November 02, 2011

Epson LabelWorks™ LW-300 and LW-400 – professional quality label printing made easy

By Databazaar Blog

Earlier this month Epson introduced the LabelWorks LW-300 and LW-400 label printers. The LabelWorks™ printers are compact, portable and easy to use and are suitable for offices and homes. Design and print professional quality labels for files, storage bins, household items, clothing and more. The small lead margins reduce the margin wastage by almost 60%. The ergonomically designed keyboard has distinctive keys for each function. These printers support 7 languages, 14 font types, 75 frames, more than 300 symbols and a large variety of tape cartridges in traditional colors and specialized media.

The LW-400 can print up to 4 lines of text and supports tape widths ranging from 6mm to 18mm (~¼" to ~¾”). It has a backlit display and built-in memory that can store up to 50 user created label designs. This printer is very versatile and can print specialty labels like iron on, glow-in-the-dark, fluorescent and metallic labels, barcodes for products and merchandise, and labels for a/v cables and computer wiring. It has special print modes for flag, tab and wrap style labels.

The LW-300 which is the lower end model can print up to 2 lines of text and it supports tape widths up to 12mm (~½”). Its built-in memory can store up to 30 user created label designs. The lower end model does not include barcode printing and specialty print modes.

Summary

Epson LabelWorks LW-300 and LW-400 print professional quality labels for use in offices and homes.

MSRP: The LW-300 is $39.99 and the LW-400 is $49.99

Manufacturer

Epson

Product Page

Epson LabelWorks LW-300 and LW-400

Supplies

Tapes

Epson LC Series Labelling Tape Cartridges

Specs that matter

Release Date:	October 4, 2011
Notable Features:	Compact, portable label printer, supports 7 languages, 14 font types, 75 frames, more than 300 symbols, up to 60% reduction in margin wastage, built-in memory for storing user created label designs, tape cartridges in traditional colors and specialized media; the LW-400 supports specialty print modes and barcode printing.
Cartridge tape widths:	6 mm, 9 mm, 12 mm, 18 mm
Batteries:	6 AAA
AC Adapter:	Yes

About Printer News
Your one stop source for information about new business- and consumer-class printers, Printer News covers everything you need to know. Well, almost everything. If you have anything to add to our report, please post it below.

October 01, 2011

Epson Stylus – Stylish photos in vibrant colors

By Databazaar Blog

Epson Stylus Pro 3880 is designed to cater to the high resolution print needs of graphic design firms and creative agencies. It combines Epson Ultrachrome K3 with Vivid Magenta Ink Technology to produce a wide range of colors. Designers can now create mock-ups without the intervention of outside vendors.

The print speed varies from 4:08 to 10:59 depending on the photo size. Photos of various sizes can be printed at ease. The Variable Droplet Technology produces up to 3 different droplet sizes per print line giving superior quality photos in vibrant colors. Photos are also fade resistant and report a longevity of up to 200 years for both color and monochrome photos.

This printer supports languages such as EPSON ESC/P2 raster photographic drivers and an optional PANTONE(licensed). This is supported by most leading third party RIPs and workflows and you can now print with both color and black ink directly on clear or metallic media.

Summary

Epson Stylus Pro 3880 is an ideal choice to print superior quality photos in vibrant colors.

MSRP: $6,995

Manufacturer

Epson

Product Page

Epson Stylus Pro 3880

Supplies

Ink

Epson UltraChrome K3 (Photo or Matte Black, Cyan, Vivid Magenta, Yellow, Light Cyan, Vivid Light Magenta, Light Black, Light Light Black)

Specs that matter

High print resolution, Vibrant colors in the photos, Epson Ultrachrome K3 with vivid Magenta Ink Technology
Green Features:	Energy Star compliant
Pages Per Minute:	4.08 to 10.59
Resolution:	2880 x 1440 dpi
Paper Capacity:	up to 120 sheets of plain paper, 50 sheets of photo paper
Interface:	Hi Speed USB ports, Ethernet port
Compatibility:	Windows, Mac
Dimensions:	27 x 15 x 10 inches
Weight:	43.2 pounds

About Printer News
Your one stop source for information about new business- and consumer-class printers, Printer News covers everything you need to know. Well, almost everything. If you have anything to add to our report, please post it below.

