Printer Technologies That Made Breakthroughs in 2010

This past year has produced many stunning and intriguing technological breakthroughs. The first truly synthetic organism was created, 3D television is now a reality and Apple's iPad hit the market. It seems as though every year there is some new technological breakthrough that takes off.

There also many technological advancements in the world of printers, and Digital Journal contributor Jack Kapica recently talked about some of his favorite products.

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Hewlett Packard introduced a line of printers based on what HP calls e-Print, which allows users to send images to printers over the internet thanks to a unique email address attributed to the device.

HP is specifically focusing on business users and hobbyists with their new technologies. Their e-Print and Share developments allow users to send pictures over the web, through an ethernet cable or wireless connection to its web-connected printers. The printers support up to 10 attachments in a single email, up to 5 MB, and offer a protected, more secure mode that limits access to the device to "preferred senders," Kapica explains.

The company has also tapped the "app" market, creating downloadable applications with partners like Yahoo, Facebook and Disney that can print coupons, maps, recipes and more.

Kapica adds that HP has pushed their green technologies more this past year. Their HP Deskjet 3050 All-in-One is made with 35 percent recycled plastics and its cartridges contain up to 70 percent recycled material. It also offers double-sided printing, which saves ink and paper.

Epson unveiled a line of printers and projectors in 2010 that are "making serious moves to claim a position as the printer for the art market," says Kapica. The devices could show off the sophistication and quality of its printing technology for artists.

"For the first time, I saw that really high-quality prints could be made with relatively straightforward ink printer technology," he writes. "Epson's point is that you don't have to spend ferocious amounts of money to get high-quality prints."

The printers unveiled this year by Epson were more consumer-oriented. They also offer museum quality, large-format printing for artists and photographers, but the less expensive versions still offer lots of benefits.

Epson also introduced two new all-in-one printers that can print, scan and copy, but can also connect to a home wireless network. They offer wireless and ethernet networking, and some can print from a mobile device and create photo books, greeting cards and coloring book pages, says Kapica.

Review Gist recently named the Canon PIXMA MX340 Wireless Office All-in-One as the best printer of 2010, based on the website's research of printer reviews from online experts.

Printer Technologies That Made Breakthroughs in 2010

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