24 | February | 2010 | Inkjet News

Making Bones from an Inkjet Printer

Posted on February 24, 2010 by kflack

Artificial Bones

Scientists are creating artificial bones using a modified version of an inkjet printer.
The technology creates perfect replicas of bones that have been damaged and these can then be inserted in the body to help it to heal.

A modified ink-jet printer can be used to directly print layer upon layer of artificial bone for quick-fix grafts used in reconstructive surgery.

The process will revolutionise bone graft surgery, which currently relies on either bits of bone taken from other parts of the body or ceramic-like substitutes.

Repairing Bones

Bone takes a long time to grow and repair, so treating serious damage or carrying out reconstructive procedures can be a slow and painstaking process.

In issue 6 of Advanced Materials, Jake Barralet of the Faculty of Dentistry, at McGill University, (Montréal, Québec) and Uwe Gbureck, Department for Functional Materials in Medicine and Dentistry, University of Würzburg, (Bavaria) and their team describe a method for “printing” artificial bone from the same chemical components as living bone and including biomolecules that trigger blood vessel growth to bring the bone to life after it is implanted in the body.

Cement Paper and Acid Ink

Professor Jake Barralet of McGill University in Montreal, Canada, explained: “The “paper” in our printer is a thin bed of cement-like powder. The inkjets spray the cement with an acid which reacts with it and goes hard.

The McGill – Würzburg team has demonstrated how an artificial bone can be constructed using the minerals brushite and hydroxyapatite instead of conventional “ink” in their printer. By printing one layer on top of another they can build up a highly porous 3D bioceramic material resembling bone at room temperature.

The team also adds natural chemicals to stimulate blood vessel growth – vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) or copper sulphate. This allows them to incorporate into their model bone implants the necessary materials for stimulating blood vessel growth and allowing the artificial bone grafts to “grow” into the site being repaired.

It takes only ten minutes for the printer, which is the size of about three filing cabinets, to print a typical bone graft.

Bone Graft

The printed graft acts as a bridge to allow the body to replace the damaged section with new bone. Crucially, the substance created by the printing process contains the same building blocks as real human bone, allowing the graft to eventually dissolve harmlessly into the body.

The sections made by the printer are so precise that spaces can be left to encourage the regrowth of tissue and blood vessels through the graft, mirroring the make-up of normal bone.

Professor Barralet said: “The holes in the bone graft will affect how new bone grows into the graft. ”

Custom Design Fit

“You can design it so you encourage it in a particular direction, to get different tissue repair. It is mainly useful in areas where you need a very good sort of fit, like cosmetic surgery or reconstructive surgery, or in the spine where you don’t want to be playing around to get something to fit.

“We’re a long way from seeing this used in a hospital setting, but it’s an important first step.”

Filed under: Blogroll | Tagged: Artificial Bones, bioceramic material, bone graft surgery, brushite, copper sulphate, hydroxyapatite, Jake Barralet, Uwe Gbureck, vascular endothelial growth factor, VEGF | Leave a comment »

Embedded Head Printers move to HP

Posted on February 24, 2010 by kflack

Inkjet versus Laser

In a continuing battle between Inkjet and Laser(s) HP has introduced a new line (Edgeline) of office printers that appear to be able to take on the Laser printer market. HP new series uses an inkjet print head (fixed) that spans the entire width of the printer(s) paper page. This means there is no longer a moving printer head, and only the paper moves.

Breaking with Tradition

HP has traditionally sold inkjet printers using removeable head technology, where the user would discard the head assembly after each cartridge was used. Now, this new technology uses an embedded print head (Non User replaceable) and only ink needs to be purchased to keep this printer going.

How fast is fast ?

HP CM8060 Color MFP

How about 71 pages per minute ? Yes that’s right.. 71

Very quickly inkjet is taking over as the top dog in print speeds versus traditional laser printers, and no more messy toner drums to change. The only advantage that lasers had over inkjets in the past was that their toner adhered to the paper and was not water soluble. With the recent introduction of water resistant inkjet(s) their advantages will soon be overtaken by this new breed of inkjet printer.

