As one of the biggest technology companies in the world, Hewlett Packard have been a key player in the industry through their innovation of new and emerging computing technologies. Incorporated back in 1947, Hewlett Packard have since grown to become one of the most influential and pioneering tech companies of the modern era. As the world’s leading PC manufacturer, HP have a rich history in pioneering printing products too so let’s take a look at the development of HP printers through the years.
1980s: The Early Days
Although HP had developed rudimentary printers alongside some early versions of the personal computer it wasn’t until 1984 when they introduced inkjet printers for desktop computers. With this technology, HP’s first inkjet printer was released to consumers in the late 1980s despite being under development for around 20 years prior. Their first model was the DeskJet printer which was among the first of its kind available to the public in 1988. However, this model failed to really become a household product until the early 90s as it was priced at $1,000, which was seemingly an expensive luxury to have within the home. This didn’t stop HP though, whose innovations brought us the world’s first full-colour back in 1987, aptly named the PaintJet.
1990s: Growth & Innovation
Following the success of their early DeskJet and PaintJet models, HP introduced an updated version of the DeskJet that was capable of colour printing a few years later in 1991. This model of their highly successful DeskJet range was their first 300 dpi colour printer, which was capable of printing a page in colour in around 4 minutes and used a swappable black or CMY printer head cartridge. Around a year later, this was subsequently replaced by the DeskJet 550C which housed HP’s first dual-cartridge colour version and offered a real black colour rather than a mix black ink in colour prints. This version was different to its predecessor in that the newer model made use of two 500C ink cartridges at the same time and paved the way to a more intuitive version just two years later. In 1994, HP released the ColourSmart, which possessed the ability to intelligently analyse documents in order to determine the best quality colour output.
Alongside this, HP also developed a Portable range of DeskJets that targeted mobile professionals that needed to print on the go. The DeskJet Portable evolved significantly throughout the 90s with newer upgrades offering improvements to efficiency, performance, and quality. Additionally, in 1993 HP introduced a high-end printer line, which started with the HP DeskJet 1200C, offering 6 ppm in B&W and 1 ppm in colour. Subsequent versions of this range included the HP DeskJet 1600C (in 1995) and 1600CN (in 1996), where the former model had built-in networking, which was the first step in this direction. Ultimately, though, this version was phased out and replaced by the HP DeskJet 1000C/1100C/1120C in 1998 which was the first A3 inkjet printers that came under the DeskJet brand.
2000’s: Today’s Pioneers
In early 2000, HP upgraded the DeskJet 1000C/1100C/1120C and released the HP DeskJet 1220C, which offered 12 ppm in B&W, and 10 ppm in colour. Additionally, the portable versions of the DeskJet model was also upgraded to the HP DeskJet 350 and 350CBi, which offered marked improvements to the colour with 5 ppm B&W and 2 ppm in colour.
In the 2000’s HP began developing printers that could keep up with today’s growing demands, particularly with more office based businesses requiring in-house printing capabilities. As such, in 2004 HP added a new range of ink cartridges named HP Vivera inks to their new HP DeskJet 6540 model that offered breakthrough printing speeds of up to 30 ppm in B&W and 20 ppm in colour. HP then focused their efforts onto all-in-one printers, such as the DeskJet F380 printer/scanner/copier, which also made use of HP Vivera inks with print speeds of 20 ppm in B&W and 14 ppm in colour. Now, the current line of HP DeskJet printers are similar in performance, but packed with new features and integrations.
Summary
So there you have it! The history of HP DeskJet printers and the evolution of them over the years, as they have progressed from rudimentary printing devices to all-in-one solutions that are an essential for any office. All in all, HP’s range of printing solutions are ideal for the home or office, so if you’re in need of a new printer then why look to any other brand?
