HP (formerly Hewlett Packard) is a world leader in the manufacture of personal computers, inkjet and laser printers, scanners, digital cameras, calculators, personal digital assistants, servers, and multifunctional office devices. The company also produces consumables, such as toner and ink for their range of products.
The company reported strong sales of personal computers and printers, driven in part by the increase in the number of people working from home. Their expenditure on R&D in 2020 was in the region of 1,48 billion U.S. dollars. The company entered the market for personal computers with the acquisition of Compaq but is still best known for its range of printers. Their devices range from a basic desktop colour inkjet printer, which costs around R900.00 to the HP Indigo Press, which is a digital print-on-demand replacement for conventional offset litho printing presses and is the size of a small bus.
Pricing for these high-end production printers is on request only.
HP Printer Experts in South Africa versus Authorised Resellers
With the vast product range on offer, it is best to engage with companies recognised as experts in South Africa. HP printer experts in South Africa are companies that have a proven track record in the sale and support of HP printers. HP has a solution for virtually every conceivable application and has just under 1000 authorised resellers in South Africa. This includes large reputable printer specialist companies all the way through to small stationery and business requisites retailers.
Are all of these vendors truly experts? There is a strong argument that a vendor that is multi-branded and not biased to one particular manufacturer is going to provide the best advice on which printer your organization should purchase. In addition, companies with a non-franchised, national footprint in South Africa are usually in a position to deliver the most consistent and highest quality sales and after-sales service – especially to customers that also have national coverage.
Look for a company that meets these criteria and you can buy a solution confident that you will receive a product that does what was promised. More importantly, you will have the backing of a company that will keep your device producing quality prints throughout its expected service life.
Printer Experts in South Africa – are There Niches?
Due to the large variety of print applications that printers address, there are specialist applications that fall outside the general home or commercial office environment. For instance, HP has a product offering that addresses the large format and outdoor print markets. These products are aimed predominantly at specific target industries.
It is unlikely that an outdoor banner printer will be employed in a general commercial office. These devices are intended for signage or perhaps outdoor advertising companies. If the requirement is for this kind of niche solution, look not only for HP experts in South Africa but companies that have knowledge and expertise specific to the outdoor banner printing industry.
The HP Indigo Press is another example of a product offering that falls outside the requirements of most general commercial offices. HP Indigo digital print-on-demand solutions are suited to particular environments, typically print for pay or print production environments.
Once again, selling and supporting these solutions is a niche proposition that requires expertise specific to the target industry. Look for a supplier that has a track record in supplying solutions to the particular industry in which you operate.
Track Record is Everything
The best way to assess the track record of a potential expert you are considering engaging with is to look at the customers that they already supply. If the company has a list of well-known companies that already buy from them, chances are you will be in good hands. It is virtually impossible to keep every customer happy all the time but reputable companies respond quickly to complaints and will take all reasonable steps to give their customers good service.
HP products are available from a number of reputable distributors. A company like Raydian will offer sales and support as well as expert advice on the HP product range. They are also in a position to offer rental machines and maintenance contracts on HP products and make it easy for you to acquire the print solution that is best for your needs, budget, and environment. Speak us at Raydian – HP printer experts in South Africa.