A new report has claimed that small businesses in the UK are open to more environmentally friendly printing solutions.

Research released by Hewlett Packard showed that 54 per cent of small firms would consider buying more environmental printing products, such as paper, ink and toner, in the next two years.

The findings were compiled after questioning 1,200 decision makers in small businesses across Europe and 52 per cent of the firms currently had no environment sustainability policy in place.

HP has launched a free online guide to greener printing and Andrew Forsyth, director of supplies, imaging and printing for HP said that "small companies are really looking for straightforward practical advice."

"So we launched this guide to help those companies already thinking about the environment and encourage those who have not considered this element of their business to do so. The focus is on increasing printing efficiency, reducing waste and using less energy," added Mr Forsyth.

In its green printing guide HP has seven recommendations to make printing more environmentally friendly. These include printing on both sides of the paper, making use of the printer’s low power mode and using HP’s smart web printing software which allows you to print only the pages you needs when printing from the web.


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Samsung has announced what it claims to be the world’s smallest colour laser printer.

The company claims that the CLP-315K is 20 per cent smaller than its previous model and has "drastically" improved print quality, together with the ability to support colour copying, scanning, faxing and networking together with printing.

Lee Jang-Jae, executive director of Samsung Electronics, told Korea IT news that the company will continue to create more innovative products "offering better quality in performance, stability and convenience".

"After the launch of the worlds smallest colour laser printer last year, the market for colour laser printers has doubled in a year," He added.

The CLP-315K has a printing speed of 16-pages-per-minute for black and white documents and four pages-per-minute for colour copies and printing.

As yet, there is no information on the pricing of the printers or their availability in Korea or any other market

Samsung has also released the CLX-3175FNK from the same range of printers, which the company claims scans documents to a USB memory or prints documents stored on a USB stick, camera phone or digital camera without computer support.


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A very different use for the humble office chair has been found in Germany.

The first German Championship in Office Chair Racing has taken place in Bad Koenig-Zell, which saw 70 participants putting their office chair through its paces in a downhill race, according to ITN.

Ronny Moritz, who took part in the race, told the news corporation: "It is actually quite scary, it is quite steep up there on the ramp. And the ramp on the road, you have to have respect for that.

"But it is a great event, definitely, and it is such a one-off, it’s great."

The only rule for the race was a crash helmet, and it proved a good move as dozens fell off their chairs and many ‘vehicles’ didn’t make it to the end of the street intact.

Organiser Rene Karg said that the idea came from Switzerland and preparations are underway for another race next year.

In related news, the Guardian has reported that Sir Ian McKellen is to play a bored office worker who carries his office chair with him everywhere he goes in the new music video for British band the Guillemots.


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Kyocera has announced it has earned it eighth consecutive recycling award from the City of San Diego’s environmental services department.

The office products company won the Directors Recycling Award, the city’s highest environmental award, for its subsidiary Kyocera Wireless Corporation (KWC) which is a manufacturer of wireless handsets and devices.

In 2007 KWC claims it recycled more than 430,000 pounds of paper, plastic, electronic and other waste. The company also used reclaimed water, which saved more than one million gallons of fresh water.

Overall the company recycled approximately 75 per cent of its waste in 2007.

Rod Lanthorne, president of KWC, said: "Seeking harmonious balance between economic development and environmental preservation has been a core tenet at Kyocera since its inception in 1959."

He thanked all employees for their dedication to the company-wide effort to recycle and reduce consumption.

A recent survey by Kyocera Europe found that 89 per cent of British employees thought their company could recycle more.

Print less campaigns were found to have been implemented in 55 per cent of companies in the UK.


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The smallest-ever printer released by Hewlet Packard has been described as a "well-made" personal laser printer at a "very attractive" price.

HP claims the Laserjet P1006 is more efficient with fast print speeds and a stylish compact design.

In a review for vnunet.com, Simon Williams said it was a simple printer to set up and use and features USB and wireless capabilities for printing without connection to a PC.

"The control panel comprises two indicators and a single, job-cancel button – a single USB socket at the rear is the only connection to the outside world," said Mr Williams.

He explained the set-up guide for the device, which is provided on a CD. By placing it in a PC you get animated set-up instructions which "do a good job of making the whole process straightforward".

The office machines print at a speed of 12.5 pages per minute, costing an average of 3p per printed page.

In Japan, HP is one of six printer manufacturers which have joined up with Japan Post enabling consumers to drop-off used printer cartridges for recycling at thousands of post offices across the country, reported PC World.


