H-P's New Printers: A Big Launch for the Battered Company

Hewlett-Packard Co. HPQ +2.41% plans to unveil a new line of printers for businesses Tuesday, one of the first fruits of Chief Executive Meg Whitman's efforts to invest more in research and development as she tries to turn around the struggling technology company.

What can we learn from our customers?

All businesses claim that they value feedback from their customers, but how many of these businesses actually learn from the feedback their customers give them?

The difference between listening to customer feedback and actually learning from it is the degree of involvement your business has in the process. Learning from customers can be and should be a strategic process that leads to transformational shifts in your product or service.

HP LASERJET ENTERPRISE 500 COLOUR MFP M575 SERIES

Overview

Impressive color and productivity—from a desktop MFP featuring an 8-inch touchscreen. HP Quick Sets enable one-touch workflows. Preview and edit images prior to scanning. Centrally manage your environment. Help protect sensitive business information.

Making your competition work for you

We live in competitive times and all businesses are invariably competing with rival firms for sales. For small business owners, the competitive threat is significant, not just from their peers who are of roughly the same size, but from large, all-powerful corporates or entities who can destabilize smaller businesses simply by venturing into their market.

Entrepreneurs and business owners therefore need to take a leaf out of the bigger companies when it comes to dealing with competition. Take the example of Linkedin, a hugely successful professional networking site that began to look a little outdated and less engaging when compared to Facebook and other networking sites.

HP Unveils New Printing Innovations That Digitize the Office, Help Reduce Costs

PALO ALTO, CA--(Marketwire - Oct 30, 2012) - HP ( NYSE : HPQ ) today announced new HP Officejet Pro and HP LaserJet printers and content management solutions designed to redefine business and government printing by enabling customers to reduce costs, increase efficiency and digitize the office.

The new offerings represent the largest upgrade to HP's commercial printers in almost a decade, signifying the integration of intellectual property (IP) and innovation from across the organization.

"Our customers need innovative technology tailored to their workflow that is simple and effective, and helps them conduct business," said Todd Bradley, executive vice president, HP Printing and Personal Systems. "HP is offering new ways to print that have not previously been possible -- with superb speed and performance to drive a new level of office efficiency."

Kodak to discount printers and continue selling cheap ink

Kodak is exiting the printer business after their attempt to subvert the industry's typical business model failed.

Printers are the kind of purchase that people make based on price sensitivity. Few understand that the real cost of a printer is not its upfront expense, but rather the cost of replacement ink over its lifetime. 

Canon eyes number one position in Indian inkjet printer market

Digital imaging company Canon has introduced a slew of initiatives with an aim of becoming the number one player in the inkjet printer category in India in the next three years.

The Japanese company which stood at number two position in this category in India with a market share of about 23 per cent (according to CyberMedia Research) in third quarter of CY2012, is looking at introducing newer range of inkjet printers which can reduce the printing costs further.

The company is also planning to expand Canon brand stores to 300 by the end of 2014 from about 80 now. Canon brand stores sell the company’s range of products starting from camera to printers. Besides, Canon is also planning to make its products available in about 2,500 multi-brand stores by the end of 2015 from about 850 at present.  

Multifunctional Devices: Color-Laser Multifunctionality Gains Ground

Color laser technology will constitute the fastest growing laser segment and will propel the overall laser technology growth. At the same time, operating cost considerations will drive users to adopt tools that control color printing.

The dynamics of multifunctional devices market is changing rapidly. The industry has been registering mixed sales, as organizations are demonstrating controlled purchasing of print devices and opting for managed services.CIOs and IT managers are exploring the use of effective technologies as part of overarching technology adoption to maintain a profitable business model.

The Indian multifunctional devices industry is estimated at Rs. 2745 crore with the devices accounting for 61 percent of the market and the balance 39 percent contributed by consumables. The industry is projected to reach Rs. 4020 crore in 2012, a growth of 46 percent over 2011, with consumables and MFD expected to contribute Rs. 1660 crore and Rs. 2360 crore, respectively.

Multifunctional devices may be segmented as inkjet and laser MFD. On the technology front, laser multifunctional devices may be further classified as copier-based and printer-based.