By Ed Avis
HP has added a number of improvements to its PageWide line of single-pass inkjet printers, ranging from speed increases to new third-party accessories.
Speed
The speed increases come in the XL 8000 model. Previously, the 8000 printed 20 Half-size D prints (12 x 18 inches) per minute; with the upgrade they will print 38. Half-size E prints have jumped from 19 to 37 per minute. In addition, long plots (more than 129 inches) on plain bond can print at 12 inches per second, rather than 8. These new speeds require a hardware and firmware upgrade, which can be installed in the field.
Accessories
Two accessories for the PageWide have been added: a cutter and a take-up reel. The Fotoba FHS 42 PW Inline X/Y Cutter is synchronized with the printer so it cuts at the same speed as the prints are created, and it has bi-directional communication to prevent damage in case of a jam. It costs $38,600, and works with the 8000 only. The SDD Takeup Reel tidily rolls up the finished prints. It comes in two models, one for the 5000 and one for the 8000. Estimated end-user cost is $6,000.
MFP Scanning Improvements
The MFP scanning for the 4000 and 5000 models has been improved. The loading of prints can now be slowed so the user has more time to position the original, and the scanner more gradually pulls the original to prevent damage to fragile documents. The de-skew algorithm has been improved and the tolerance increased to 4 degrees. In addition, a new “Enhanced Colors” setting improves color profiling and deals with color shifting issues that had been experienced with some colors, such as violet. Finally, scan productivity has been improved by putting the Background Removal setting on the first-level scanning screen and by allowing any page in a multipage PDF scan to be deleted.
HP Click and SmartTracker
SmartTracker
HP has added two other features to PageWide. The 4000 and 4500 PageWides can add HP Click, a job submission tool that allows easy job page reorder, manual rotation, and alignment. And all models of PageWide can use HP SmartTracker, which provides detailed reports about where jobs are initiated, what account they are from, what department launched the job, etc.
Want more information? Plan to attend a webinar about these changes on April 14 at noon Eastern. Click here to receive more information about the webinar.