HP introduces their newest line of USB LaserJet printers. No more hunting for the CD to install the printer drivers.

Why?

No matter how much remote access we have to information when we are traveling with our notebooks and laptops, printing is always problematic because of the need for the correct driver for that specific model of printer for the operating system you are using.

To help alleviate that oh so common problem, HP is shipping the printers with internal flash memory that contain drivers for the most common operating systems stored in the flash memory.

That means that in most cases all you have to do is plug in the printer and the drivers show up. HP calls this a smart install and it allows users to be up and running in as little as 2 minutes.

According to Ron Coughlin, senior vice president, LaserJet and Enterprise Solutions, Imaging and Printing Group, HP, “Our customers demand easy printing and we’re giving it to them — no clumsy CD-ROMs to install, no drivers to download. HP Smart Install offers the future of printing, today.”

Considering that the ability to software on the printer was one of the major selling points when HP introduced their first USB printers … it’s about time they actually did it.

The first five LaserJet printers to support this technology are the:

• HP LaserJet Pro P1100 series which are extremely energy efficient printers
• HP Multifunction LaserJet M1130, M1210 Printer series
• HP LaserJet Pro P1566/P1606dn Printers

These printers also have the new HP Auto-On/Off Technology that automatically adjust the power settings and turn the device off when there is no activity and wakes it back up when a print job is sent to the printer.

Conclusion

While including the software in the hardware is a major improvement over needing to use CDs to install drivers, as quick as the operating systems evolve, you will probably always need software that can scan your hardware and find the correct new drivers for downloading.