Filed under: Industry News, Inkjet Info | Tagged: : CM8060, Color MFP, edgeline, embedded Head, embedded print head, Inkjet versus Laser, not water soluable, toner adhered, water resistant inkjet ink | Leave a comment »

End of the BubbleJet Printer improvements in sight

Posted on February 24, 2010 by kflack

Monday, April 02, 2007

End of the BubbleJet Printer improvements in sight

Traces of nanobubbles determine nanoboiling

BubbleJet printers use heating elements to effectively Bubble off ink within a Print Head causing the resultant bubble of ink to be imprinted on the papers surface. Using a microscope and some extreme “snapshot” photography with shutter speeds only a few nanoseconds long, researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Cornell University have uncovered the traces of ephemeral “nanobubbles” formed in boiling water on a microheater. Their observations* suggest an added complexity to the everyday phenomenon of boiling, and may affect technologies as diverse as inkjet printers.

An Undeveloped Science

You might think that the science of boiling had been worked out some time ago, but it still has some mysteries, particularly at the nanometer scale. As water and other fluids change from their liquid state to a vapor, bubbles of the vapor form. The bubbles usually form at “nucleation sites,” which can be small surface irregularities on the container or tiny suspended particles in the fluid. The exact onset of boiling depends on the presence and nature of these sites.

How They did it

To observe the process, the NIST/Cornell team used a unique ultrafast laser strobe microscopy technique with an effective shutter speed of eight nanoseconds to photograph bubbles growing on a microheater surface about 15 micrometers wide. At this scale, a voltage pulse of only five microseconds superheats the water to nearly 300 °C, creating a microbubble tens of microns in diameter. When the pulse ends, the microbubble collapses as the water cools. What the team found was that if a second voltage pulse follows closely enough, the second microbubble forms earlier during the pulse and at a lower temperature apparently, as conjectured by the team, because nanobubbles formed by the collapse of the first bubble become new nucleation sites for the growth of later bubbles. The nanobubbles themselves are too small to observe, but by changing the timing between voltage pulses and observing how long it takes the second microbubble to form, the researchers were able to estimate the lifetime of the nanobubbles—roughly 100 microseconds.

Nanobubbles disrupt higher speed inkjet printer Bubble formation

These experiments are believed to be the first evidence that nanoscale bubbles can form on hydrophilic surfaces (previous evidence of nanobubbles was found only for hydrophobic surfaces like oilcloth) and the method for measuring nanobubble lifetimes may improve models for optimal heat transfer design in nanostructures. The work has immediate implications for inkjet printing, in which a metal film is heated with a voltage pulse to create a bubble that is used to eject a droplet of ink through a nozzle. If inkjet printing is pushed to higher speeds (repetition rates above about 10 kilohertz), the work suggests, nanobubbles on the heater surface between pulses will make it difficult or impossible to control bubble formation properly.

Filed under: Blogroll, Industry News, Inkjet Info | Tagged: Cornell University, End of the BubbleJet Printer, ephemeral nanobubbles, hydrophobic, microbubble, microheater, microscopy, nanoboiling, nanobubbles, nanoscale bubbles, NIST, nucleation sites | Leave a comment »

Epson releases new Ultra Thin Piezo print head

Posted on February 24, 2010 by kflack

Monday, April 02, 2007

Epson releases new Ultra Thin Piezo print head

Thin-film piezo offers Highest Distortion

According to Seiko Epson Corporation , they have developed a thin-film piezo element that boasts the world’s highest degree of distortion. Epson announced volume production of next-generation Micro Piezo print heads that feature these elements as actuators will be launched in April 2007.

Current Micro Piezo Print Head Overview

The Micro Piezo print head is an inkjet print head which utilizes Epson’s original Micro Piezo technology. This technology uses electrical signals to change the shape of piezo elements and then fires ink droplets according to the physical force generated by the change in shape of these elements. Epson’s Stylus Photo and Stylus Pro inkjet printers, which utilize Micro Piezo print head technology, are photo-quality printers that have consistently played leading roles in the Japanese inkjet printer market and earned high approval and trust from customers.

Newest Developments

Epson is currently focusing its development efforts on creating a next-generation Micro Piezo print head to support expansion of the inkjet field beyond consumer printers and to strengthen its applications for business and industry. Through these efforts, Epson has achieved the following:

a) Created a piezo element with the world’s highest degree of distortion through film thickness reduction and materials development.

b)Raised density levels by developing and utilizing innovative thin-film processing techniques.

c) Designed a high-density ink reservoir through independent MEMS technology development.

