There is a song by the Barenaked Ladies with the lyrics ‘everything old is new again’, and that seems to apply most accurately to the tactile pleasure of printing a photograph rather than just having it on one’s smart device.

HP’s newest printers, which the company showcased at a graffiti and street art walk through Joburg this week, evoked this sentiment perfectly. While printers and indeed printing may have taken a back seat to the conveniences of digital in recent years, the latest HP DeskJet Ink Advantage/HP DeskJet Ink Advantage Ultra printers demonstrated how both print and digital eras can coexist only too well.

For example, connecting to one of the new printers wirelessly from a smartphone or tablet and sending photos using Wi-Di (Wi-Fi direct) or across a network worked like a charm. Critical to this is the accompanying free HP All-In-One remote app (iOS and Android), which gave due respect to the prevalence of digital devices. At the same time, selecting specific photos to print and then having tangible copies after the fact  elevated the end result from being just another photo somewhere amid thousands on a smart device, to having a keepsake that doesn’t require any battery power to enjoy.

The company explained that the aim of the printers is to offer affordable and high quality printing from smart devices. Based on the end results I saw, I was certainly impressed – the prints were sharp with rich colours.

The HP DeskJet Ink Advantage 4675 

The range in a nutshell

More specifically, the new range of printers are apparently most targeted at users and micro-business customers, and thus apparently the inks themselves have been made more affordable as well, costing in the region of R200 for a cartridge.

The complete range of the printers includes:

·       the top of the range HP DeskJet Ink Advantage 5575 All-in-One printer, which enables users to print from smartphones or tablets

·       the HP DeskJet Ink Advantage 4675 All-in-One printer offers fax, ADF and productivity features with low cost supplies

·       the HP Deskjet Ink Advantage 3635 e-All-in-One printer, which similarly boasts photo and document wireless printing, scanning and copying from most smartphones, tablets and internet-connected PCs

·       Also in the range is the  HP DeskJet Ink Advantage 3835 All-in-One Printer which provides an all-in-one fax as well.

In terms of pricing, the printers aren’t too expensive at all, starting at R1 000 for the 3835 up to R1 300 for the 4675 and topping out at R2 000 for the 5575.The printers are currently available from Incredible Connection, Makro, DionWired and online etailers.

“Families are becoming ‘mobile-first’ and need affordable, easy-to-use printers that meet their increasingly connected lifestyles,” commented Jane Geypen, category print IPS hardware, HP. “Whether on the tablet in the kitchen, or laptop in the home office, the new line of printers provide flexible printing solutions and high-quality printing for both personal or professional projects,” she concluded.