HP Plans Ink-jet Strategy for Upcoming Year

Hewlett-Packard announced today that its new HP consumer printers will include multiple ink-jet cartridge offerings and that the company has added a new color-coded packaging system across its ink-jet cartridge portfolio.

Starting now, HPs consumer ink-jet printers worldwide will be introduced offering two cartridge options: standard cartridges that offer a low purchase price to users who want access to printing but do not want to pay a lot at the register and value cartridges, which offer a lower cost per page to customers who print more.

“There are two key factors driving this new approach: customer choice and value,” said Tuan Tran, vice president of sales and marketing supplies for HP, in Palo Alto, Calif.

To go along with these two new ink-jet cartridge offerings, HP has also developed a new color-coded packaging system. The color-coded packaging system includes three categories–standard (blue), value (green) and specialty (red)–and will enable customers to walk into a retail store or log on to hp.com and scan their options to figure out which cartridge meets their printing needs.

“HP is reinventing and expanding its global supplies portfolio to deliver more customer choice, greater value and a dramatically simplified shopping experience, both in-store and online,” Tran said.

HPs standard cartridges are for users who print a small number of pages on a weekly or monthly basis and will be priced in the $14.99 range while users who print more often will find that HPs value cartridges, priced at $29.99 depending on the printer, offer users new “XL” options that provide users with cost savings on a per-page basis, more printed pages and fewer cartridge replacements.

The specialty cartridges are designed for users with special applications and printing jobs such as professional-quality photographs.

“HP recognizes that when it comes to printing, one size of cartridge does not fit every printing need,” Tran said.

HPs new cartridge offerings began rolling out this spring and will continue through the fall, with timing varying from store to store. By September 2007, HP hopes to have a fully redressed HP ink cartridge aisle.

“This is a fundamental change to HPs supplies strategy–one that provides customers with cartridge options that better meet their printing needs,” Tran said.

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