Samsung presented the SCX-5530FN, a network-ready Four-in-one printer. The printer has built-in Windows, Macintosh and Linux compatibility and its 10/100 Base-TX network connectivity, the SCX-5530FN can easily be integrated into customers' networks, delivering extended print, scan and fax functionality. Customers can also connect directly with Hi-Speed USB 2.0 and IEEE-1284 parallel ports.

The Samsung SCX-5530FN delivers delivers high-quality, high-resolution documents with 1200 dpi effective output. It produces crisp, color scans with up to 600 x 600 dpi optical and 4800 x 4800 dpi enhanced scanning resolution for capturing photo-quality color and sharp black and white text.

The SCX-5530FN is available now for an estimated street price of $499.99 and can be purchased through Samsung resellers, dealers, and distribution partners.

Official Samsung press release:
"Samsung, the world's second largest laser printer manufacturer announces the SCX-5530FN, a network-ready multifunction laser printer that offers workhorse performance and flexibility with duplex copying, laser printing, color scanning and high-speed faxing.

The Samsung SCX-5530FN is easy-to-use and compactly designed with an intuitive interface, informative LCD panel and one-touch buttons that make tasks simple. This product is faster than many multifunction devices in its class with speeds of 30 ppm/cpm and a quick warm-up time (from stand-by mode) with its first page out in less than nine seconds. Not only is this product fast, but it also delivers high-quality, high-resolution documents with 1200 dpi effective output. It produces crisp, color scans with up to 600 x 600 dpi optical and 4800 x 4800 dpi enhanced scanning resolution for capturing photo-quality color and sharp black and white text.

Additionally, the SCX-5530FN is efficient and offers customers a low total cost of ownership with its low 1.5 cent cost per page and one-touch features such as PowerSave, PaperSave, TollSave and TonerSave, which can extend the life of the printer's toner cartridge up to 40 percent.

This product offers a variety of notable features that make this it especially useful for small and medium-sized businesses. Some of these features are:

* Exclusive ID Card Copy - Customers can simply copy the front and back of identification cards such as medical insurance cards or driver's licenses onto the front of a single page.
* Direct USB Interface - A front-mounted USB port makes it easy to scan-and-save or print documents directly to or from a common USB flash drive. Data can be shared and transported without having to use a computer.
* 50-Sheet Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) - Customers can insert a stack of papers, press a button and the printer will automatically and quickly copy the pages.
* Automatic Duplexing - By utilizing the ADF, it's simple to copy two single-sided documents onto a double-sided document, saving paper and time.

"The SCX-5530FN is our flagship product in the multifunction category and offers the ultimate productivity solution for our customers-it's not only a full-featured copier, but it's also a fast, flexible laser printer, a powerful scanner and a fax machine in one, compact and powerfully-designed package," said Mark Meisberger, product marketing manager, printer products, Samsung Electronics America, Inc. "Samsung is continually developing products with useful and innovative features that provide our customers with the tools they need to continue to be successful and productive."

With its built-in Windows, Macintosh and Linux compatibility and its 10/100 Base-TX network connectivity, the SCX-5530FN can easily be integrated into customers' networks, delivering extended print, scan and fax functionality. Customers can also connect directly with Hi-Speed USB 2.0 and IEEE-1284 parallel ports.

The SCX-5530FN is available now for an estimated street price of $499.99 and can be purchased through Samsung resellers, dealers, and distribution partners.

The SCX-5530FN is backed by a one-year on-site limited warranty and is supported by a toll-free technical support line. For more information on Samsung and where to buy its products, call 1-800-SAMSUNG or visit www.samsung.com"

You wouldn't know it from the model number, but the HP Photosmart A516 Compact Photo Printer ($99.99 direct) is a direct descendant of last year's HP Photosmart 385 GoGo Printer. HP has changed its naming scheme, but the resemblance was obvious the instant I opened the box. The ink jet-based A516 has the same miniature-toaster shape as the 385—big enough to hold two slices.

And it shares key features with its older sibling, including similar print speed, high-quality output, and the ability to print at sizes up to 4- by 12-inch panoramas. But the A516 brings something new to the party, in the form of nearly waterproof output. And it offers more features than I generally expect to see for this price.

PcMag reviewd this printer and here are some of their impressions: To begin with, the A516 can print from most memory cards as well as PictBridge cameras and computers. And its built-in LCD lets you preview photos on memory cards. Granted, the LCD is only 1.5 inches, and it's at a fixed angle, so you may have to move the printer (or your head) to see it well; but it's still a big improvement over not having an LCD at all, which is what you usually get (or don't get) at this price.

The A516 does not include a kiosk-style menu to let you crop or edit as the 385 did, but the LCD and front-panel buttons let you choose which photos to print from a memory card, whether to print multiple copies, and whether to print one, two, four, or more photos per page.

