HP targets low-cost printer market

Cheap, yet decidedly cheerful...

HP's £1.2bn revamp of its digital printing division is designed to push the company into the low-cost printer market. Previously known for its inkjet printers, the company will now focus on cheaper machines capable of printing photographs. Vyomesh Joshi, chief of the printing division at HP, said the printers now shared a common technology platform, making them 20 per cent cheaper to manufacture and sell than current inkjet printers. Over the past three years HP has spent $900m in manufacturing, $125m in R&D and $200m in marketing its new portfolio of 50 printers, digital cameras and accessories. Latest additions include the PhotoREt IV printing system for digital cameras and HP Instant Share Technology for emailing images from a digital camera via a PC. HP has been showing off three of its low cost models at PC Expo in New York. These included the HP Deskjet 5550 at $149, HP Deskjet 3820 for $99 and the HP Deskjet 3420 for sale at $79.