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Kyocera has launched a new range of office printers which are designed to meet the requirements of small businesses.

The FS-1300D is a dependable and robust printer, according to the office products manufacturer, which handles all print jobs effectively and economically.

Kyocera claim the FS-1300D can print at 28 pages per minute with a maximum paper capacity of 800 sheets. The printer has been available in the UK and will now be released worldwide.

In a review by Smart House, the lifestyle technology guide, Branko Miletic said that the FS-1300D’s 32 MB of memory "ensures that large document output needs are also met and processed with high-quality printing efficiency".

New features on the device include an LED panel to highlight the printer’s status and a new status monitor, which relays information for the printer directly to a user’s desktop.

"This compact, high performance desktop printer delivers 28 pages-per-minute and a six-second first print out time, which is critical in business environments where printing tasks are often comprised during short simple document jobs," added Mr Miletic.

In May, Kyocera will hold its annual green card conference which will include speakers from the government, charities and environmental sectors to outline eco-initiatives in the office products industry.


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Europe is getting its first official PlayStation Portable video download device.

Sony and Sky have joined together to launch Go!View, a portable video-on-demand service, in the summer.

Owen Jenkinson, Go!View marketing manager, said: "Go!View allows PSP users to take advantage of a unique service, adding another dimension to PSP offerings.

Users will be able to download a range of programming onto their PSP via their PC on a subscription or pay-per-view basis.

"The opportunity to watch top TV and movies on-the-go and on-demand will allow PSP owners to enjoy their favourite entertainment on their own terms, enhancing the PSP’s offering as a portable gaming console," added Mr Jenkinson.

Content will be formatted specifically for the PSP to minimise file size while maximising quality.

Sony recently announced the existence of unauthorised hackers accessing personal information on the online Playstation store.

It has issued a warning to users that passwords may have been changed but insisted that a Playstation network account does not display credit card numbers.


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Hewlett Packard has said that it is presenting a range of printing solution for the pharmaceutical and packaging industries.

New printers are being exhibited in Europe for the first time at the Interpack 2008 show in Dusseldorf.

HP claims its Specialist Printing Systems (SPS) has solutions for product coding and its latest advances in tracking means that companies can gain better visibility on their products to reduce counterfeiting and diversion.

Kathy Trobin, vice president of HP’s SPS division, said: "With more than 20 years of digital printing to HP’s credit, our inkjet expertise enables us to break new ground in tablet and capsule imprinting.

"With this solution, HP sets a new standard by reducing costs, meeting expanding market needs and enabling solutions that exceed heightened security requirements."

Meanwhile, US business Sara Lee has renewed its agreement with HP to outsource services contract for another seven years and HP now has management of its operations on over 35 countries.

The company has announced it will enable Sara Lee to improve operational efficiencies in innovations and cost savings.

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Kodak has launched a new range of printers which provide "high quality" printing at a "significant value".

The company’s new ESP 5 All-in-one Printer incorporates Kodak’s premium low-cost ink, which it claims allows consumers to print more photos and documents for their money.

Randy Brody, Kodak’s worldwide marketing director, said: "Kodak is delivering on its promise to end ink profiteering and to bring people affordable, premium ink with the introduction of the new Kodak ESP 5 All-in-One printer".

He added that the firm was focusing on delivering products that save "up to 50 per cent on everything they print compared to similar consumer inkjet printers."

Kodak say the ESP 5 All-in-one features a colour LCD display, with memory card and USB slots to allow consumers to view, edit and print without the need for a computer.

The office products manufacturer recently announced its new Versamark VX5000 Plus printing system which it claimed had increased top printing speeds by 50 per cent.

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Mobile users in the future could see better and faster file transfers courtesy of a turbo-charged Bluetooth specification.

According to ABI Research, the new technology that combines Wi-Fi and traditional Bluetooth will benefit users who transfer large multimedia files between wireless devices and mobile handsets.

Senior analyst Douglas McEuen said: "Bluetooth penetration in cellular handsets is at an all-time high but it has a short range and fairly low data transfer capabilities."

He added that growing desires from users to share pictures, audio and video makes more demands on existing Bluetooth than it was ever designed to handle.

ABI does not expect upgraded Bluetooth to be seen on devices until late in 2008. A software patch that allows both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios to work together is the first examples of the future high-speed service.

In the US, a former White House security adviser has warned of the danger of Bluetooth devices being vulnerable to security attacks.

Howard Schmidt told ZDNet.co.uk that 15 of the 27 different protocols are vulnerable to attacks.


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