HP makes 90% of unhealthy laser printers tested by researchers
The company says it's reviewing the results; response promised tomorrow
Computerworld - Nearly all the laser printers fingered by researchers for spewing particulate matter into offices and homes are sold by Hewlett-Packard Co., a study published today said.
The study (download PDF), which appeared in the American Chemical Society's Environmental Science & Technology (ES&T) journal today, measured emissions of 58 laser printers, including models from Canon Inc., HP, Ricoh Co. and Toshiba Corp. Particle emissions, believed to be related to the ultrafine powdered toner, were measured and the printers ranked in several categories.
Of the 13 printers described by researchers as "high emitters," 12 were made by HP, including the Color LaserJet 4650dn; Color LaserJet 5550dtn; Color LaserJet 8550n; LaserJet 1320n; LaserJet 2420n; LaserJet 4200dtn; LaserJet 4250n; LaserJet 5; LaserJet 8000dn; and the LaserJet 8150n.
HP printers also made up the majority of those tested. Of the 58 printers researched, 48 -- or 83% of the total -- were from HP.
Of the 37 in the "non-emitter" category, 29 were made by HP, as were five of the six "low-emitter" printers and both "middle-level emitter" models. In total, HP's printers accounted for 19 of the 21 devices that emitted measurable rates of particulates, or about 90%.
When reached for comment, an HP spokeswoman said that the company's engineers and research and development staff are reviewing the research paper and that they would not have a detailed response until tomorrow. "HP is currently reviewing the Queensland University of Technology research on particle-emission characteristics of office printers," she said. She also said that as part of its existing testing, HP regularly assesses laser printers, HP-branded toner cartridges and paper for "dust release and possible material emissions" to comply with necessary health and safety regulations.
The three co-authors of the paper -- who are either from Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, or at the Queensland Department of Public Works -- also ran additional tests on selected printers and found that emissions may also be tied to the age of the toner cartridge.
New cartridges in the HP 1320n, for example -- one of the "high emitters" -- averaged higher emission rates than did partially used cartridges in the same printer. Even though the researchers said statistical analysis of the data showed that the differences were not significant, they called for further study.
"While a more comprehensive study is still required to provide a better database of printer emission rates," they wrote in the paper, "the results imply that submicrometer particle concentration levels in an office can be reduced by a proper choice of the printers."
Read more about Hardware in Computerworld's Hardware Topic Center.



- Excel 2010 Cheat Sheet
- Register for this Computerworld Insider Cheat Sheet and gain access to hundreds of premium content articles, guides, product reviews and more.
- The Laptop Dilemma: How to Maximize Productivity and Lower the Burden on IT
- Download Now
- Overcome Top 7 Admin Challenges of Active Directory
- As Active Directory's role in the enterprise has drastically increased, so has the need to secure the data. Gain insight on creating repeatable,...
- Insiders Can Ruin Your Company. Take Action.
- Did you know that 80 percent of threats to an organization come from the inside? The threat from insiders is often overlooked in...
- Top Solutions and Tools to Prevent Devastating Malware
- Custom malware frequently goes undetected. According to Forrester Research, the best way to reduce risk of breach is to deploy file integrity monitoring...
- Streamline Compliance and Increase ROI
- Streamline, simplify, and automate compliance related activities; especially those that impact multiple business units. This white paper from NetIQ, outlines solutions that will... All Hardware White Papers
- Optimizing Networks for the Cloud
- Join guest speaker, Rohit Mehra, IDC Director of Enterprise Communications Infrastructure, to explore current trends, discuss best practices for optimizing Data Center and...
- Apps QuickStart Series Part 2: Designing and Deploying SQL Server on VMware vSphere
- Download this webcast to learn about the design considerations for virtualizing SQL workloads, performance and scalability information and high-availability options, as well as...
- Apps QuickStart Series Part 1: Designing and Deploying Exchange 2010 on VMware vSphere
- Download this webcast to learn the virtual hardware design considerations for Exchange 2010, deployment using the building block approach, options for high-availability and...
- Customer Spotlight: How IPC The Hospitalist Company Implemented Oracle on VMware
- Have you been looking to hear about customer's experiences with the new VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager product? View this webcast to learn...
- Virtualize Business-Critical Applications with Confidence
- Virtualizing business-critical applications has become a key focus for organizations as they move along their virtualization journey. With the launch of VMware vSphere®... All Hardware Webcasts