September 27, 2011

Epson Workforce – fast and efficient printing solutions for your workgroup

By Databazaar Blog

WorkForce Pro – a new printer launched by Epson is targeted as an ideal solution to the printing needs of small offices and workgroups. Three new inkjet products belong to this category of printers - the WorkForce Pro WP-4540 All-in-One, WorkForce Pro WP-4530 All-in-One and WorkForce Pro WP-4020 single function. These printers bring down the cost per page by 50% when compared to conventional laser printers.

These printers have an excellent print speed and are considered to be ideal for a busy work group. In fact, Epson claims this to be the World’s fastest automatic two-sided printer. The paper capacity is up to 580 sheets, which includes an 80 sheet rear feed tray for alternate papers, envelopes, labels and cards. The print speed is at 16 ppm for black and 11 ppm for color. The first two printers in this series, the WorkForce WP – 4540 and WorkForce Pro WP-4530 are 4-in1 printers with options to print, copy, scan and fax.

The 5.8 ‘’ smart touch panel ensures easy and convenient navigation through the menu options for the various tasks performed by the printer. You can save up to 50% of your paper supply through the built-in automatic two-sided printing and copying. The Epson Connect functionality enables you to connect to popular mobile devices and print documents through wireless connectivity.

Summary

The Epson WorkForce series with its high print speed and professional quality print output is an apt choice for a fast paced work environment in a busy workgroup.

MSRP: $179.99 - $399.99

Manufacturer

Product Page

WorkForce Pro WP-4540
WorkForce Pro WP-4020
WorkForce Pro WP-4530

Supplies

Ink

T676XL120 (676XL Black), T676XL220 (676XL Cyan), T676XL320 (676XL Magenta), T676XL420 (676XL Yellow)

Specs that matter

Release Date:	August 30, 2011
Notable Features:	Fast automatic two-sided printing, Extra large ink cartridges, 30-page two sided automatic document feeder, built-in wireless connectivity
Green Features:	Energy Star qualified, uses up to 70% less power than laser printers, automatic two sided printing
Pages Per Minute:	16 ppm for black, 11 ppm for color
Resolution:	4800 x 1200 optimized dpi
Paper Trays:	One input tray and a rear-feed tray for alternate papers and envelopes
Paper Capacity:	580 sheets plain paper
Interface:	High speed USB 2.0, Wi-Fi connectivity, Ethernet, Network card
Compatibility:	Windows and MAC
Dimensions:	18.1 x 25.7 x 18.2 inches
Weight:	36.4 pounds
Warranty:	One year limited warranty

About Printer News
Your one stop source for information about new business- and consumer-class printers, Printer News covers everything you need to know. Well, almost everything. If you have anything to add to our report, please post it below.

August 17, 2011

Multi Function Printers: Features and functionalities

By Databazaar Blog

Printers are no longer machines that just print documents and images. Multi Function Printers, popularly known as MFPs, can also perform various other related functions such as scan, copy, and in some cases even fax. Renowned tech products magazine, pcworld, recently conducted a test drive to find out the printing needs of offices from various fields. Six popular inkjet MFPs were installed in three very different office to test their performance in the real world.

Each of the offices was given two MFPs which would suit their specific print needs. These printers were tested for a week. The printers used for the research were:

• Epson WorkForce 840 All-in-One Printer
• Lexmark Pinnacle Pro901
• Brother MFC-J6710DW
• HP Officejet 7500A Wide Format e-All-in-One
• HP Envy100 e-All-in-One
• Lexmark Genesis

Here are the features that you can look forward to in an MFP as found from the pcworld test drive.

