Scanning and printing high quality documents was once the realm of the power computer user. With significant advances in technology, scanning and printing products are increasingly entering the home and finding their way onto the desks of users who were previously intimidated by these devices. That's according to Ashley Botha, product manager for Hewlett-Packard printers, scanners and multifunction devices at SDD, a leading distributor of HP products in southern Africa.
"As the technology behind input and output devices has evolved, the human interaction aspects of using these machines has been dramatically simplified, to the extent that it is as simple as pressing a single button to process a function that previously required intense user involvement," states Botha.
For example, he says, an HP scanner can scan directly to an e-mail address, scan to the printer or even scan to fax - all by pressing a single dedicated button on the device. "Hardware advances have been complemented with software advances, and it is through the software that the user interacts with the machine," says Botha.
Software advances, he notes, have focused around making technology ever easier for users to understand. "From the users' first experience with the device - installing it - the software has been designed to make using scanning and printing products intuitive and simple. Essentially, software is designed to 'hide' highly sophisticated technology. Generally the user has no desire to understand the complexity of a scanning or printing device; the aim is to produce excellent images with the minimum hassle," he states.
Multifunction devices, which combine the functionality of a printer, a scanner, a copier and a fax machine in a single device, also fall into this trend, says Botha. "Multifunctional devices are in high demand particularly in the SOHO and SME environments because they save money and reduce spatial requirements in small offices," he says, explaining that the user interface with these machines is simple and easily understood.
Advanced functionality is built into modern devices and designed to make using them simpler and more efficient, includes the maintenance. "Print heads require cleaning from time to time, a task that was previously limited to an experienced user. HP's new machines include software that allows the machine to clean the heads itself, making even this relatively complicated procedure a doddle for the novice," states Sam Galliet, joint product manager for Hewlett-Packard printers, scanners and multifunction devices at SDD.
"Home and office users are benefiting from the power of HP's technology exponentially as it demystifies the use of devices that were once intimidating to the technically challenged. HP's innovations leave the technology in the box - and high quality documents at the fingertips of the user," she concludes.
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