Of course, the single-most-important issue for a photo printer is output quality. And the good news is that every photo I printed with the A516—including indoor and outdoor shots, closeups of faces, landscapes, snowscapes, and more—qualified as true photo quality. I saw some minor flaws on close inspection, including a slight loss of detail in bright areas on some photos, but the overall quality was easily a match for photos you'll get from your local drugstore or other typical consumer photo labs.

Although the photos will show a water stain if you let a drop of water dry on the surface, they didn't smudge at all when I held them under running water and rubbed them, even immediately after printing. They should have no trouble standing up to handling on a hot, humid day. For the moment, at least, that's worth a few extra cents per photo. And the total package still offers enough to earn the HP Photosmart A516 the Editors' Choice for low-cost photo printers.

Read full review here.

Sagem Communication launched today a new innovative range of compact, efficient and low cost mono A4 paper size professional laser MFPs. The range comprises five different models:
MF44 series: sheetfed scanner with fax function.
MF54 series: flatbed scanner with automatic document feeder and fax function

The official Sagem press release:
"INNOVATIVE FUNCTIONS COMBINED WITH TRIED AND TESTED ROBUSTNESS
MF 4461, 5401, 5461 et 5481n models feature a built-in USB host reader to scan and save all kinds of documents to a memory key (scan-to-key function). This also allows for wireless printing when connected to a WLAN dungle, in order to adapt to any office environment.

MF44 & 54 series have a 16 ppm printing engine able to print up to 80 000 pages, with a standard 250 page paper tray. They can be connected either to a PC (MF 4461 & 5401 - 5461) or to the local area network (MF 5481n), and by doing so reply to every requirement.
The MF54 series colour flatbed scanner is able to scan 50 pages in a row, with an accurate result thanks to its 600 x 2400 dpi resolution.

Everyday communications as well as peaks of traffic can be easily managed with the 3 second transmission Super G3 fax modem, a 500 page* unlimited flash memory, and a possibility to send short messages (regular fixed line operator SMS service) and faxes from a connected PC.
It is also possible to extend the size of the fax memory by routing the incoming faxes to a USB memory key.

Archiving and modifying scanned documents in Excel® and Word® Microsoft applications through OCR (optical character recognition) is easy thanks to the Scansoft document management included software, Paper Port®.

SMART AND COST EFFECTIVE ALL IN ONE CARTRIDGE
MF44 & 54 series work with the same toner and drum all in one cartridge that is available in two versions : 2200 pages and 4000 pages capacity, in order to catch with different printing traffics.

Thanks to the smart and chip card, the toner and drum cartridge sends notifications to highlight better management, and the TonerSave function enables printing of up to 6000 pages.

The MF54 series has already been introduced in Sagem’s pan-European sales network in September 2006 and the MF44 series will be available from October 1st.

Recommended retail prices :

- Fax 4440: 279 Euros exc. VAT
- MF 4461: 329 Euros exc. VAT
- MF 5401: 219 Euros exc. VAT
- MF 5461: 289 Euros exc. VAT
- MF 5481n: 339 Euros exc. VAT

All in one toner and drum cartridge:

CTR360 2200 pages: 69,99 Euros exc. VAT
CTR365 4000 pages: 99,99 Euros exc. VAT

WLAN dongle (wireless printing): 39,99 Euros Exc. VAT"

Jet Tec, manufacturer of compatible inkjet cartridges, has launched a new range of compatible cartridges for the recently announced Canon Pixma ip4200.

The Pixma printer is one of the most advanced high performance photo printers in the market. Jet Tec says with consumers able to print up-to 20 per cent more than with equivalent OEM cartridges, the new SKU’s will provide the dealer and reseller with an opportunity to focus on margin and profit.

Managing Director William Studholme says the Pixma ip4200 printers incorporate the ChromaLife100 system, which has been specifically developed by Canon for the printing of longer lasting photos. "With the launch of this Jet Tec range of cartridges, these printers now have the ideal consumables companion.!”

Via channelinfo.

Bernard Cassidy, product manager for hardware and software security at Ricoh, reveals how new printer systems are creating new challenges for IT managers.

Bernard Cassidy joined printer specialist Ricoh in 2002 and is product manager with responsibility for managing the marketing of security hardware and software products, black and white printers (in the 45-75ppm sector) and low-end document management software. He is also instrumental in managing decentralised host printing solutions.

Previously he has worked as a sales training officer advising the sales team on the key aspects of Ricoh’s hardware and software systems.

Before joining Ricoh, Bernard worked in IT recruitment after graduating from Plymouth University in 1999 with a degree in Business Studies.

Read full interview here.