THE NEWS IN PRINT

As the print content moves steadily from desktop documents to web based documents in the form of online articles and blogs, HP aims to capture the digital printing market by:

- Make it easier to print from websites, such as blogs and travel sites, and bring new printing capabilities to online properties;
- Extend the company's digital content creation and publishing platforms - for example, Snapfish and Logoworks - across customer segments spanning from consumers to enterprises; and
- Deliver a digital printing platform that increases print speeds and lowers the cost of printing for high-volume commercial markets.

The content on the internet accounts to close to half the total printing done at homes. Yet, many of them are not printer friendly. While web based e-mails have the printer friendly features, blogs and travel sites have refrained from taking any action against printing all the unwanted graphics and advertisements. HP hopes to fix this lack of feature by working together with different companies to introduce printer friendly pages for all blogs and other websites.

"Today, we're introducing a new era in printing. We're redefining what it means to print and further accelerating the transformation from analog to digital printed pages,"¯ said Vyomesh Joshi, executive vice president of the company's Imaging and Printing Group. "In today's world of 'mashed media' - words, pictures, video, songs - the question becomes 'How will people publish this content?' Print 2.0 is the answer. This vision centers on empowering our customers to create and consume their content, their way."¯

This is great news for all people who print digital pages on a daily basis. With the cost of printing touching a new peak everyday, this move should be welcomed with both hands.

via HP News Release

Few months back, I had written about a graduate student who had created printed circuit boards using a DeskJet printer. That merely remained a PhD project but here is a company that actually implements the idea on a commercial basis for all their semiconductor needs; that too at an intricate level.

NANOIDENT Technologies based in Austria produces organic semi-conductor chips using a printer that uses a conductive ink printed on layers of polymer foils. The special printer has a 128 nozzle cartridge that sprays on the foil in a certain pattern as designed by engineers. Different parts of the microchip are printed on different foils and pressed together to form the needed microchip.

Here's a news clip - NANOIDENT was able to manufacture a large-area photo detector array"”a device that converts light into electrical signals"”by depositing thin layers of conducting and semi-conducting "inks"¯ onto a plastic foil substrate using state-of-the-art printing techniques. By using printed semiconductor based technology"”which enables
unique mechanical, electro-optical and structural properties"”the company was able to deliver an array 18x12cm in size, and could easily produce detectors up to 50x50cm or larger. With large-area, ultra-thin, flexible devices that incorporate application specific spectral properties, customers are able to eliminate expensive optical filters and develop an entirely new class of application types. Sample applications for large-area photo detector arrays include industrial measurement and test, medical imaging and security screening.

Organic semiconductors are not preferred in devices such as computers and cell phones as the clock speed is relatively slower than inorganic semiconductors and more importantly they degrade faster too. They find applications in devices that don't depend upon the clock speed and probably have use for it for a brief period.

Obtaining rebates from computers and printers is a tedious process. It involves a process of cutting the barcode and serial number off the cardboard box and filling an unusually long form and attaching an original copy of the sales receipt and post dating it. After all this exercise, it takes around 6-8 weeks for the cheque to arrive. It is nothing unusual to think why the requisition of rebates would be so lengthy while everything else including getting a loan is done online. I have had home some horrific experiences with my rebates as I lacked patience big time and in the end I had to forego my rebate a couple times.

HP has taken a route that could be deemed as customer friendly. They have announced paperless rebates for its US customers. Customers need to fill in just the order number and the billing zip code on HP website to get their rebates. HP hasn't specified how long it would take them to send rebates.

"The HP Home Store continually gathers feedback from our customers in order to improve their online experience; they told us that they wanted a simpler rebate program,"¯ said Sam Taylor, senior vice president, Consumer Direct, HP. "We responded by providing customers with the option to quickly and easily submit rebates online so that they can enjoy a simpler and more convenient shopping experience."¯

via HP News Release

We wake up everyday in a world that's more polluted than the previous day. While there are some efforts being done by eco lovers, our environment is being exploited and destroyed. As a green lover, I have endorsed many green activities like eco friendly travel and minimizing use of paper at work. Staying with paper, did you know that paper is made from wood pulp like the bamboo tree? If the need for paper goes up, so does the destruction of forests to fulfill the demand. Many industries have started recycling paper which could be give the trees a breather for a while.

Printing industries of New England is conducting a webinar to address the issue of being an eco friendly person and simultaneously service your Clients without any inferiority in quality or time delay.

Here are the topics that will be covered:
- Encouraging eco-friendly paper selection keeping beauty, function, and "eco credibility"¯ in mind
- Finding ways to ensure effective sheet use and minimize paper waste
- Safe PANTONE colors and Veggie-based inks
- Being a strategic partner - developing long-term relationships by giving advice BEFORE a project starts being developed.
- Traditional Film/Metal Plates vs. Computer-to-Plate
- Simple things you can do to green up your shop
- How to market your environmental message

Dani Nordin from Zen Kitchen will be the presenter. This webinar would be held on 12th of June 2007 between 5PM and 6PM GMT. There is a small cost associated with it.

DomainsAvailableNow.com has announced three domains along with developed websites for sale. Professional printers and printing marketers would be particularly interested in this website. The three websites; SeminarBrochures.com, MyBrochurePrinter.com and CreateMyBrochure.com have different listing features, search engine and a shopping cart.

Scott Alliy, President of Allied Internet Solutions feels that a single owner could utilize these websites by creating multiple domain brand names and gaining popularity in the field of brochure printing and printing marketing business.

I strongly disagree with Scott. Selling three different websites with more or less the same kind of design and functionality is a means of tripling the profits(for the seller). Any sane printer could buy any one of these websites and buy other domain names at a normal price and replicate the existing software on the other domains he owns. It is easier to make up domain names that contain keywords for printing.

via Domain Informer