Benefits

As a result, Epson has managed to develop a nozzle with a density of 360 dpi—the world’s highest for an inkjet print head using piezoelectric technology—while at the same time maintaining the advantages of conventional Micro Piezo print heads.

Epson has also managed to establish a completely independent manufacturing process by producing the piezoelectric materials in-house.

The installation of these next-generation Micro Piezo print heads in printers and other devices will make it possible to design speedier and more compact inkjet equipment than ever before.

Current Technology

Special characteristics of Epson’s original Micro Piezo print head

This print head fulfills all the requirements for an inkjet print head—superior ink ejection performance, compatibility with a wide variety of inks, and durability. The print head also makes it possible to control not only water-based pigment ink with superior water and light resistance, but also a wide variety of ink types in miniscule quantities, and fire them with high precision.

1. Ink ejection performance* Meniscus control, which limits vibration on the surface of the liquid in the nozzle, makes it possible to achieve improved gradation and faster print speeds in addition to the following advantages:

a)Perfectly spherical dots

b) High precision impact point control

c) Higher drive frequencies

d)Variable-sized ink droplets (MSDT: multi-sized dot technology)

2. Ink compatibility* Epson’s original pigment ink achieves high levels of color reproduction and durability.* Industrial applications such as solvent ink, color filters, and UV ink are currently under development.

3. Durability* Because it utilizes a permanent print head, the technology is applicable to a wide range of uses ranging from consumer printers to industrial manufacturing equipment.Features of the next-generation Micro Piezo print headBy independently developing a thin-film piezo element which has the world’s highest degree of distortion and using it as an actuator, Epson has succeeded in taking full advantage of the features of conventional Micro Piezo print heads while at the same time doubling nozzle density. A conventional Micro Piezo print head’s nozzle density is 180 dpi (maximum) whereas a next-generation Micro Piezo print head’s is 360 dpi.

Structure of the next-generation Micro Piezo print head

1. Cross-section diagram of next-generation Micro Piezo print head

2. Enlarged photo of nozzle plate

3. Thin-Film Piezo distortion

CAV: cavity, ink reservoir

Note: The degree of distortion has been expanded vertically in the diagram to make it easier
to visualize.

Actuator

A component which converts energy input into physical force.

Piezo element/Piezoelectric material

An element which expands or contracts microscopically when an electrical voltage is applied. It is often used as an actuator or sensor because of its unique characteristics.

MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems)

Devices for which semiconductor processes are used to integrate mechanical elements, actuators, electronic components, and other functions into circuit modules.

Solvent ink

A type of ink that has high weather resistance and is often used for printing materials such as outdoor signage.

UV ink

A type of ink that hardens when it reacts with ultraviolet light. It has high weather resistance and is often used for printing materials such as outdoor signage.

Filed under: Industry News | Tagged: CAV, Durability, Highest Distortion, MEMS technology, Meniscus control, Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, MSDT, Seiko Epson Corporation, thin-film piezo | Leave a comment »

Metawatch Releases Compatible Cartridges for Epson T069 and T078

Posted on February 24, 2010 by kflack

March 07 2007.

Metawatch Inkjet supplies officially announced the availablity of two new lines of Epson Compatible Cartridges.

The T069 series of cartridge is compatible with the Epson Stylus CX5000, Epson Stylus CX6000,and Epson Stylus CX7000F models printers.

The T069 Series is composed of the
T069120 Black
T069220 Cyan
T069320 Magenta
T069420 Yellow

The T078 series of Cartridges is compatible with the Epson Stylus Photo R260, Epson Stylus Photo R380, and Epson Stylus Photo RX580 model printers.

The T078 Series is composed of the
T078120 Black
T078220 Cyan
T078320 Magenta
T078420 Yellow
T078520 Light Cyan
T078620 Light Magenta

Metawatch announces immediate availablity for all of the above products.

Metawatch continues to strive to provide high quality, low cost alternatives to OEM products for their user community. We are pleased to annouce this lastest product release complementing our already comprehensive product support.

