HP has introduced a family of monochrome laser printers for home offices and “micro-businesses” that are designed to require fresh toner less often, and save users money on toner when they do need more.
Called HP Neverstop Laser and available for purchase now, the new product line will let companies that print large numbers of black-and-white documents enjoy the convenience and savings long provided by high-capacity inkjet printers such as those in HP’s Smart Tank Plus series, according to Jeff Walter, director of product marketing in HP’s Print Hardware Systems group.
“When it comes to laser printers, there haven’t been a lot of innovations that help customers meet the needs in managing their supplies and help them to save money,” he says.
All three initial Neverstop models ship with enough toner for 5,000 pages. According to HP, that’s seven times more than comparable products from competing vendors.
When new toner is required, businesses can order refill kits with a 2,500-page capacity for $16. Unlike traditional laser printer replacement cartridges, which contain both a print drum and toner, Neverstop refill kits contain toner only. Users snap the device into a special receptacle and then lower a plunger to transfer toner from the kit to the printer. The entire process takes seconds, HP says, and has been engineered to prevent toner from leaking during or after the loading process.
“This is mess free,” Walter says. The drum normally found in a laser replacement cartridge, he adds, is built into the Neverstop printer instead, and has a 20,000-page service life.
Together, HP asserts, the Neverstop portfolio’s high out-of-the-box capacity and inexpensive refills allow users to print for less than one cent per page. According to Walter, that kind of efficiency is important to organizations with tight technology budgets.
“Every dollar counts when you’re a small business, and so they’re looking for printing solutions that really help them maximize every penny that they’re spending on their printing,” he says.
Neverstop printers will hold strong appeal among businesses that value environmental sustainability as well, according to HP. The devices themselves, which are all Energy Star 3.0 certified, are made from 25% recycled plastic by weight, while the replacement kits are made from 75% recycled plastic by weight. Sustainability is a top design priority at HP, and was a prominent theme in the vendor’s product announcements at this year’s CES conference.
Neverstop printers are compatible with HP’s Smart App software for computers running Windows 10 or macOS as well as mobile devices running iOS or Android. The free system enables users to install new devices in less than 10 minutes, according to Walter, and provides alerts on toner status.
“You’ll get notified when you’re low on toner, and if you choose you can actually order a toner reload kit directly from the Smart App,” he says. “The business owner might be the person that actually needs to go out personally and purchase these supplies, and so it needs to be easy for them.”
Smart App users can also create and execute “Smart Tasks,” automated workflows for repetitive processes like scanning and submitting expense report receipts, or print directly to any Neverstop unit from any location with internet access. Support for mobile printing is increasingly a necessity for small businesses, according to Walter.
“They need to be able to access their print solutions no matter where they are in the world, no matter where they are, whether it’s out talking to customers or at home,” he says.
All Neverstop printers allow users to send faxes through the Smart App as well. Businesses in the insurance, medical, and legal industries, among others, still send faxes in large volumes, according to Walter, who adds that many SMBs these days can’t use fax machines to accommodate that traffic.
“We’re seeing a trend where many homes in particular no longer have landlines,” he says. “If you buy a traditional fax product, there’s actually nothing to connect that [device] into.”
There are currently two sets of Neverstop products. The initial offering in the 1000 series of single-function units comes with an LED display, onboard wireless networking, and a $279 MSRP. The two multifunction units in the 1200 series offer an LCD display as well as support for flatbed scanning, and are priced at $349 with Wi-Fi and $329 without it.
All three printers produce up to 21 mono pages per minute. “It’s the same speed as our other HP laser printers,” Walter says.
HP expects existing SMB-focused products like the HP Laser 107 and HP Laser MFP 136a to remain popular with some buyers. “Some customers would prefer to just pay less upfront and buy toner cartridges as they need them,” he says. Neverstop devices, by contrast, target users who are willing to pay more at purchase in order to save money on consumables over time.
Neverstop printers have been available in emerging markets globally since last year. The models showcased today are the first available to buyers in the U.S., Canada, and several European countries.
HP unveiled the Neverstop family on what was originally scheduled to be the opening day of its annual Reinvent conference. That event has been postponed until the fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
