HP launches palm-sized printer Sprocket in India

HP yesterday launched a palm-sized printer, Sprocket, in India. The device carries a price tag of Rs 8,999, and is available through Amazon.in and HP's official website.

With the printer, users can take prints of photographs stored on their mobile phones. The printer is already available in countries like the US, China and Australia.

''Smartphones have become the default device for taking pictures. But people don't go to photo stores now to take prints and eventually, one forgets about those pictures from holidays or birthday parties,'' HP India senior director (Print Business) Raj Kumar Rishi told PTI.

He added physical pictures, however, bring back memories even after years whenever one looks at them.

''The pocket-sized form factor of Sprocket ensures that they can take prints on the go and preserve memories. This is for the millenials,'' Rishi said.

Growth in the printer category in India, has been stagnant mostly, according to commentators. 

''We have seen single-digit growth, even though the market has remained flat. Most home users buy printers for school projects. We have to ensure that there are more use cases, if we want to grow this segment,'' Rishi said.

He added that HP is focused on developing solutions that are trendy and also affordable to ensure growth in the category.

The Zink technology printer produces smudge-proof, water-resistant and colourful photos without ink or toner cartridges.

With the HP Sprocket app, which is free for Android and iOS, users will be able to print directly from their social media accounts such as Facebook, Instagram etc.

''Supporting a range of file types, including .jpeg, .gif and .png, the app enables users to work on almost any image format,'' the company said.

Photography lovers will find the device handy for capturing their day to day moments.

''While smartphones have made it very simple to store our memories digitally, the power of printing photographs cannot be undermined. The moment a digital photograph gets printed it becomes a tangible treasure one can cherish for life,'' Rishi said, www.newsnation.in reported.