Filed under: Metawatch News Release | Tagged: Epson Stylus CX5000, Epson Stylus CX6000, Epson Stylus CX7000F, Epson Stylus Photo R260, Epson Stylus Photo R380, Epson Stylus Photo RX580, T069, T069120 Black, T078, T078120 | Leave a comment »

HP announced that it has resolved ink cartridge patent violation issues with China-based Ninestar

Posted on February 24, 2010 by kflack

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

In July 2006, HP notified Ninestar of alleged patent infringements of its replacement “clone” cartridges that are compatible with many of HP’s printers.

The complaint was originally filed by Hewlett-Packard with the U.S. International Trade Commission against five ink cartridge suppliers in a Aug. 1 filing and was classified as “pending” until Dec 2006.

Named in the filing were NineStar Technology of China and California, one of the worlds largest inkjet cartridge manufacturers, as well as four other companies representing dealers of NineStar products, butterflyinkjet.com, iowaink.com, PrintMicro.com and Inkandbeyond.com.

The complaint alleged violations under section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, involving IP infringement and other unfair acts. HP requested that the USITC institute an investigation and issue a “permanent limited exclusion order and permanent cease and desist orders,” according to official papers submitted.

Today HP announced that it has resolved ink cartridge patent violation issues with China-based Ninestar. As part of the resulting settlement, Ninestar formally acknowledges the validity of HP’s patents and has agreed to stop selling the the cartridges in question in the United States and other countries where such patents are held.

Filed under: Industry News | Tagged: butterflyinkjet.com, HP, ink cartridge patent, Inkandbeyond.com, iowaink.com, ninestar, PrintMicro.com, section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 | Leave a comment »

Imation Releases First Water Resistant Inkjet Prinable Blu-Ray Media

Posted on February 24, 2010 by kflack

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Blue Ray Media (Hi Def)
Imation Corp (NYSE: IMN), a worldwide leader in removable data storage media, today announced the world’s first inkjet printable and water-resistant Blu-ray media. Optimized for professional disc duplication, users can record high-definition video, gaming, data and other content on Imation Inkjet Printable BD-R Media with AquaGuard(TM) technology, then print water- and smear-resistant graphics and text right on the disc’s surface. The discs are compatible with Blu-ray disc players and recorders, including the Primera(R) Bravo XR-Blu Disc Publisher and the Bravo SE Blu, the world’s first automated burn and print devices to support high-capacity Blu-ray media. Imation Inkjet Printable Media with AquaGuard technology also is ideal for reliable business backup of high-capacity digital files.

AquaGuard
“Imation’s Blu-ray media with AquaGuard technology is the perfect disc,” said James Milligan, General Manager, Commercial/OEM Division, Imation Corp. “We’ve designed each side of the disc for professional use. The data side features high capacity and scratch resistance. The inkjet printable side allows for creation of custom, water-resistant printed images and text. When used with Primera’s industry-leading disc publishers, users can quickly and easily create high-quality, cutting-edge Blu-ray disc projects with ease.”

Design Award CES Innovations
Imation’s Inkjet Printable BD-R discs with AquaGuard surface are ideal for a variety of advanced applications such as the creation of high-definition video recordings, game development for systems like PlayStation(R) 3, and the post production of digital movies. Capable of storing up to 25GB of digital files, the media’s AquaGuard technology offers a brilliant white, smear- and water-resistant inkjet printable disc surface for professional disc prints. Featuring proprietary nanoparticle technology, the AquaGuard coating grips and holds ink to lock designs in place, unlike standard inkjet media that easily smears when exposed to moisture. Additionally, Imation’s innovative AquaGuard technology is a 2007 CES Innovations Design and Engineering Awards Honoree.

Primera (Manufacturer)
“Adding Imation’s AquaGuard surface to Blu-ray disc media is a technology breakthrough,” said Mark Strobel, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Primera Technology. “Users who have been quick to adopt Blu-ray technology know that the media is ideal for a variety of high-capacity applications. A water- resistant, inkjet printable surface for the discs ensures that media produced with Primera’s Bravo XR-Blu and Bravo SE Blu Disc Publishers will continue to have a high-quality, professional appearance even when exposed to the elements.” Primera Technology, Inc. is the world’s leading manufacturer of automated disc publishing equipment.

Pricing and availability
Imation Inkjet Printable BD-R Media with AquaGuard technology is now shipping to authorized Imation distributors for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $24.99 for a single disc with jewel case. Primera also sells the media with its Blu-ray-enabled disc publishers.