Printer cum scanner: Most MFPs combine the features of printing and scanning for both A4 size and wide documents. Lexmark Genesis printers have an additional FlashScan feature which uses a camera to take a photograph of the image to be scanned resulting in a scanned output almost instantaneously.

Touchscreens: Touchscreens have become a very common feature in printers nowadays. Each brand of printers comes up with its own unique features for the touchscreen. Among printers used for the pcword’s research initiative, Brother MFC-J6710DW lacks a touchscreen.

Web based Apps for Printers: HP and Lexmark are the only brands which offer web-based applications for their MFPs. HP, in partnership with Disney and Dreamworks, delivers features such as printable games, posters, puzzles and so on. MSNBC and yahoo offer news feeds while Bing, Google and MapQuest provide help with maps.

Lexmark’s Genesis on the other hand, has an app called ePrint that allows you to send print jobs to the printer from any device with an internet connection, from anywhere in the world through the printer’s unique email address.

Cloud printing: An amazing feature that has just found its entry into the printer market. You can now print documents and images from your android-enabled phones without driver or connectivity issues.

Automatic double sided printing and automatic document feeder are other features that you might want to look out for. While duplex printing is definitely more environment friendly, it also consumes more time. If your work involves a great amount of faxing then buying a printer with in built features for fax might be a good idea. Ink costs, too, are one of the most important features that you have to consider while choosing an MFP. Most of the printers used in the pcworld test initiative are reasonably priced as far as ink costs are concerned.

MFPs are most suited for small and medium sized offices that look for printers which offer features like scanning and faxing in addition to printing. With the wide range of MFPs now available in the market, you can always find one which suits your needs perfectly.

Keywords:MFPs, Scanning, MFP and cloud printing, web apps for MFPs, duplexing features in MFPs, touchscreens in MFPs

About Printer News
Your one stop source for information about new business- and consumer-class printers, Printer News covers everything you need to know. Well, almost everything. If you have anything to add to our report, please post it below.

January 25, 2011

Epson Unleashes the Workforce 840 Multifunction Inkjet Printer

By Sean Doherty

Printer News: Epson Workforce 840 Offers Fast Double-Sided Printing

Earlier this month, Epson shipped its most ambitious WorkForce printer yet — the WorkForce 840. It boasts 15 one-sided ISO pages per minute in monochrome and 9.3 one-sided ISO ppm in color. That's not the fastest inkjet printer on the planet, but when it comes to duplex prints, the 840 is a contender with speeds up to 7.4 ISO ppm in black and white and 5.4 ppm in color.

When I tested these specifications, one-sided prints output in half the time it took two-sided prints to complete. The duplex engine in the Epson Workforce 840 has a short paper path. That plus Epson's DURABrite fast-drying ink explains the fast duplex printing speeds. And you won't have to visit the printer often to load paper. The printer ships with two paper trays capable of holding a ream of paper (500 sheets), as well as a 30-page automatic document feeder that rests on an 8.5 x 12-inch flatbed scanner.

The Workforce 840 includes built-in WiFi. The 7.8 inch tilting touch panel enables you to skip the PC for many jobs such as printing from a camera via PictBridge or from a memory card. Speaking of which, you can also scan output directly to memory cards as well as to network folders and email.

Summary

Multifunction color inkjet printer best for small and home offices that require high-capacity, two-sided monochrome and color printing

MSRP: $299.99

Manufacturer

Press Release

Epson Announces the World's Fastest Automatic Double-Sided Printing Solutions for Small Offices — Epson WorkForce 840 All-in-One and Epson WorkForce 60 Printer

Product Page

Epson WorkForce 840 All-in-One Printer

Supplies

Ink Cartridges

127 Extra High-Capacity Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow; 126 High-Capacity Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow

Specs that matter

Release Date:	January 5, 2011
Notable Features:	Fast two-sided printing, 500 sheet paper capacity, large control panel and display, small footprint, WiFi, print from smartphones.
Green Features:	Energy Star, RoHS, low energy power-off mode, two-sided printing, Epson Recycling Program
Pages Per Minute:	ISO: 15 ppm (black and white) 9.3 ppm (color)
Resolution:	5760 x 1440
Paper Trays:	2
Paper Capacity:	530
Interface:	Ethernet, USB 2.0, WiFi
Compatibility:	Windows, Mac
Dimensions:	17.6 x 22.3 x 12.0 inches
Weight:	22 pounds
Warranty:	1 year

About Printer News
Your one stop source for information about new business- and consumer-class printers, Printer News covers everything you need to know. Well, almost everything. If you have anything to add to our report, please post it below.

