HP Revolutionizes Printing with AI-Powered Features

Top 4 AI tech I saw at HP Imagine that aren't laptops

The HP Imagine 2024 event came and went, showcasing plenty of AI gadgets, tech, and software. While the stars of the main presentation were undoubtedly the two new AI PCs revealed - the OmniBook Ultra Flip and the EliteBook X - there were still some notable standouts that also made their debut during the mainstage presentation or were showcased later. There are the new Envy 6500 and 6100 printers, HyperX's latest gaming peripherals, the Alloy Rise 75 keyboard, and Cloud MIX 2, as well as another very interesting piece of tech called SitePrint. All these pieces of tech use AI in different ways, with some already released to great success and others very promising. HP debuted two new printers, with special mention to the Envy 6100 model, which was specifically name-dropped during the main presentation. While HP printers aren't particularly noteworthy (or more like they are, but in a negative way), this one has a unique feature that could change how we see and interact with printers. Printers are arguably one of the hardest and most frustrating pieces of tech the average person interacts with daily. Technological advancements have only seemed to make things worse, as it is more difficult to troubleshoot and properly print out the documents you need - not to mention the subscription services for ink, which muddle things even more. However, HP promises that with the power of AI, its next printers will fix many of these issues. HP Print AI, specifically its first feature, 'Perfect Output,' will improve printing from typically unreliable sources like web browsers and spreadsheets. The former is due to detecting "unwanted content" such as ads and web text and printing only what you need, saving time, ink, and paper. The latter, as the feature, will offer a printable selection that doesn't split tables or charts across pages. So far, it sounds incredibly promising. If HP Print AI works as intended, we should hopefully see more features that use AI to troubleshoot issues and even diagnose hardware failures while walking users through the process of fixing them. HP isn't new to offering unique ways to customize your gaming gear and space. It started with its HyperX personalization line, which was revealed several years ago. Since then, we've seen some pretty cool peripherals and accessories that defy the normal 'gamer aesthetic,' including one of my favorites: the HyperX keycap collection. HP showed off another unique entry in its customization line, the HyperX Alloy Rise 75 gaming keyboard. What sets this apart from some of the other best keyboards is that it's by far the easiest one to modify, at least the top plate. Any top plate is held down with screws to keep it attached and stable. But the Alloy Rise 75 uses magnets to hold it in place instead, meaning you can swap them out by just lifting the plate up at the edges. There's also a cool side plate you can swap out with distinctive designs, further customizing it to your liking. Judging by how the one on the show floor looks compared to the base model, the HyperX line also has its own keycaps to outfit the keyboard with. My only real gripe is that I had some trouble lifting up the keyboard without dislodging the top plate, which can be inconvenient if transporting it around. Otherwise, it's a very smart idea and makes keyboard modifications much easier for those not tech-savvy but still want to customize their accessories. AI noise reduction headsets aren't new, whether they're geared toward gamers or the average non-gamer. Like other recent models, HP has enhanced AI-powered noise reduction built into its latest HyperX Cloud MIX 2, and while my time with the headset was short, I was instantly blown away at how well the noise reduction worked. I placed the headphones on, and the effect was instantaneous - almost zero noise bled through the headset as if I was suddenly in a very quiet room with only faint whispers of conversations. No matter whether you are gaming or using these for more casual and professional tasks, the feature is perfect for isolating you from distracting noises. This goes both ways, according to HP, as the noise reduction ensures your voice is clear and free from background noise as well. There's also the matter of comfort, and thankfully, the headset is extremely comfortable. The earcups are made from memory foam, and you can feel that plush texture when you fit them over your ears. The cup shape is also deep enough to fit snuggly over your ears without shifting around or falling off. Though the SitePrint is an industry-type piece of tech, both its design and execution of its concept are so interesting that I couldn't help but add it on as a bonus entry. Essentially, it's a miniature robot that prints blueprints, lines, and text onto flat surfaces. It works by using a scanner set up on the side that scans the entire area you're working on. Then, you control what patterns and where the bot prints in that area using a special app displaying the map of the area. The work SitePrint does is simple in concept, but it's usually arduous and error-prone manual labor. Having an automated machine do it instead makes the job far easier and the results more accurate. Currently, SitePrint is used in industries like architecture, construction, interior design, and more. And new AI software makes the SitePrint robot much smarter, able to better navigate its environment and avoid obstacles. Watching it in action was a joy, as it's useful as well as adorable -- a great combination.

