Click here to view the related Webcast. This report examines HP's Edgeline technology. Edgeline is an extension of the thermal ink jet scalable printing technology (SPT) that HP announced in July 2005. Basically, Edgeline puts print heads built with SPT technology into a page-wide array, meaning that the print heads remain stationary during the printing process while paper is passed beneath them. HP stated that it would launch a departmental color copier based on Edgeline technology in the spring of 2007. Assuming that the machine has the same color print speed (70 ppm) as the device that was demonstrated at the October 3 press conference, the new model will be competitive with the fastest of the convenience color copiers that are currently on the market.
This departmental color copier will enable HP to enter the "sweet spot" of the convenience color copier market. Shipments of convenience color copiers in North America are growing at around 15 percent per year, and revenue is growing even faster at approximately 30 percent per year. Lyra forecasts that HP will claim a 2 percent share of the worldwide market for convenience color copiers in 2007, based on sales of approximately 7,000 units. Lyra's projection is based on the assumption that the HP product will start to sell slowly, with early adopters purchasing the device first and the bulk of the market waiting to assess the results of other firms' early deployments of the new technology. In 2008, the first full year of shipments, HP's share will rise significantly.
Will Edgeline Finally Give HP the Edge in the Copier Wars? examines HP's previous assaults on the copier market, the breakthrough LaserJet 4345mfp, new MFP models that HP announced during the October briefing, and Edgeline technology and its prospects. Order your copy today! | 