December 02, 2010

How Can I Print Greeting Cards Like a Pro?

By Sean Doherty

PrinTip: The Right Tools to Print Gorgeous Greetings

'Tis the season… for season's greetings. And thanks to advances in home printer technology, you can print professional-grade greeting cards using your own photographs and text. The secret? Pulling together the right templates included in licensed software like Microsoft Word, along with software supplied online from companies like Brother, Canon, HP and standby greeting-card suppliers like Hallmark.

Whether or not your cards will look like they were professionally printed depends on the capability of your printer and the texture of paper you select. If you only have a monochrome printer, your options are pretty, well, black and white. To print greeting cards like a pro, you first need a color inkjet printer capable of printing high-resolution images such as photographs and stock images in vibrant colors surrounded by clear, sharp text. A printer with a color resolution of 9600 x 2400 dots per inch and 600 x 600 dpi in black and white should do the job. The printer should also support 8.5 x 11-inch media because you'll need to print out and fold cards to the appropriate size.

To get you started, look at color inkjet printers from Brother and Epson, Canon PIXMA printers and HP Photosmart printers. Color inkjet printers capable of quality greeting cards are between $100 and $200. If you send a lot of cards over the holidays, you'll see your return on your investment pretty much right away. In the meantime, here are a few more tips to help you spread the holiday cheer.

Use the Manufacturer's Ink

You can save money by using ink from third party manufacturers, but if professional results are what you seek, use the ink supplied by the printer manufacturer. Name brand ink is designed to work with the manufacturer's printer nozzles to supply the highest quality of output for the printer of your choice. Proprietary ink is also designed to work with special, glossy paper to help make your photographs and images stand out.

Use Premium Paper

You don't have to use paper supplied by your printer manufacturer. As long as it the paper in question features a glossy wax coating to reduce ink absorption and allow ink to dry quickly on the page, your output will honor your printer's high resolution. Of course, your printer manufacturer knows exactly how much ink is sprayed onto a sheet to determine the optimal amount of gloss to add to paper, so if you're concerned about quality, you can always compare and contrast.

And remember, envelopes are the first part of the greeting-card experience, so unless you have a knack for origami, buy them pre-made. A beautiful card wrapped in toilet paper will be remembered, but not for the message inside.

About PrinTips
Sometimes useful, sometimes fun, and always interesting, PrinTips enable you to get more out of your ink jet or laser printer. That said, we don't profess to have a monopoly on printer tips so if you have anything to add, please do so below.

November 18, 2010

Epson Antes Up for Small Businesses With Workforce 635 All-in-One Printer

By Sean Doherty

Printer News: Epson Workforce 635 All-in-One Printer Offers Fast Single and Double-Sided Output

Small businesses, listen up. Epson's WiFi-enabled Workforce 635 printer antes up to the features other all-in-one printers offer small businesses — all for less than $300. Epson claims its all-in-one printer is the fastest in its class, capable of printing up to 15 ISO pages on one side per minute in black and seven in color. The company is not shy about publishing its two-sided print speed either: seven ISO double-sided ppm in black and over 4 in color.

The Workforce 635 features a small, sleek design that supports four high-capacity ink cartridges, high-resolution color output and a 250-sheet input tray. The printer has room for a 2.5-inch color console that lets you print directly from USB devices and memory cards and supports a low-power off mode to save energy.

