May 7, 2020 How Printing Manufacturers are Innovating

From subscription services to sustainability to 3D printing, printing manufacturers are innovating to make a difference.

Printers have been innovating for many years and have now grown into an office and home essential. The printing industry has evolved greatly, and it is showing no signs of slowing down. We’re going to take a look at some of the ways printing manufacturers are innovating.

Convenience

In today’s society where same-day delivery and on-demand entertainment are available, it’s no surprise that convenience is one-way printers are evolving and innovating. Now thanks to wireless capabilities, you can print anywhere at any time, from your computer, tablet or phone.

As well as being able to print from anywhere in the home or office, you can now also print from outside of these areas remotely. If your printer has wireless or web connectivity, it can still connect when you may think you’re out of reach. Some printer manufacturers offer this solution by allowing you to send a document to an email address registered to your printer. So if you’re out, simply email it, and when you get home, it will be waiting for you on the printer’s output tray.

Subscription services

Staying on the theme of on-demand services, some printer manufacturers now offer an ink subscription, where you get a certain amount of pages a month and the cartridges are sent to your home. You simply tell the manufacturer how much you print, and it will tell you which option is best suited to your needs.

This could be a great plan for someone who regularly prints a fixed number of pages. But if you only use your printer every so often, it could be more beneficial to simply buy your ink and toner cartridges as and when you need them.

Going greener

Printer manufacturers have also become conscious of the impact printing has on the environment and have innovated to become more sustainable. Some printers now have eco-friendly settings which use less energy, but still maintain a good printing standard. Some have energy-saving modes which offer a quieter print cycle as well as sleep modes to reduce energy waste when the printer is not in use.

As well as the printers, manufacturers have become aware of the environmental impact cartridges have on the earth. To help reduce cartridges going to landfill, where the ground can get polluted with ink, many of the manufacturers offer a recycling service where you can send you old cartridges back to them so that they can be recycled properly. Alternatively, you can visit ZeroWasteRecycling.co.uk.

3D printing

One of the biggest advancements made to the printing world is the creation of 3D printing. It’s rapidly growing and has been used to help many industries including education, aerospace and medicine – 3D printers have helped create organs. While HP is known for its office and home inkjet and laser printers, it is one of the household names in the printing world which has delved into the 3D market.

From thinking about how they can help the environment, how they can help customers and how they can help other industries – printing manufacturers are making huge waves and innovating to make a real difference.

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