The Hewlett-Packard 4100 MFP ' Much More Than a Printer

Of course, most of us in the legal profession already know about HP's quality when it comes to LaserJet technology. My 4100 MFP is no different in that respect. With copying and printing speed as fast as 25 pages-per-minute, my printing flies by. They make all of this possible by means of a 250 MHz processor, 64 MB of RAM and a 5 GB hard disk, including up to 1200 DPI laser output and 600 PPI color scanning! Incidentally, all of this work flow runs via an easy-to-use and very intuitive control panel on the top of the machine, which allows you to configure the MFP, monitor all status, copy, scan and send to e-mail with the easy keyboard and numeric keypad controls.

Now many of you are puzzled by a new term I have been using, that of, scan to e-mail. Well this is just about the best thing that HP could have come up with on the 4100! You see, most of us are using our fax machines to send documents, Court Orders, Marital Settlement agreements, and the like, to opposing counsel. With the advent of scan to e-mail, we no longer have any faxing needs in my office! Simply put, you scan the document into the 4100 MFP, by means of its scanning device (it scans color and/or B&W), you then select the parties e-mail addresses (keeping them for future use in the built-in e-mail directory), put in your e-mail address and a note or message and last, but not least, select how you wish the parties to receive the document, ie, TIFF, MTIFF, JPEG or even PDF! Then hit send and viola', the magic happens. Your document is sent directly from the HP 4100 MFP to your parties' e-mail, without the need for you to use an attachment in Outlook' or any other e-mail program. It's a direct send from printer to the receiving parties, eliminating now useless and unnecessary steps! I find this feature a great boon to productivity in my office, as I'm sure you will. Also, this digital send, which leverages the power of the Internet for you, utilizes some optional digital sending software which will allow you the additional functionality such as authentication and send to LAN and Internet Fax servers, network folders and other workflow applications!

The 4100 MFP is also Internet-enabled, thereby allowing you to manage your entire network in a much easier and more efficient manner. You are in control with HP's Web jetadmin, embedded Web server, embedded virtual machine and other systems to analyze and let you see just exactly what is going on at any given moment. You also get remote printer management and configurations options, which allow you to reduce the time you spend in trying to discover and resolve printing issues. This is coupled with e-mail alerts that all the network managers and/or the users receive to inform them of any issues or problems that occur, as they happen, from any Internet-connected PC through Netscape and Microsoft browsers! Additionally, HP has made it easier to monitor supplies with its smart printing system. Your supplies are automatically monitored as to the level of usage and, at the proper time, you are connected to a convenient link or links for online supply ordering!

When you add up all the features and design quality of the Hewlett-Packard 4100 MFP, you begin to see that your firm can save time, effort and money with this newly-designed and well-built all-in-one unit. Let's really face the fact that in our law practice we need several devices to function at the levels that we do ' so it's about time that we begin to become more techno-savvy and utilize one device to solve at least four different law office problems. With the introduction of the 4100 into the legal marketplace, we can have all the necessary functional devices that we now use, with a much smaller office profile, while at the same time being on the cutting edge of technology. I highly recommend that you try the HP 4100 MFP. I really feel that once you have experienced this type of printing device you will NEVER go back to your old ways of printing and/or sending of documents to opposing counsel or clients. Take this unit for a test drive and see if you don't feel the same way!

Facts

The Hewlett-Packard 4100 MFP unit sells for approx. $1,999 and can be found on the Web at http://www.hp.com/ and click on products and services.

Alan Pearlman is an attorney, computer consultant and nationally syndicated columnist. He can be reached at his Web site (http://www.theelectroniclawyer.com/), or by phone at 847-205-4383. ' 2003 Alan Pearlman, 'The Electronic Lawyer'. All Rights Reserved.

Certain areas of legal technology are really more exciting than others, but the necessary evil is that we, as lawyers, are in the paper business! We can't get around it no matter how hard we try ' we pump out reams of paper each week in an effort to further our client's interests. Keeping that in mind, there are several ways to move this paper and/or to print it! I have used several major printers in my legal career, but I can honestly say that none has given me more satisfaction, as well as, better printing quality, not to mention more over all functionality, than the Hewlett-Packard 4100 MFP (multifunction printer).