The 635 features a top-loading, 30-sheet, two-sided automatic document feeder that rests over a flatbed color scanner capable of scanning originals up to 8.5 x 14 inches in size. The printer also includes a fax and the ability to store up to 60 names and addresses for rapid delivery.

Summary

WiFi-enabled, color all-in-one inkjet printer best for small businesses that require affordable, fast black and color output with high resolution

MSRP: $229.99

Manufacturer

Press Release

Epson Announces New Generation of Superior Performing WorkForce All-in-Ones Delivering the World's Fastest Print Speeds for Small Businesses

Product Page

Epson WorkForce 635 All-in-One Printer

Supplies

Ink Cartridges

Extra High-capacity Black (T127120), Extra High-capacity Cyan (T127220), Extra High-capacity Magenta (T127320), Extra High-capacity Yellow (T127420), Extra High-capacity Multi-pack color (T127520), High-capacity Black (T126120), High-capacity Cyan (T126220), High-capacity Magenta (T126320), High-capacity Yellow (T126420), High-capacity Multi-pack color (T126520)

Specs that matter

Release Date:	August 31, 2010
Notable Features:	Automatic two-sided printing, two-sided automatic document feeder, high-capacity ink cartridges, 250-sheet input tray, color flatbed scanner
Green Features:	Energy Star, RoHS, low-power off mode, cartridge recycling
Pages Per Minute:	ISO: 15 (black and white) 7.2 (color)
Resolution:	5760 x 1440
Paper Trays:	1
Paper Capacity:	250
Interface:	Ethernet, Memory Card, USB 2.0, WiFi
Compatibility:	Windows, Mac
Dimensions:	17.6 x 21.9 x 9.1 inches
Weight:	16.8 pounds
Warranty:	1 year

About Printer News
Your one stop source for information about new business- and consumer-class printers, Printer News covers everything you need to know. Well, almost everything. If you have anything to add to our report, please post it below.

October 29, 2010

Will the Open-Source Hardware Movement Bring You a Free Printer?

By Sean Doherty

DoubleSided: Open-Source Hardware Is Too Late to the Party to Bring Down Consumer Printer Costs

If you use the Web for work or pleasure, you may be familiar with open-source software, the free redistribution of source code that aims to speed the modification and evolution of software. Similarly, a new open-source hardware movement aims to bring commodity electrical and other components to free and open designs of hardware devices (like printers) to drive down costs and accelerate innovation.

Open-source hardware includes machines, devices and other physical objects with a publicly available design that enables you to make, modify, distribute and use an object without infringing on a previous patent or licensing agreement. A true open-source hardware product can range from a schematic design in the public domain to an open-source application programming interface that gives the completed object, or product, a practical user interface.

Timing Is Everything

Open-source fans might dream of the day when they can create a multifunctional printer (like, let's say, a Lego printer), for just the price of parts. Well, don't hold your breath waiting for the kit.

The printer industry is already highly commoditized. In fact, for $100, you can buy a printer like the Epson Stylus NX420 that scans and copies, as well as prints. Without a doubt, you can search the internet and buy component parts to printers for less cost than a finished product. But the time, energy and labor necessary to put it all together and make it work would greatly exceed a simple investment in an off-the-shelf printer.

The open-source hardware movement will impact the printer industry, but only in non highly-commoditized areas with a low barrier of entry such as do-it-yourself 3-D printers like the MakerBot.

About DoubleSided
We all have our idiosyncrasies. So do printers as it turns out. In our DoubleSided feature, we explore the lighter side of printers as well as the esoteric and bizarre. We also peer into the future of printing. From fabbers to printing on toast, you'll find it all here.

October 25, 2010

Fast and Cheap All-in-One Color Inkjet Printers Under $200

By Sean Doherty

Epson Speeds Ahead of All-in-One Color Inkjet Printers Under $200

When the Epson WorkForce 610 (shown above) claimed the crown for the fastest all-in-one color inkjet printer under $200, we had to compare it to other printers in its class. At this moment, the 610's reported 38 pages per minute, 15 pages per minute using the International Standards Organization (ISO) method for measuring digital printer productivity, brings it across the finish line well ahead of the photo finish for second place of other all-in-ones from Dell, Kodak, Lexmark and HP.

