While some may have thought, and some have written, that the inkjet in the business environment was going into a managed decline, HP has tackled almost every issue facing the technology to bring it not only up to date, but to exceed laser printers in some areas.
Firstly, the PageWide Pro 452dw and 477dw MFD get their PageWide moniker from HP’s industrial print heritage where the technology of being able to print the full width of the print medium has been a standard for quite some time, enough time to clock up more than 140 billion prints.
Reduced down to desktop size, what this means is that HP has combined a completely new paper path with a fixed print head under which the paper is moved to produce not only a highly accurate, fast and efficient printing process, but also a reduced power draw and smaller footprint device.
The 452dw and 477dw easily sit on a desk, if required, or can be a standalone device for a workgroup. It is relatively quiet, but very fast meaning it be in full operation without really disturbing anyone.
At 530 x 407 x 378.9 mm, the devices are smaller than previous devices with comparable capabilities. But with Energy Star qualification, its 70watts average consumption while printing, 9.5 watts in readiness, 4.5 watts for sleep and 0.95 watts in auto-off or 0.2 watts in manual-off, the device is very frugal when compared to rivals.
Speed is not sacrificed for this frugality, as black and white printing is up to 40 ppm, as is colour, but the first page out speed for black and white is as low as 6.5 sec, or 7 for colour. Print quality is up to 1200 x 1200 optimised dpi from 600 x 600 input dpi (on unspecified plain paper, HP Premium Inkjet Presentation Paper Matte, and HP Inkjet Brochure Paper Matte). For colour, it is up to 2400 x 1200 optimised dpi from 600 x 600 input dpi (on HP Advanced Photo Papers).
What was once perceived as a problem for inkjet printers was the ink. HP has again addressed this in a number of ways. First of all, by moving to a pigment-based ink, finer control allows for greater accuracy, detail and longevity of prints. Secondly, the company has developed services such as its Instant Ink service whereby consumers, just like a managed print service in business, can sign up to have their ink monitored and replacements sent before eve running out.
Added to all of this is wireless and wired connectivity that make set up extremely easy. WPS for wireless, or just plug in an Ethernet cable. For true wireless printing supporting mobile devices, there is HP’s ePrint whereby the device hosts an email address that can be sent materials to print from any email enabled device. This is a huge benefit, whether for visiting users or just road warriors that are seldom back at base.
Security is well looked after too, with everything from face down page output, to PIN-enabled printing, as well as secure boot and secure code integrity validation. This means that if anything untoward is detected as the device is operating, it can restart and revert to a last known secure configuration, ensuring that there can be no injection of malicious code or information interception.
The PageWide Pro 452dw makes an excellent workgroup or personal device for anyone who has sophisticated print demands at reasonable volumes but does not want to spend time managing a device or its consumables. It is efficient, fast and in a small footprint will not dominate the space. With its spread of connectivity and security options, it will not be the weak point in an office fleet.
The PageWide Pro 477dw multifunction device expands on all of the above capabilities, with copy scan and fax capabilities. With these extra functions to manage, the 477dw comes with a larger, full colour 10.92 cm (4.3″) IR touchscreen. This makes managing the device directly an easier prospect, though both machines have full web GUIs for management.
The 477dw’s scanner capability is of the flatbed (ADF) type, with Bitmap, JPEG, PDF, PNG, Rich Text, searchable PDF, Text and TIFF file formats. Resolution is up to 1200 dpi, with a maximum scan bed size of 216 x 356 mm at to up to 25 ipm (monochrome and colour) for A4, with an automatic document feeder capacity.
The device has digital sending standard features covering scan to email with LDAP email address lookup; Scan to Network Folder; Scan to USB; Scan to Sharepoint; Scan to Computer with SW; Fax Archive to Network Folder; Fax Archive to Email; Fax to Computer; Enable/Disable Fax; Enable/Disable colour Fax. It shares the security features of Colour Access Control and Native Authorisation and Authentication.
The scan input modes cover front panel applications: copy, scan to email with LDAP email address lookup, scan to network folder, scan to USB, scan to SharePoint, scan to computer with SW.
Copy specifications include a copy resolution for black text up to 600 dpi, with colour text and graphics the same. Reduction or enlarging can vary from 25 to 400%. The maximum copies parameter is set to 99.
For the fax functionality, colour is available, with a maximum transmission speed of 4 sec per page, through a memory capacity of up to 100 pages in black and white, and up to 8 pages in colour. The fax resolution is 300 x 300 dpi.
A maximum of 199 speed dials can be programmed, and up to 20 broadcast locations.
Leveraging the same base innovations in design, operation and manufacture as its stable mate, the 477dw adds the additional strengths of the MFD and provides an even more compelling value proposition for a workgroup or small office. The addition of larger, colour touchscreen means that productivity is further extended as the device can support multiple interactions, through its ePrint, network and walk-up abilities. When all of this is combined with the new security features, it allows the 477dw to perform in a manner that was not so long ago the preserve of print room equipment.
The PageWide Pro 452dw and 477dw are now available, with the former priced at €325 ex VAT, and the latter at €447 ex VAT.
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