Although they were commonly used to rank print quality, dot-per-inch (DPI) ratings were never an accurate way to compare the output quality of color printers and multifunction products (MFPs). The ability to squeeze more dots of ink or toner onto a print surface does ultimately contribute to image sharpness and lifelike color gradations. But DPI is just one data point, and as color technology becomes more sophisticated, end users have many more factors to consider. All of these factors create new opportunities for solution providers to distinguish themselves with the technical assistance they offer to help customers choose the right hardware for their color applications.

Solid Ink Alternatives

One key consideration is the print media itself. Color lasers have traditionally excelled for high-volume applications, while color inkjets typically produce the most compelling reproductions of photos and intricate digital images. Xerox's solid ink technology now offers a third choice. According to the company, solid-ink print engines use 1,236 nozzles that are able to inject more than 30 million ink drops per second. This results in dense colors that avoid the banding that sometimes results when laser or inkjet systems are used to create large or color-dense images.

Solid ink also avoids the image bleeding problems that occur when liquid inks soak imprecisely into porous paper stocks and produce fuzzy lines and muddied colors. Solid inks can also accommodate a wide variety of output media, not just the paper with special coatings required by many inkjet printers. Thus, end users can choose recycled paper, transparencies or heavy signage materials for their color projects.

A number of Xerox color devices also offer the company's 2400 FinePoint print resolution mode, a proprietary image-rendering approach that uses special algorithms to control dot placement and optimize image quality. The result is image quality equivalent to 2400 DPI for proposals, photos and other business materials.

Print-Engine Innovations

Hewlett-Packard's proprietary ImageREt 3600 technology uses a dual-beam scanning system that effectively doubles the scan rate, which enhances details and color tones. It also offers embedded tools for optimizing color calibration, special ColorSphere toner, and automatic sensors for detecting when glossy papers are being used for marketing collateral and business documents.

ImageREt eliminates the need for manual quality adjustments by using automatic internal controls that regulate color reproduction for output consistency. End users can choose a variety of commercial print specifications, including Specifications for Web Offset Publications (SWOP), a set of printing industry standards and tolerances for output quality, as well as other color-matching standards commonly used in Europe and Asia.

For high-volume applications that also require top-end color quality, HP offers its proprietary Edgeline technology for select devices. A series of stationary print heads lay a bonding agent and pigment-based inks down onto media as it passes by the nozzles.

At the time of Edgeline's debut, analysts said the technology's stationary print-head array promises lower maintenance and total cost of ownership costs. Thanks to its ink-based media, Edgeline can surpass color laser performance with photo-quality output comparable to conventional inkjet printers, analysts added.