HP Vivera ink cartridges. The Photosmart 8250 will be available in the US this month; the All-in-One series will debut this autumn. UK pricing and release dates were not available.

Six portable photo printers were also introduced, including the Photosmart 475 GoGo, a compact photo printer. The $279 machine can print 125x180mm photos, in addition to 100x150mm and panorama prints. The Photosmart 420 series GoGo Photo Studio includes a digital camera and a printer with a dock. It starts at $299.

HP has also added new products to its digital camera line and extended its recently acquired Snapfish online photo service to customers of Walgreens (a chemist's chain, much like the UK's Boots). The new Walgreens service will be available by September.