Filed under: Industry News | Tagged: AquaGuard, BD-R Media, Blue Ray Media, CES Innovations, Imation, primera, smear-resistant, Water Resistance | Leave a comment »

Inkjet Speed Breakthrough

Posted on February 24, 2010 by kflack

Thursday, February 15, 2007

1000 page per minute and more..

Two researchers (M. Einat and N. Einat) from The College of Judea and Samaria in Israel have designed an ink-jet printer head that could be capable of page rates of 1,000 pages per minute – or more.

Design revolution
Their revolutionary design is a logical next step in inkjet printer head design. The researchers key development was to enlarge the print head size so that it could incorporate printing an entire page at once rather than moving a smaller print head across the pages as is done with traditional inkjet printers.

Key Developments Micro Reservoir

Current ink-jet printer heads work by feeding ink from a main reservoir to a series of nozzles. When the number of nozzles increases, the ink feed pipe connecting the reservoir to the nozzles becomes unstable and consistent ink-flow is harder to maintain.

I.E. waves in the ink can create “cross-talk” problems between nozzles and the motion of standard print heads presents additional problems.

The designs building block is a micro-reservoir of ink that feeds four nozzles. The reservoir is square, one millimeter (mm) on each side, and is 0.5 mm deep. The ink enters the nozzles via capillary action (the way water naturally creeps up a plant stem, for instance).

To refill, an ink-coated “wiper” slides over the top of the reservoir, depositing a layer of ink. The small amount of ink in each reservoir and the natural capillary force between the ink and the reservoir walls make pressure regulation consistent across each reservoir.

Current State of Development

M. Einat and N. Einat combined many of these basic stand-alone segments into a 12×12 cm2 printer head matrix with a total of 57,600 nozzles. They subjected it to several tests to confirm proper ink flow within the system.

This design, which the researchers dub JeTrix, has many potential applications. Says Einat, “The future applications of JeTrix will be traditional, such as extremely high-speed printers for industry, offices, and homes. ”

Inkjet Manufacturers take note

One of the first applications will probably be to develop a print head that spans the entire width of a printout there bye eliminating the mechanics of the printer head assembly. This reduction in hardware and electronics will help to recoup the additional cost of the increased head design while simultaneously increasing print speeds ten fold or more.

This will in effect mimic the same design philosophy of current laser printers when they have a Print “Drum” that spans the entire paper width.

Later designs will allow the print head to expand to the size of the entire printed surface, there bye enabling the printing an entire page at one time.

New Technology leads to New Applications

Eniat also anticipates new, pioneering applications such as in-store book printing – where the book is printed instantly for the customer. This could enable small bookshops or even airport kiosks to carry a huge variety of books. There’s also personalization – newspapers or journals printed with a customer’s name, favorite topics, and suitable advertisements.”

The newsprint industry has long sought the capability to personalize newspapers for its clients and this may be what is needed to bring this capability to fruition.

Coming soon to an Inkjet Printer near you

Eniat says “The JeTrix project is still in an early stage. The concept was proofed in a laboratory prototype, but we expect that a commercial product will be ready after two years of development, which will include additional funding and product engineering.”

Note: We forecast within the next 12 months you will see commercially available printers sporting a print head as wide as the sheet of paper without any mechanical motion. (This will spell the end of disposable inkjet cartridges with embedded print heads as this new design will be substantially more expensive due to its size)

As these new printers will utilize inkjet ink and not have the design costs of Laser Cartridges, we see them surpassing the laserjet market in print speeds while maintaining lower overall printing costs for supplies as this industry progresses.

Filed under: Industry News | Tagged: 1000 ppm, disposable inkjet cartridges, embedded print heads, Eniat, ink wiper, inkjet speed breakthrough, JeTrix, micro reservoir, personalize newspapers, printer head assembly | Leave a comment »

HP Releases new (AIO) All in One Inkjet Printers

Posted on February 24, 2010 by kflack

Friday, February 09, 2007

Small Business AIOs

HP has released a new line of small (medium) business class inkjet printers that tout Laser level quality printing, at faster speeds and lower cost.

You’ll also not that HP has separated itself from the pack and calls its (MFP) Multi-Function Printers AIO (All in Ones).

