Need to print remotely or on the go? What factors should you be considering when choosing mobile printing solutions? Here we talk to HP’s Scott Leman, Print Market Development Manager, on the latest trends, supported devices and ways to print.

What do you and HP see as the latest trends in the printer market in general, and the school market in particular?

Obviously, there has been a huge shift towards mobile devices and BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) but now it’s really ramping up thanks to increased use of cloud-based documents. Teachers and students are bringing in their own tablets and smartphones, and want to be able to print straight from their device.

We’re seeing a shift away from a single, big A3 colour multifunction printer towards many smaller more affordable A4 devices. Typically, 98 per cent of the pages printed are A4 and people prefer having a printer close at hand, rather than walking to their reception area or print room every time they want to run off a couple of pages.

What printer products/services is HP supplying that are meeting these trends?

HP is the leader in mobile printing solutions offering the most comprehensive number of supported devices and ways to print. We enable driverless printing straight from an iPad, iPhone or Android device and you can print from anywhere using HP ePrint or Google cloud print. HP also supports Wireless Direct, where you don’t even need a W-Fi network to print.

HP has an extensive range of single function and multifunction devices catering to both A4 and A3, as well as low volume and high volume. Plus, many are small enough to sit on the top of a desk.

What’s new for HP in this area?

HP recently released a new series called Officejet Pro X.  This won the Guinness World Record in 2012 for the world’s fastest desktop printer (70 pages per minute), a title it still holds. It’s small enough to sit on your desktop, has a printing cost equal to or cheaper than your photocopier and a very low hardware cost.

What are the key factor schools should be considering when purchasing printers?

Every school struggles with the cost of printing and many are paying far too much per page. Ideally, they should be on a tailored contract, where their ink and toner is automatically delivered and any problems are quickly fixed. However, they should  be careful not to tie themselves into restrictive contracts with minimum page volume requirements and large penalties for not meeting them.  Schools should also evaluate whether five or six smaller printers are more efficient than having one centralised, A3 photocopier.

What developments does HP expect to see in the school printer market in the next 12-24 months?

We expect to see more printers in the classrooms, with these being accessible to teachers and students so they can print their work straight from their device.

Thank you.

For more on HP’s products and services for schools go to www.hp.co.nz/nzeducation