HP tries resuscitating plummeting printer sales with AI-enhanced printing features -- Perfect Output helps trim web pages and combines data

On September 24, during HP Imagine 2024, HP revealed in a blog post that it would be introducing HP Print AI and AI-enhanced features like Perfect Output that will enhance the printing features of its machines. The cloud-based HP Scan AI Enhanced feature intended for commercial users also has "expanded availability," a new Build Workspace feature is aimed at design and construction professionals to make tasks like field reports and other collaborative work easier, if not automated. The highlight of the announcement is definitely "Perfect Output." As HP says, more than half of print jobs come from web browsers, but these prints are often undesirable due to the inclusion of advertisements, oddly scaled images, or excessive white space. Perfect Output "bridges the gaps between what people see on the screen and what they intend to print," reformatting pages in real-time for each print job to focus on just the needed information. The kinds of improvements one can expect from Perfect Output aren't just limited to trimming content from pages. You can also combine spreadsheets spread across multiple pages into a single, clean page and graphic. When you can expect to start using these features, HP Print AI is already available as an exclusive beta of Perfect Output to "select print customers," the launch will continue throughout 2025. HP Build Workspace and HP Scan AI Enhanced are also available. Build Workspace has additional AI capabilities in beta in the US and Europe and is expected to roll out worldwide in Spring 2025. Meanwhile, HP Scan AI is only available in North America, "most of Europe and Latin America, and parts of Asia." Overall, this does seem like a helpful way to leverage AI technology for printers. However, many features seem more about utilizing AI power in the cloud than AI power on-device. This makes sense, though, especially since we're talking about printers that don't have much processing power -- unless we're headed to a future where even standard printers have CPUs and NPUs, which seems quite expensive and unlikely.

HP Printers Are Getting AI, Because Everything Needs AI Now

I Ran the Same Prompt on Three AI Chatbots, and This One Responded Best Artificial intelligence is everywhere right now. And it's impacting people's lives in both good and bad ways. Whether by helping them be more productive, stealing their jobs, or upsetting the creative arts. And now, lo and behold, AI is coming to your printer too. Personally, I would have preferred a printer that actually works when I need it to, but AI is clearly more important. HP Launches Print AI, Bringing AI to Printers HP has announced HP Print AI, which the company calls "the industry's first intelligent print experiences [sic] designed to change how the world prints." HP Print AI is a set of features designed to "make printing frictionless by eliminating common challenges from printer setup to support." The first HP Print AI feature is called Perfect Output, which is designed to ensure prints look perfect every time. It does this by "reformatting and reorganizing content to fit perfectly on the page the first time," and making spreadsheets more printable. In a press release, Tuan Tran, HP President of Imaging, Printing, and Solutions, states: "We are transforming the printing experience with HP Print AI, making it easier and more intuitive. Introducing AI solutions across our portfolio will simplify printing, ignite creativity, and accelerate collaboration - all while ensuring customer data is protected and kept private. This is our first step in setting a new standard for printing." So far, so good, if you buy into marketing speak. But is HP Print AI utilizing artificial intelligence in any real way? Legitimately Helpful or a Marketing Gimmick? While appreciated, Perfect Output doesn't appear to use AI in any way. Web browsers have been capable of stripping out any unnecessary elements for printing purposes for some time now, and all without the stated use of AI or machine learning. To be fair to HP, some of the features the company is promising for the future do have AI elements. Tailored support when setting up your new printer, with HP Print AI remembering users' preferences and tailoring its responses accordingly, certainly fits the bill. And then there's the promise of "simple conversational prompts" coming down the pike. Which could be legitimately useful if done well. I Would Prefer a Printer That Works Every Time Truth be told, I'd much rather printer manufacturers prioritized other, more important things over AI. Building printers that work on command without connectivity and compatibility issues. Printer ink that doesn't cost an arm and a leg once they have secured you as a customer with cheap hardware. Etc. But none of that is the buzzword of the day in the tech world, so it can all take a backseat to AI. Apparently.

