HP Inc. Pushes The Printer Envelope: A Look At The New PageWide Printers

First Printer Launch From HP Inc.

HP Inc. on Tuesday launched its HP PageWide Enterprise Color 500 Series and HP PageWide Pro 400 Series, marking the first major printer launch from the newly independent HP Inc. The products set a new benchmark for speed, product, cost and security, said HP Inc. Vice President Emre Ozguc, who oversees the company's Americas LaserJet and Enteprise Solutions business.

HP Inc. is moving the PageWide technology, which delivers the speed of laser printing at the color print quality of an inkjet, into every business segment. The company says that it so far has delivered more than 140 billion digital pages with the PageWide technology including large format printers and web presses.

Next year, HP Inc. is expected to deliver an even bigger PageWide breakthrough with a new lineup of A3 devices aimed at disrupting the copier market.

The new PageWide printers include HP secure print functionality and mark the launch of a new HP secure managed print advisory service.

A More Secure Printer Experience

The new printer lineup continues HP Inc.'s stepped up focus on secure printing with a growing number of customers now requiring users to enter a security card or a PIN before picking up a printing job, said Ozguc. "We have seen security really bubble to the top in terms of user need and concerns," he said.

The new printers include intrusion detection prevention functionality, which is resonating with customers, said Ozguc. "We've talked to lots of IT managers and [Chief Security Information Officers] and for them, it has really been an eye-opener, a wakeup call to realize many of their printing devices on the network aren't secure and pose a potential threat," he said. "We are making it seamless for our end users to manage their printing needs."

HP Inc. CEO Dion Weisler (pictured) said the company has taken many of the security lessons learned in the PC market and applied them to printing. "We are focused on making sure we have the most secure devices in the industry for our customers, particularly in the print business," said Weisler. "We know that the printer is often the Trojan horse on a network."

The HP Printer Security Opportunity

A recent HP Inc. survey found that 60 percent of those surveyed had a data breach that involved printers. What's more, 64 percent of those surveyed believe their printers likely have been infected with malware.

Enhancing security, meanwhile, has shot up to the No. 1 driver for managed print services deals in 2015, up from No. 7 in 2014, according to HP Inc.

Channel partners can provide HP Quick Assess, an assessment of printers on a network with a report detailing vulnerabilities, said Cindy Dwyer, worldwide solutions marketing for HP Inc. The sell-up from that assessment is JetAdvantage Security Manager to manage printers on the network, she said.

A New Secure Print Security Advisory Service

HP Inc. has launched a print security advisory service that puts HP security credentialed experts on the front lines, developing a comprehensive print security plan with customers.

The company is providing the print security plan on its own through its direct sales and services force, said Dwyer. HP Inc. is relying on channel partners for day-to-day maintenance and management, she said.

The channel is providing HP managed print services and software including HP Access Control Software and HP JetAdvantage Security Manager, said Dwyer. "Our channel partners are able to deliver some pretty compelling differentiation within their own MPS business by using these tools," she said.

The HP PageWide Enterprise Color 586 And 556

The new HP PageWide Enterprise Color 500 Series is aimed at work groups of five to 15 users printing 2,000 to 7,500 pages per month, HP Inc. said.

The new offerings bring the revolutionary, industrial-strength PageWide printer technology to businesses, said Larry Tracy, director of product planning. "That is the transformation we are making here with these printers," he said.

The products print 50 to 75 pages per minute and include HP security features such as intrusion detection.

The HP Color MFP 586 starts at $1,999, while the PageWide Enterprise Color 556 starts at $749. Both printers will be available in May.

The HP PageWide Pro MFP 552dw and 577dw

The HP PageWide Pro MFP 552dw and 5777dw, which are aimed at small businesses and work groups, offer big price and consumable advantages over copier machine competitors.

The HP PageWide Pro 552dw and the HP PageWide Pro MFP 577dw, which print up to 6,000 pages a month with speeds up to 70 pages per minute, are priced starting at $699 and are expected to be available in April.

The new printers can drive 250,000 pages on a managed print services contract with potentially only two printer consumable changes in the life of the products, compared with 50 consumable replacements on a competing copier, said Tracy. Every one of those copier trips costs a customer $50 to $75. "It is very costly for a partner to manage or maintain those copiers," said Tracy.

The HP PageWide Pro 400 And 300 Series

The HP PageWide Pro 452dw and MFP 477dw, which are priced starting at $499, are aimed at small businesses with three to 10 users printing up 4,500 pages per month. The printers will be available in April.

The HP PageWide MFP 352dw PageWide MFP 377dw are aimed at work groups with three to 10 users printing up to 3,000 pages a month. The products have not yet been priced and are scheduled to be available in June.

The PageWide technology is ready for the business market based on the "robustness, performance and cost" it brings to market, said Ozguc. "We want our channel partners to help us position PageWide as an alternative to laser," he said. "We really want to associate PageWide with laser printing and business printing. If customers are looking for laser printers, we want to make sure they are aware that there is an alternative that can deliver lower-cost color printing."

Ozguc's message to partners around the PageWide launch: "Sell the heck out of these printers!"