HP is releasing an affordable new ink cartridge technology for home and small business users that offers great results on a variety of plain papers, with excellent quality on specialty papers too.

HP’s dual-drop-volume technology –integrated in the cartridge– enables finely detailed graphics and images, up to 4800x1200 dpi, without the need for the lighter, photo dye-load inks used in 6-ink printing. In dual-drop-volume printing, the tri-color ink cartridge contains specially formulated full dyeload color inks that are fired onto the page in two different ink droplet volumes. These ink droplets can be as small as 1.3 picoliters (pl) and as large as 5 pl. About 3.8 billion of these 1.3 picoliter droplets would fit in a teaspoon.

In dual-drop-volume modes, the printer can fire any combination of small or large ink droplets on a given print position—small and large droplets together, just small drops or just large. These combinations of ink droplets are determined by the printer in order to provide the optimum print quality and speed. Dual-drop-volume printing is used when printing in Normal, Best and Maximum-dpi print modes on select HP photo and brochure papers. Customers can enable the Maximum dpi setting in the Advanced tab of the printer driver software when printing on HP Advanced Photo Paper.

The new ink cartridge technology also uses high-quality, high-resolution halftoning to deliver enhanced gradient tones for smooth, uniform color output. Halftoning is the process used by inkjet printers to lay down different combinations of ink droplets and create the range of colors seen on the printed page. Generally speaking, color print quality is improved when small ink drops are distributed evenly, with minimal overlap between ink dots. Printers with new cartridge technology achieve these optimal

dot-placement patterns using improved halftoning algorithms, updated for optimal performance with HP’s new dual-drop-volume technology.

Used in Deskjet and Officejet products, this cartridge technology is designed to meet the needs of both users. Deskjet customers can enjoy low-cost, high-quality cartridges designed for home use—ideal for printing documents, letters and web pages. Officejet customers can benefit from high-yield cartridges that provide a lower cost per page and lower intervention. These cartridges are ideal for printing business documents, reports, correspondence, web pages and graphics. While both printing systems deliver quick print speeds, the Officejet system is slightly faster, making it perfect for the productive small-office environment.

This cartridge technology will be introduced in both the HP 60 and 901 series ink cartridges in late 2008. The HP 60 Black and Tri-color Ink Cartridges with HP Vivera inks support the HP Deskjet D2560 Printer and HP Deskjet F4280 All-in-One and are designed for everyday home printing. High-capacity HP 60XL Black and Tri-color Ink Cartridges offer an even better value and fewer cartridge replacements for frequent printing.