HP splits up ink offerings

Starting later this year, Hewlett Packard will be releasing printers based on an entirely new inkjet cartridge system. Most such cartridges are fairly expensive, for the simple reason that they are one-size-fits-all products matched to a particular printer; the new ones may still be associated with specific hardware, but buyers will at last be able to choose a size, cutting down costs.

Three sizes are planned: the blue "Standard" cartridges will actually be the cheapest at approximately $15, and made possible by reducing the amount of ink. The target market is people who seldom need their printer, printing only a few handfuls of paper each month. The green "Value" cartridges, conversely, should be able to produce three times the number of pages, but at the cost of reduced ink quality. Professionals will need to turn to the red Specialty cartridges, which should be HP's best pairing of both volume and quality. Pricing for the latter two options has not been suggested, nor have any printers been mentioned.

By Electronista Staff