HP printers to print from e-mail, get web access

(Updated with detailed specs) HP today is rolling out a new set of printers that promise true wireless printing for phones and tablets. The series is built explicitly for the Internet and will give each device a unique e-mail address that can print from anywhere online. An iPad, a BlackBerry, or a web-based document editor like Google Docs can send any website or document as an e-mail message and have it printed without needing drivers or special support in an app.

A companion website, ePrintCenter, will help at least 40 companies, including Crayola and Nickelodeon, develop their own services to take advantage of the printers, such as reformatting pages or streamlining printing certain kinds of material. Adding e-mail not only lets owners print away from their home networks but will lead to as many as 7,000 HP-made public printing kiosks by the end of the year, making on-the-spot printing an option.

The range should also carry web access and use a predominantly touch-based interface. Four models start off the line and begin with the Photosmart e-All-in-One, a $99 printer tailored to small print sizes and with a 2.4-inch touchscreen. A Photosmart Plus equivalent at $149 has a larger 3.5-inch screen and larger output; the Photosmart Premium e-All-in-One has a 4.3-inch screen with "enhanced touch," third-party app support and automatic duplexing for $199. HP's line so far culminates in the Photosmart Premium Fax e-All-in-One, which at $299 has a document feeder. The base Photosmart printer is due this month, but the Plus, Premium and Premium Fax arrive through August and September.

Printing has been one of the key obstacles to using smartphones and tablets as computer-class devices. Without printing, schools and others that need hard copies often can't get content off of the device without first syncing to a computer. [via NY Times]

By Electronista Staff