Seven New Models Introduced

All these new printers are labelled as HP Officejet’s and offer a range of functions and features at prices ranging from $149.00 (U.S.)

HP Officejet Pro L7000 All ine one Series

Officejet Pro L7600 All-in-One series”

HP markets this new Inkjet printer line as the worlds fastest Desktop all-in-one for Business Color printing (Under $1000). Quite a claim as their starting price is $299.00

Printing speeds for color are up to 10 ppm, with a printing cost that is up to 25% lower than comparable “Laser” All in ones. Yes that right, Now HP is pushing Inkjet products for the Business office offering lower overall printing costs than Lasers !

They say that in fact you can print for as low as 6.0 cents per color page using HPs Vivera inks.
(Once remans are available these costs will be even lower)

Other features also work to boost productivity and efficiency .

a) embedded wired and wireless networking
b) Direct Digital Filing features (quickly capture, share and manage documents )

Scanning at 2400 dpi

2,400 dpi CCD optical resolution flatbed scanning.

Second Paper Tray

Don;t we all hate changing paper when we need to go from Letter to Legal, or print a single photo. All of HPs new line offers a dual tray or the option to add one.

HP OfficeJet J5700 All In One (SOHO)

Officejet Pro L7600 All-in-One series”

HPs answer to the SOHO this full-featured, high-performance printer, scanner, copier and fax series can be ideal for both home and business users who need a more cost-effective way to produce professional-quality results.

Small enough to easily fit on a desk, this compact and versatile series is packed with many convenient features. In addition to fast copy and print speeds ( up to 24 ppm in color), the HP Officejet J5700 All-in-One series offers a junk fax blocker to eliminate unwanted faxes, along with an automatic document feeder that holds 35 legal-size pages. A convenient display allows you to track supplies and print jobs without a PC.

It also boasts a scanner with 2,400 x 4,800 dpi optical resolution that delivers high-quality results and with HP Optical Character Recognition software, you can easily capture text from hard copy documents, or organize, edit and email photos.

HP SureSupply Software

To ensure you buy your supplies from HP they have also included a software package that allows you to re-order supplies via a desktop button. (XP or Windows Vista)

Filed under: Industry News | Tagged: aio, Direct Digital Filing, fastest Desktop all-in-one, HP OCR, hp officejet pro, HP SureSupply, j5700, junk fax blocker, l7000, mfp, soho, Vivera | Leave a comment »

Kodak enters Inkjet Printer Market

Posted on February 24, 2010 by kflack

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Pigmented Inks
After 3 years of Top Secret development Kodak is releasing a line of Multifunction Inkjet printers utilizing Pigmented inks. Pigmented inks have long been used for Black ink cartridges but up until now have rarely been used for color due to their reduced brilliance as compared to Dyes. ” Kodak used pigment grinding patents going back to its film emulsion technology to develop its tiny 20 nanometer ink pigments with polymer binders. The small size of the pigments accounts for a color gamut that exceeds dye-based inkjets. As the inks are pigments not dyes, they have a longevity of 100 years “. You don’t have to keep them under glass or in the dark to get that 100 years. They’ll remain lightfast for 100 years exposed and unprotected.

The inks are packaged in two cartridges: a large black cartridge used for text only and a large color cartridge. Kodak has five inks in the color cartridge, but it’s essentially a four-color system. The five inks include the standard Cyan, Magenta and Yellow inks, plus a Photo Black that is also used to enhance standard black text printing. The fifth “ink” in the color cartridge is actually a clear gloss optimizer (Rarely seen in low cost consumer products) overlaid on the white or uninked parts of the image to ensure an even gloss to the print. There is no Light Magenta or Light Cyan in the package.

Kodak challenges HP and Lexmark
Contrary to the current market trend, Kodak has decided to market their printers with an embedded print head. We have long been promoting that users stay away from HP and Lexmark brands as their Printers currently incorporate the print heads in their cartridges, thereby raising cartridge prices, and reducing competition (Patents) via the third party market.

Kodak swayed from Gillette Marketing Model
Contrary to popular methods Kodak has decided to depart the current trend of using printers as a loss leader in the industry to one where the user has to pay full cost for their printers. Kodak will be selling 3 different lines of MFP printers ranging in price from $149.99 to $299.99 in the upcoming months.

