Q&A with Bret Bottger of HP and Mark Evans of BID Blinds

After weeks of blogging about his experience with an HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-in-One, Mark Evans of BID Blinds emerged with the most votes among the five small business owners who participated in the HP Officejet Pro Challenge and won the grand prize package worth more than $2,100. Beyond the obvious advantage of receiving professional color documents while saving up to 50 percent on printing costs and energy use compared to laser¹, Mark says he learned a lot about how to use his new printer to help run his business. In this wrap-up interview with HP, Mark shares some additional perspective on printing in a small-business environment.

Mark is the owner of BID Blinds, which provides eco-friendly and affordable custom window treatments to residential and commercial clients in the greater Nashville, Tenn. area. Mark retired his Lexmark X125 All-in-One printer for the HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-in-One, and hasn’t looked back since.

Mark Evans, owner of BID Blinds and his new HP Officejet Pro All-in-One

Bret Bottger of HP, who has been chatting with Mark and other participants throughout the Challenge, touched base with Mark to get his comments. Here’s what Mark had to say about his experience:

Bret: After testing the HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-in-One for four weeks, what did you particularly like or dislike about it?

Mark: Wow, that is a dangerous question to ask if you don’t know the answer!  I think the general thing that stuck out to me was the ease with which I could perform all of the tasks that HP put us through.  Of course, I had the occasional – okay, more than occasional - brain cramp that complicated things because I overlooked the obvious.  I also like the energy saving “sleep” mode it goes into when it has been idle for a short while.  That same mode was probably the “worst” thing, too.  Sometimes I get in a time crunch trying to get out the door.  I hit “Print” and have to wait a sec for the machine to stir from hibernation.  Again, my issue, not the machine’s.

Bret: What features did you find most useful during your four-week “test drive”? Were there any features that you found hard to use?

Mark: Let’s tackle the second part first.  NO!!! Emphatic enough?  There really was nothing that was difficult.  For the Challenge, sometimes I was pressed for time meeting your deadlines because I am still running a business.  But, man, this 8500 really came through.  Had it been a bear to learn or had it required reading a 600 page manual, I would’ve put it back in the box.

Now for the Part A of your query, the feature I utilized the most was, without question, the two-sided option, both printing and scanning.  Not only was it a time saver, it reduces usage and waste and saves the dollars and time it would take to produce a high quality product that is suitable for giving to my clientele!

Bret: What did you think of the quality of materials printed when using Original HP Papers, such as the HP Bright White Inkjet Paper, HP Photo Paper and glossy HP Brochure/Flyer Paper?

Mark: Okay, you got me here.  I’ve only used the Photo paper once – four prints.  Did I tell you I was running a business?  But all of the paper products have been excellent.  They have made the final presentation products “POP!”  And the way they hold the ink in trying circumstances is “magnifico.”  They don’t smudge up or run when wet.  The brochure paper is amazing.  I am still trying to find the ideal template for my biz.  But the brochures I’ve produced are as good as they come.

Bret: Overall, how well did the new Officejet Pro fit the needs of your business compared to your previous printer?

Mark: This is a loaded question.  Your HP bias is showing.  Let me put it this way.  If I hadn’t gone through this experience and learned how many more things I could do and DO WELL with this All-in-One, it would have been a tie.  But this 8500 allows me to do things I never would have done with my previous all-in-one.  And it does them with such ease and in such high quality.

“WOW’” is the impression the Challenge left me with.

Bret: Would you recommend this printer to other small business owners? If so, why?

Mark: Without a doubt.  This machine will make you proud of what you are able to produce.  Sure, there are some items that I do in the hundreds, and even thousands, that I will outsource.  But for those things that take a personalized touch or those that require differentiation or contrasting ideas, the end product from this small business machine will be hard to beat (and you don’t have to wait for the Print shop to call and say that it is ready).

Finally, even the routine functions, are handled seamlessly by a touch screen input panel.  It walks you through your options and maximizes the result.  What more could you ask for from the machine?  Espresso?  Latte?

Bret: Now you have the choice. Would you ever go back to your old printer?

Mark: Somebody would have to pay me a LOT of money as an inducement to use the old machine.  Even then, I’d keep my 8500 wired in and sneak back to use it at every opportunity!

