An HP inkjet printer that prints 70 pages per minute - Awesome!

HP unveiled two multifunction inkjet printers today that feature their new Edgeline Technology. The HP CM8060 and the HP CM8050 color multifunction printers. They claim the maximum speed for the CM8060 is 70-71 pages per minute (ppm), with an average of 60 ppm for black and white prints and 50 ppm for color prints. The CM8050 is slightly slower, printing 50 ppm in black and white, and 40 ppm in color.

These are the first two printers to be released that feature Edgeline Technology. The increased print speed comes from the fact that the print head does not have to move. In traditional inkjet printers, the print head has to left to right to print a page. In these printers the paper moves under the print head, and the print head spans the width of the page. The printer also features a drum that carries the paper and spins it under the print head as many times as necessary to get adequate ink coverage. The Edgeline multifunction machines also feature a fast drying ink.

Those that are in “the know” in the printer industry are most impressed that this kind of technology is featured in an inkjet printer. If these printers work as well as advertised they will provide some serious competition to laser printer market. And, much as laser printers use a heat element to seal toner to the page, these printers use a bonding agent to seal ink to the page and protect it from spills and smudges.

Both of these printers are designed for use in larger offices. They feature 100-sheet duplexing automatic document feeder (ADF) for scanning both sides of a page, a built-in print duplexer for printing on both sides of the page, the ability to handle paper up to 12 by 18 inches, an 80-page multipurpose feeder, and three 500-sheet input trays. Options include a 4,000-sheet input tray, a four-bin job separator for output, and a multi-function finisher that can staple and stack print jobs.

HP expects that both of these printers will be available during April and will cost $18,930 for the CM8050 and $23,530 for the CM8060. Wow! This price is drastically higher than the MemJet printer produced by Silverbrook Research. It produces 60 ppm and only costs $200-$300. Of course, Silverbrook is not HP so we will see what impact their printers have.

Overall, the release of these two printers, and the MemJet printer, hold big implications for the inkjet printer market. Their success could drastically change consumers expectations of how in inkjet printer should operate. It may also change how much consumers pay for their inkjet cartridges. To date there has been no word on the cost of cartridges for these HP printers. But history has shown that inkjet cartridges are far more expensive that laser cartridges (based on the amount of ink and the number of pages printed).