Arguably, the Canon PIXMA MX870 is among the photo finishers with a speed rating of 9.4 images per minute using the ISO measurement. Until all the manufacturers use a standard test for printer productivity, speed tests can be difficult to draw comparisons. One thing is for sure, an inkjet printer that prints over 30 pages per minute is pretty darn quick, considering the ink needs to dry on a page before it is laid to rest in the output tray. If you need something faster than one of the printers listed below, look into a laser printer.

Note that each of the all-in-one printers below supports WiFi and all but the WorkForce 610 includes automatic two-sided printing.

Epson WorkForce 610 All-in-One Printer
38 (color), 38 (black and white)

HP Officejet 6500 Wireless All-in-One Printer
31 (color), 32 (black and white)

Dell V715w All-in-One Wireless Printer
30 (color), 33 (black and white)

Lexmark Interact S605
30 (color), 33 (black and white)

Kodak ESP 7250 All-in-One Printer
30 (color), 32 (black and white)

Canon PIXMA MX870 Wireless Office All-in-One Printer
6.1 (images per minute, color), 9.4 (ipm, black and white)

About Databazaar Blog
Virtually everyone who uses a computer uses a printer. But computers get all the glory. So we launched this blog to give printers their due. We hope you find our coverage enjoyable and useful, and encourage you to subscribe and participate.

October 21, 2010

Epson B-310N Offers Cheap, Fast Color Printing

By Sean Doherty

Printer News: For Low-Cost, High-Volume Printing at the Office, Choose the Epson B-310N Color Inkjet Printer

You can't help but notice that most printers look like the box they sell in, which is more than true for the Epson B-310N color inkjet printer. But at least the B-310N is a fast box, offering speeds of up to 19 black-and-white and 18 color ISO pages per minute. In draft mode, the printer can attain 37 pages per minute in black and white, as well as color.

The B-310N yields color prints as low as six cents per page and supports optional, high-yield cartridges designed to produce 3,000 black-and-white ISO pages and 3,500 color ISO pages before replacement. The printer retails with 32 megabytes of memory and a 500-sheet, front-loading paper tray. You can opt to add on a supplemental rearguard feeder — a 100-sheet tray designed for special media such as letterhead, sheet labels or envelopes.

Like all Epson inkjet printers, the B-310N uses MicroPiezo inkjet technology to produce high-resolution color prints and includes an intelligent nozzle verification system that regularly checks and cleans the print head to ensure quality printing. And last but not least, the B-310N supports Windows and Mac OS X version 10.3.9 and above.

Summary

Color inkjet printer best for workgroups and small to medium-sized businesses requiring affordable, high-volume color printing

MSRP: $399

Manufacturer

Press Release

Epson Announces Two High-Volume Business Color Ink Jet Printers for Workgroups and Network Printing Environments

Product Page

Epson B-310N Business Color Ink Jet Printer

Supplies

Ink Cartridges

Black (T616100), Cyan (T616200), Magenta (T616300), Yellow (T616400)

Specs that matter

Release Date:	March 9, 2010
Notable Features:	Fast black-and-white and color printing, high resolution, high-capacity front-loading paper cassette, rear sheet-feeder for special media, optional high-yield ink cartridges
Green Features:	Energy Start, RoHS compliant, printer and cartridge recycling, optional two-sided printing
Pages Per Minute:	ISO: 19 (black and white) 18 (color)
Resolution:	5760 x 1440
Paper Trays:	1
Paper Capacity:	600 sheets
Interface:	Ethernet, USB 2.0
Compatibility:	Windows, Mac
Dimensions:	24.1 x 21.7 x 17.7 inches
Weight:	22 pounds
Warranty:	One year

About Printer News
Your one stop source for information about new business- and consumer-class printers, Printer News covers everything you need to know. Well, almost everything. If you have anything to add to our report, please post it below.