Bret: Congratulations on your win, Mark! I hope that you continue to enjoy the HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-in-One. Be sure to follow the new HP Officejet Pro Challenge: Laser Edition when it launches in a few weeks to hear what a fresh group of small business owners are saying about the Officejet Pro.  Click here to check it out.

Opinions expressed here and in any corresponding comments are the personal opinions of the original authors, not of HP and may not have been reviewed in advance by HP.

¹Majority of color laser AiOs <$600, June 2008; for details, www.hp.com/go/officejet. OJ Pro ISO yield with highest-capacity cartridges based on continuous printing; see www.hp.com/go/learnaboutsupplies. Energy use based on HP testing using the ENERGY STAR® program's TEC test method criteria.

By Bret Bottger, HP Small and Medium Business Inkjet Marketing

We recently launched the new HP Officejet 7000 Wide Format Printer for professional color documents, laser-quality black text, and eye-catching photo-quality prints – ideal for marketing collateral.  This printer is built specifically for the needs of small business and quickly produces documents, brochures and presentations without the need to go to an outside copy shop.  This Officejet printer is network ready, and delivers fast speeds of up to 33 pages per minute black / 32 ppm color for every-day prints² or ISO laser-equivalent speeds of 8 ppm black / 7 ppm color³.  And you don’t have to wait long to get your prints because the first page out speed⁴ is as fast as 20 seconds black and 21 seconds color.

This versatile printer produces output up to 13 inches by 19 inches / A3+ standard paper size, with the lowest cost per page vs. in-class inkjet competitors.⁵  Everything you print, both color and black have stunning quality.  And because Ethernet networking is built-in, you can share the printer with up to 5 users right out of the box.  

Affordable Versatility

The Officejet 7000 Wide Format Printer supports borderless printing for large and small documents, with custom media sizes as small 3 x 5 inches (useful for note cards).  It can also print custom-size large documents, like spreadsheets as big as 13 inches by 44 inches on non-standard paper. 

The printer uses four Officejet 920 ink cartridges  – one for each color, so you can save money by replacing only the cartridge which runs out.  Optional high capacity Officejet 920XL cartridges are available⁶ which deliver more printed pages with fewer cartridge replacements -- you can print up to 1,200 pages before replacing the black cartridge and up to 700 pages before replacing a color cartridge.⁷

With the Officejet 7000 Wide Format Printer, you’ll get business-grade documents with impressive laser-quality black text and bold color graphics.  There are many options for paper, including standard office paper, glossy photo media or double-sided brochure paper.  When you use plain papers with the ColorLok logo, you will have fast-drying, vivid documents – perfect for high-volume printing.  And the printer produces archive-quality documents which retain black text and color quality for decades.⁸ 

I’ll be sharing more about this new printer in an upcoming blog entry.  Next time, I’ll discuss how the Officejet 7000 Wide Format Printer is helping an English school in China, talk about its reduced environmental impact and introduce HP software, web assets and device management tools which can help your small business. 

If you’d like to learn more about the new Officejet 7000 Wide Format Printer, check out these links:  Demo video    Data sheet    Solution and Feature Guide.

Compared to B-size inkjet printers and AiOs <$299 from major vendors as of Q408. Excludes HP Officejet Pro products. Average based on ISO/IEC 24711 or HP testing methodology and continuous printing. Actual yield varies considerably based on content of printed pages and other factors. For details see www.hp.com/go/learnaboutsupplies.

2 After first page. For details, see www.hp.com/go/inkjetprinter.

3 Based on ppm measured using ISO/IEC 24734. Standard applies to inkjet and laser products and excludes first set of test documents. For details, see www.hp.com/go/inkjetprinter

4 For details, see www.hp.com/go/inkjetprinter.

5 Compared to B-size inkjet printers and AiOs <$299 from major vendors as of Q408. Excludes HP Officejet Pro products. Average based on ISO/IEC 24711 or HP testing methodology and continuous printing. Actual yield varies considerably based on content of printed pages and other factors. For details see www.hp.com/go/learnaboutsupplies.