Ok, so what exactly is an MFP? It's what HP calls an 'intelligent network appliance that will streamline your day to day business operations by bridging the gap between paper-locked and digitally-enabled communications.' Translated, all this means is that you will have the ability to print, copy, color scan and digitally send with one single device! And perhaps more importantly, without utilizing a wide area of your office space dedicated to several office machines, thereby effectively eliminating separate printers, scanners, copiers, and digital sending devices! As for a cost savings, you will find that HP multifunction products are approximately 20%-40% less expensive to run, than all of the combined devices, while they take up 40%-50% less floor space than a full compliment of single function devices.

Multifunction printers are the result of innovative thinking, new technologies and digital convergence. Because paper-based documents can be digitized (eg, scan-to-email) and digital documents are frequently printed, it makes sense to consolidate printing, copying and scanning functions into one unit with strong network capabilities. By choosing a balance between single-function and multifunction devices, companies can better meet individual needs and business priorities such as lowering costs and increasing productivity while upgrading to fewer, more efficient devices at any given time!

Of course, most of us in the legal profession already know about HP's quality when it comes to LaserJet technology. My 4100 MFP is no different in that respect. With copying and printing speed as fast as 25 pages-per-minute, my printing flies by. They make all of this possible by means of a 250 MHz processor, 64 MB of RAM and a 5 GB hard disk, including up to 1200 DPI laser output and 600 PPI color scanning! Incidentally, all of this work flow runs via an easy-to-use and very intuitive control panel on the top of the machine, which allows you to configure the MFP, monitor all status, copy, scan and send to e-mail with the easy keyboard and numeric keypad controls.

Now many of you are puzzled by a new term I have been using, that of, scan to e-mail. Well this is just about the best thing that HP could have come up with on the 4100! You see, most of us are using our fax machines to send documents, Court Orders, Marital Settlement agreements, and the like, to opposing counsel. With the advent of scan to e-mail, we no longer have any faxing needs in my office! Simply put, you scan the document into the 4100 MFP, by means of its scanning device (it scans color and/or B&W), you then select the parties e-mail addresses (keeping them for future use in the built-in e-mail directory), put in your e-mail address and a note or message and last, but not least, select how you wish the parties to receive the document, ie, TIFF, MTIFF, JPEG or even PDF! Then hit send and viola', the magic happens. Your document is sent directly from the HP 4100 MFP to your parties' e-mail, without the need for you to use an attachment in Outlook' or any other e-mail program. It's a direct send from printer to the receiving parties, eliminating now useless and unnecessary steps! I find this feature a great boon to productivity in my office, as I'm sure you will. Also, this digital send, which leverages the power of the Internet for you, utilizes some optional digital sending software which will allow you the additional functionality such as authentication and send to LAN and Internet Fax servers, network folders and other workflow applications!

The 4100 MFP is also Internet-enabled, thereby allowing you to manage your entire network in a much easier and more efficient manner. You are in control with HP's Web jetadmin, embedded Web server, embedded virtual machine and other systems to analyze and let you see just exactly what is going on at any given moment. You also get remote printer management and configurations options, which allow you to reduce the time you spend in trying to discover and resolve printing issues. This is coupled with e-mail alerts that all the network managers and/or the users receive to inform them of any issues or problems that occur, as they happen, from any Internet-connected PC through Netscape and Microsoft browsers! Additionally, HP has made it easier to monitor supplies with its smart printing system. Your supplies are automatically monitored as to the level of usage and, at the proper time, you are connected to a convenient link or links for online supply ordering!

When you add up all the features and design quality of the Hewlett-Packard 4100 MFP, you begin to see that your firm can save time, effort and money with this newly-designed and well-built all-in-one unit. Let's really face the fact that in our law practice we need several devices to function at the levels that we do ' so it's about time that we begin to become more techno-savvy and utilize one device to solve at least four different law office problems. With the introduction of the 4100 into the legal marketplace, we can have all the necessary functional devices that we now use, with a much smaller office profile, while at the same time being on the cutting edge of technology. I highly recommend that you try the HP 4100 MFP. I really feel that once you have experienced this type of printing device you will NEVER go back to your old ways of printing and/or sending of documents to opposing counsel or clients. Take this unit for a test drive and see if you don't feel the same way!

Facts

The Hewlett-Packard 4100 MFP unit sells for approx. $1,999 and can be found on the Web at http://www.hp.com/ and click on products and services.

Alan Pearlman is an attorney, computer consultant and nationally syndicated columnist. He can be reached at his Web site (http://www.theelectroniclawyer.com/), or by phone at 847-205-4383. ' 2003 Alan Pearlman, 'The Electronic Lawyer'. All Rights Reserved.