Cheap Ink
As a result of Kodak’s decision to embed the print head in the printer and not the inkjet cartridge they are in a position to sell their inkjet cartridges at a reduced price. Kodak intends to market their black inkjet cartridges at approx $10.00 while their color cartridges will sell for approximately $15.00 e.a. Although these prices are still double third part cartridge costs they do represent a 50% reduction from the list prices currently being offered by HP and Lexmark at this time.

Bundled Paper
Kodak has ever since the its inception and activities with photography been in the paper business. They realize that one of the major(if not most) important aspects of color reproduction is not just the ink but the paper used in the reproduction phase.To this end Kodak has decided to offer their cartridges bundled with Paper . As a result they have the ability to tune their inks to match that of the papers characteristics to provide the best overall reproductions.

Obviously by bundling paper as well they will be increasing their sales of paper products thereby increasing their overall profitability per user on consumables.

Printer Self adjusts for Paper
Kodak is offering a 3 tiered paper line. The top two tiers feature a stiff photo print weight, while the least expensive tier is a thinner sheet. All three are coded on the back using gold diagonal lines whose line weight and distance between lines tell the printer what kind of paper it’s printing on so you never has to think about it.

The printer will also configure itself for a generic photo paper if it detects a non-Kodak photo paper. None of the models feature a transparency adapter.

We are wondering what Kodak intends to recommend for paper when used with a duplex option as all three of their lines used gold diagonal lines on the back of the paper.

All of the new kodak paper lines have a porous surface instead of the gel-coat used by dye-based printers to encapsulate the dyes for longevity. Porous papers, which suck the pigment into the sheet are, unlike “swellable” papers, instantly dry. By using pigment inks on the porous sheet, the prints last much longer than if you had printed using dye-based inks.

Cost per Printed Page
As Kodak is bundling their paper and ink together they have the capability to actually calculate the total estimated price per printed page, and as a result will be putting this “calculated” cost on their marketing materials.

The New Kodak Printers
All three Kodak Printers us a permanent printhead using 2.7 and 5.6 picoliter droplets, and the same print engine. Kodak confirmed that, as inkjets, you still have to use them regularly to avoid clogging those heads but thanks to the lower ink costs, flushing them out doesn’t hurt your wallet as much.

All three models also share the same scanner mechanism and the same built-in paper tray. Two features worth noting on the scanner are its batch scanning and storage capability.
You can load the scanner with several images and the built-in software will crop and save them individually, straightening them as necessary, after the batch scan.This feature will tie in to a new version of EasyShare software to ship with the printers, which will be able to archive the scanned images and copy them automatically into an album on EasyShare Gallery.

The printers all rely on Kodacolor technology to enhance images automatically.

Kodak 5100

The $149.99 printer offers a dual-port USB connection also available on the other two models, as well as a Bluetooth wireless adapter and PictBridge.

Kodak 5300

The $199.99 has a card reader added to the input options with a 3.0-inch LCD for reviewing images.

Kodak 5500

Kodak’s top of the line $299.99 adds a document feeder and fax capability to the 5300, and also includes a duplexer to print on both sides of a sheet. Kodak plans to make the duplexer available as an option on the other two models as well. The LCD is 2.4 inches, but still generous.
Our Opinion

Although latecomers to the inkjet market Kodak is well positioned with their printers and ink products to be able to enter the market with a winner. Of increasing importance to the home community is longevity of prints and using the pigmented inks takes them in the right direction.

We’ll watch closely to see what if any 3rd parties jump on the bandwagon and offer 3rd party inks.

Where to Buy ?

At time of release Kodak had distribution rights established with Best Buy

Filed under: Industry News | Tagged: best buy, Bundled Paper, Cheap Ink, color reproduction, Cost per Printed Page, document feeder, duplexer, Gillette, Kodak challenges HP and Lexmark, Kodak MFP, loss leader, Pigmented inks | Leave a comment »

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Embedded Head Printers move to HP

Epson releases new Ultra Thin Piezo print head

Metawatch Releases Compatible Cartridges for Epson T069 and T078

HP announced that it has resolved ink cartridge patent violation issues with China-based Ninestar

Imation Releases First Water Resistant Inkjet Prinable Blu-Ray Media

Inkjet Speed Breakthrough

HP Releases new (AIO) All in One Inkjet Printers

Kodak enters Inkjet Printer Market

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