HP has announced a series of relationships with marketers anxious to reach consumers with material they can print at home. In addition, HP has launched the HP APP Studio, a Web site where consumers can access print applications that connect a printer to the Web, without the need for a computer, so they can print movie tickets, coupons and other content.
The new partnerships include one with AOL to embed the Tabbloid publishing service across the AOL network – including its RSS feeds – allowing people to create and print customized newsletters by selecting any combination of RSS feeds from favorite blogs and Web sites.
Approximately 50% of everything that consumers print at home comes from the Web, according to HP. This is one of the ideas behind the company’s Print 2.0 strategy, which was announced in 2007, and is built around harnessing the power of digital print, from both a consumer and commercial printing perspective. Today’s announcement is the latest in a series of new product and solutions designed to meet that goal.
Additional print apps are expected in the coming months from Disney, CNET.com, 60 Minutes and Flickr, which will allow members to access and print photos directly from the printer.
These new apps join several others announced in June that are preloaded onto the printer from companies such as USA Today, Google, Coupons.com, Fandango, DreamWorks Animation and Nickelodeon.
Currently all print apps are free for owners of TouchSmart Web-enabled printers. Only content made available via the print apps or that has been reformatted with HP’s Smart Web Printing solution can be published from a print app.
In June, HP announced the HP Photosmart Premium with TouchSmart Web printer, which is the only printer from which print apps can be used. Others are expected to be released in the coming months.
