HP introduces new Inkjet Cartridge Packaging

HP inkjet cartridges are to get a new colour coded look to assist customers in choosing the product most suited to their requirements.

From the summer of 2007, most new HP consumer printers will be introduced with multiple inkjet cartridge offerings that are designed to provide customers with options that better meet their printing needs. In addition, the new cartridge options will deliver value by offering low purchase prices to customers who print a little, and lower cost-per-page to customers who print a lot.

In conjunction with these new cartridge offerings, HP is rolling out a new colour-coded packaging system across its entire inkjet cartridge portfolio. Three colour-coded categories – standard (blue), value (green) and specialty (red) – will allow customers to walk into a retail store or log on to hp.com and quickly and easily scan their options to find the right cartridge that offers the best value for their printing needs. Examples of the new cartridge look can be found under the individual printer models at www.cartcon.co.uk/products/Inkjet_Cartridges/Hewlett-Packard.
All three categories will be available throughout the range. For the majority of new HP inkjet printers, the inkjet cartridge options will be:

• "Standard" cartridges (blue packaging), which have a lower purchase price, are designed for customers who print a small number of pages on a weekly or monthly basis. HP will introduce an increasing number of standard cartridge offerings in the sub £10 price range for those customers who still want access to high-quality printing, but don't want to pay a lot at the point of purchase.


• "Value" cartridges (green packaging), which are designed for customers with higher volume printing needs, offer a lower cost per page compared to standard cartridges. This line will include new high-yield "XL" cartridges that provide customers approximately 30-45 percent savings on a cost-per-page basis, print up to three times more pages, and require fewer cartridge replacements compared to standard cartridges. Customers can easily identify the new value option by looking for the green packaging and the letters "XL" next to their cartridge number. "XL" presumably stands for extra large although with all cartridge manufacturers reducing the capacity of their cartridges this is probably of little comfort to the consumer.


• "Specialty" cartridges (red packaging), which offer additional performance features compared to HP's standard ink formulations, are ideal for customers with special applications and printing jobs, such as professional-quality photographs.

Hopefully once these changes are fully implemented and feed into the marketplace, cartridge buying for HP inkjet printers will become an easier task.

Alan is a director of Cartridge Concept Ltd (www.cartcon.co.uk) and has been employed in the imaging business for over 10 years.