HP printers apparently have AI now, because of course they do

HP's newest printer drivers have some legitimately cool features, wrapped up in nonsensical branding. The technology industry over the last few years has felt a lot like an episode of the original Power Rangers: It's AI, AI, AI. Artificial intelligence already had a nebulous and inconsistent definition here in the real world (almost everything we're calling "AI" now is machine learning, not AI in the science fiction sense), but it's getting truly ridiculous. The latest perpetrator of questionable AI branding? HP. The company is introducing "Print AI," what it calls the "industry's first intelligent print experience for home, office, and large format printing." What does that mean? It's essentially a new beta software driver package for some HP printers. According to the press release, it can deliver "Perfect Output" -- capital P capital O -- a branded tool that reformats the contents of a page in order to more ideally fit it onto physical paper. Despite my skeptical tone, this is actually a pretty cool idea. "Perfect Output can detect unwanted content like ads and web text, printing only the desired text and images, saving time, paper, and ink." That's neat! If the web page you're printing doesn't offer a built-in print format, the software will make one for you. It'll also serve to better organize printed spreadsheets and images, too. But I don't see anything in this software that's actually AI -- or even machine learning, for that matter. This is applying the same tech (functionally, if not necessarily the same code) as the "reader mode" formatting we've seen in browsers for about a decade now. Take the text and images of a page, strip out everything else that's unnecessary, and present it as efficiently as possible. It's not rocket science, and it isn't AI either, even by our modern and extremely loose definition. Corporate customers can get some of the same functionality when scanning documents with "HP Scan Enhanced," which, again, sounds like some actually interesting functionality that doesn't need AI to work. The press release does mention that support and formatting tasks can be accomplished with "simple conversational prompts," which at least might be leveraging some of the large language models that have become synonymous with AI as consumers understand it. But based on the description, it's more about selling you something than helping you. "Customers can choose to print or explore a curated list of partners that offer unique photo printing capabilities, gift certificates to be printed on the card, and so much more." Whoopee. The Perfect Output tool should be available in beta versions of the drivers for all current HP printers, though I can't find it on HP's support site right now. Alternatively, you can just use plug and play on Windows and deal with your printer in its basic, not-quite-as-infuriating state, just as the good Lord intended.

In rare move from printing industry, HP actually has a decent idea

The printer industry is in a rut. With the digitization of, well, nearly everything, people just don't print like they used to. More modern ways of storing and sharing information, changes in communication preferences at home and in offices, and environmental concerns have stonewalled the printing industry and challenged stakeholders like HP. I'd argue that it's not just technological, economic, and societal changes that have diminished printer businesses. For the average person, printers and their capabilities have become boring. When's the last time you've heard of a new killer printer feature? HP has received a lot of guff for alleged anti-consumer practices in its printer business, turning many people off the devices. But HP's latest print announcement is a rare example of a printer firm proposing new, potentially helpful features instead of questionable business tactics to drive business. Printers need a rebrand Frequent readers of Ars Technica, (including myself), may be surprised to see me praising a printer company, especially HP. In recent years, HP has been a big driver of broken trust between printer brands and customers. Its most egregious offense has been using firmware updates to make it so previously purchased printers no longer work with non-HP ink. HP has dealt with numerous lawsuits over this and has paid out millions in fines and customer compensation. Activists have called for HP printers to be removed from the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool registry because of HP's Dynamic Security updates. But HP continues to stand by Dynamic Security, with CEO Enrique Lores even going so far as to unrealistically claim that third-party ink poses a cybersecurity threat. Updates that brick features of devices that people rely on for valued, or even work-critical, tasks can wreck someone's day. It can also make people distrustful of updates, creating more pressing security concerns than that of non-proprietary ink cartridges. Further, HP and other printer companies (like Canon) have also been rightfully criticized for making combo printer-scanner devices require ink to perform scans, something that should be an inkless task. It has gotten to the point where, in 2024, my best recommendation for people seeking a printer is a boring, black-and-white Brother laser printer from 2017 or to go to their local library. Feature being tested could actually improve printing So color me impressed to hear HP announcing a feature for printer users with potential for easily and immediately improving customers' printing experience. The feature is currently only available to select customers as a beta software driver. But Perfect Output, as HP's calling it, could be a useful tool for simplifying and speeding up certain types of print jobs, especially for tech novices. Perfect Output is the first in a category of printer features that HP will call HP Print AI. Yes, it's part of the AI marketing hype currently overwhelming tech users (don't shoot the messenger!). According to HP's Tuesday announcement, Perfect Output is supposed to make it easier to print things off of web browsers (like articles, travel documents, and tutorials) and spreadsheets in a cleaner, more natural-looking way. One could use Perfect Output to quickly fix image sizes and remove ads and white space when printing something off a website, HP says as an example. And it should be easier to print spreadsheets that don't cut across multiple pages, like in the image below, according to HP.