6 Not included. Must purchase separately.

7 Average based on ISO/IEC 24711 or HP testing methodology and continuous printing. Actual yield varies considerably based on content of printed pages and other factors. Some ink from included cartridge is used to start up the printer. For details, see www.hp.com/go/learnaboutsupplies

8 Based on paper industry predictions for acid-free papers and Original HP inks; colorant stability data at room temperature based on similar systems tested as per ISO 11798 and ISO 1 8909.

Posted by Bret Bottger, Inkjet Systems Marketing

Following up on my previous blog entry on environmentally responsible printing, I am introducing the new HP Print View software designed to help small businesses save money with do-it-yourself marketing.  This free software helps empower small businesses to reduce their marketing costs by providing a print cost estimate in advance of hitting print, which makes it easier to bring outside color printing jobs inside the small business.  Many HP printers and all-in-ones for small business are supported by the software, including the new Officejet Pro series and LaserJet, as well as both networked and single-user printers.

HP Print View Software is a suite of tools that helps you to create and print professional-quality brochures, fliers, mailers, presentations and postcards by using your own supported HP printer.  Often, producing marketing materials in your own office is faster and less expensive than outsourcing the print job.

Save Money Printing SMB Documents Yourself

HP Print View software generates estimates and allows you to compare your various printing options and choose the lowest cost option.  It can also allow you to compare in-house marketing print production costs to estimates you obtain from your local copy shop.  According to InfoTrends, you can save up to 50% by printing color marketing materials in-house for short runs of up to 500 pages.¹ 

HP Print View Software also lets you understand how the page layout and design affects the potential printing costs.  For example, if you plan to print out slides which have a solid blue background, which would likely increase the printing costs by using a lot of cyan ink or toner.  If a design change makes sense with your marketing need, you might want to redesign the slides to remove the solid blue background.  This simple design change can save money, especially on larger print jobs.

Get More Control Over Your Printing

HP designed the Print View software to save you time, since you don’t need to travel to the copy shop when you print in your office.   By using your own in-office HP printer for smaller print jobs instead of sending them to an external print shop, you can often save money.   You are in complete control over the document, and you can decide which options to use.  This can save money and prevent waste.   Printing in-house with the HP Print View software gives you control over the schedule, the quantity, and most importantly, the output.  You can update your marketing materials whenever you want.

The software also provides a preview of what your printed document will look like without printing test copies.  This is especially important when saving paper by using duplex printing to use both sides of the paper, since duplex printing can be complicated.  This sophisticated print preview can also help you be more environmentally responsible by printing only the quantities you need, helping avoid wasted paper and supplies. 

It’s a free download, so I invite you to check it out yourself.  I’m interested in your experiences with in-house print production for small business. 

Opinions expressed here and in any corresponding comments are the personal opinions of the original authors, not of HP and may not have been reviewed in advance by HP.

¹ Based on average retail pricing for short-run marketing materials. Short runs of up to 500 prints.  Actual prices may vary. Not all country currencies are supported.  Source: Infotrends US Cost of Print Studies, March 2009. Go to www.hp.com/go/ihm for more details. 

InfoTrends, The Cost of Print in the United States: An Analysis of In-House vs. Print Shop Costs. ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softlib/software9/COL19323/ja-51202-2/CostofPrint_US_090507.pdf

In the 2 weeks since I shared my initial thoughts on the Truth About Kodak's Print and Prosper Cost of Ink Claims, I've received a few comments and questions here in the HP Inkjet Printing Blog, over on Twitter, and in other conversations (the old-fashioned kind that can't be hyperlinked). I've been happy to explain why I think HP Printers and Original HP Supplies deliver unrivaled value and quality. But that's just my 2 cents.

See what HP has to say about:

•  Printing Costs of HP Printers -- Get the uncolored truth about ink.
  
•  Printer Ink Costs and HP Value -- Find what you really save (about a dollar a month) and what HP delivers that Kodak doesn't.
  
•  Eco-Friendly Printing -- HP printers can not only deliver 72.9 million brilliant colors, they also can deliver something beautiful: energy savings.
•  Quality Printers & HP Printing Innovation -- Printers may have a similar price tag, but rarely do they sport similar features. Learn more about the innovative standard features on HP printers that you won't find on Kodak's.

 As always, if you have a question or comment, I invite you to send it my way.

Angela LoSasso manages HP's Creative Wiki and HP's Small Business Wiki. You'll also find her on Twitter.