Even people with limited knowledge of the printer/copier industry are familiar with the names HP and Xerox, but how do they compare to each other?
It’s easy to tell obvious differences like the logo, look and feel of the machines, but hidden within the observable discrepancies are subtle factors that could help make the final decision for you on which brand to go with.
For almost four decades, we’ve provided consumers with assistance in choosing the right office machine for their business and have become intimately familiar with the major manufacturers that form the basis of the industry.
We largely sell Xerox products, although we can sell HP machines and supplies, as well. Does this make us prone to bias, and thus, unfit to write an honest comparison?
No, it does not. Because we’re a forward-thinking organization keenly aware of what the modern-day buyer wants—access to true and impartial information--- and we’re not about to exclaim that one brand is superior to the other.
Not every consumer is the same; for some, Xerox may be the best fit. For others, HP might be the one to go with. And there’s a chance that neither brand will be adequate for your situation.
All we’re going to do is provide you with the information you need to make that decision. And then we will get out of the way and let you decide for yourself on who to go with.
With those caveats out of the way, let’s dive into the comparison between Xerox and HP, which will include brief overviews of the companies, differences, similarities, pricing and a printer model comparison to give you a full analysis of the two brands.
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Overview of Xerox
Xerox was founded in 1906 in Rochester, New York, and is credited with being the first printing company to manufacture and sell xerographic plain-paper copiers.
Today, Xerox has over 13,000 active patents for innovation, and its products, which include print solutions for several workplaces, have reached 160 countries worldwide.
Headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut, Xerox concentrates on selling office equipment such as single-function (print only), multifunction (print, copy, scan and fax) and production printers for a wide array of workgroups.
Overview of HP
Hewlett-Packard (HP) was founded in 1939 by Bill Hewlett and David Packard in a one-car garage in Palo Alto, California.
HP specializes in laser products, mainly computers and printers, and the HP LaserJet is often credited with starting the desktop publishing trend upon its introduction in 1984.
They contain printing options for businesses and personal use, while also containing the HP+ Smart Printing System, which turns an HP printer into a Smart device with advanced features automatic updates and enhanced security.
2 Similarities Between Xerox and HP
Let’s first go over two similarities between Xerox and HP:
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Range of Office Printing Solutions
Both Xerox and HP have a wide array of selections when it comes to single-function (print-only) and multifunction (print, copy, scan and fax) printers for small, medium and large-sized workgroups.
Although HP traditionally specialized in A4 machines (smaller machines), they have expanded their catalog to include options for bigger workgroups (A3 machines), especially with their Enterprise printers. Xerox has a versatile catalog made up of printers for workgroups of varying sizes.
The printer options for small workgroups include machines that are best suited for workgroups of up to 10 daily users with a capacity to print up to 800-12,000 pages per month.
Examples of single-function devices from both brands for small workgroups include the Xerox VersaLink B405 and HP LaserJet E42540 printers, which print at speeds between 40-49 pages per minute (ppm).
Medium workgroup options include printers that can meet the needs of workgroups with up to 20 daily users that print at a volume somewhere in the 1,500-15,000 pages per month range.
Examples include the Xerox VersaLink B605 and HP LaserJetE62665, both of which are black-and-white printers that print between 50-59 ppm.
Both brands also have options for large workgroups, which can be defined as workgroups with more than 20 daily users and a print volume of over 10,000-75,000 pages per month.
Examples in the large workgroup category include the Xerox AltaLink C8170 and the HP LaserJet E87660, which are color multifunction printers that print at speeds of over 60 ppm.
In addition to the print solutions for the workgroups discussed above, Xerox and HP have a variety of other office equipment options, such as production printers, personal office printers and scanners.
Check out HP’s “Small Business and Home Office Printers” page and read the Xerox review blogs below to learn more about each brand’s office printer options:
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Commitment to Printer Security
Another area of overlap between Xerox and HP lies in their dedication to printer security.
Xerox contains a four-point approach to security that’ll help prevent, detect and protect against cyberattacks at all points of vulnerability.
According to Xerox’s website, these include:
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Network intrusion and data transmission
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Protection from unauthorized access
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Stringent data encryption and secure overwrite.
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Added security to individual documents
HP brands itself as the “world’s most secure printers” because of its devoted commitment to printer security at all levels, including service level, network integration level, fleet level and device level.
One of HP’s notable printer security features is BIOS, which is a self-healing feature on their Enterprise devices that can help remediate a security breach if one occurs.
A slight distinction between the two brands’ strategies is Xerox focuses its security strategy on preventing device breaches while HP emphasizes features like the BIOS that ensure protection once a breach has already occurred.
Some of the shared security features between Xerox and HP include whitelisting technology, which adds protection to data from network breaches, firmware verification and run-time intrusion.
With workplaces moving toward a more digital, remote environment, security has become a relevant issue for businesses, and printers can serve as the entry point for a network intrusion.
Read the blogs below to learn more about printer security and why it has become a chief concern for some businesses:
See the chart below for Quocirca’s 2022 Print Security Vendor Landscape, which shows HP and Xerox at the top:
2 Differences Between Xerox and HP
Now that we’ve gone through the main similarities between Xerox and HP, let’s go through a couple of key differences between the two brands:
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Printer Apps and Personalization
A major difference between Xerox and HP lies in its printer apps, which have become more popular as the workplace has shifted to automating and efficiently completing basic office tasks.
Both brands have a touchscreen interface with simple navigation, but the major difference lies in Xerox’s customer-facing App Gallery, which is more extensive and easier to access.
Xerox and HP each contain apps that allow you to complete tasks like printing from your phone, but with HP, you must go through a print service provider to get applications for your printer, which takes more steps than it would on a Xerox machine.
While obtaining apps is a bit different for each company, both have the infrastructure for consumers to create and write their own printer apps, with Xerox’s being through the Xerox Personalized Application Builder Program and HP’s being through their HP Workpath program.
There are also a few differences in printer personalization options. For instance, you can personalize the experience on a Xerox device to each individual user through login credentials, whereas HP does not currently have such a system in place.
For examples of the different user interfaces, see the images below:
Xerox User Interface
HP User Interface
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Single vs. Duplex Print Efficiency
A subliminal difference that you might not know about is Xerox and HP differ in print efficiency on single (one side of the page) and duplex (both sides of the page) printing on some of their machines.
For example, the Xerox VersaLink C505 prints at 43 pages per minute (ppm) on single prints and 41 ppm on duplex prints.
The HP PageWide 586 prints faster on single prints (46 ppm) but slower on duplex prints (26 ppm) than the Xerox machine.
This is also seen on bigger printers like the Xerox VersaLink C9000 and HP PageWide E75160.
The Xerox VersaLink C9000 prints at speeds of up to 51 ppm on single and duplex prints. The HP PageWide E75160, meanwhile, prints at higher speeds on single prints (56 ppm) but slower on duplex prints (38 ppm).
Which Printer Brand Has the Best Prices?
Now, let’s talk about pricing. Is there a significant difference between HP printers compared to Xerox printers?
The answer depends on the printer models being compared, but in general, HP tends to have the cheaper prices when comparing two similar printers from their respective catalogs.
Why does HP tend to have cheaper products than Xerox? When you look into both companies’ machines, you can start to see why there’s a pricing difference between the brands.
To illustrate this point, let’s look at a printer model comparison between two larger color multifunction printers, the Xerox AltaLink C8145 and the HP LaserJet M776zs:
A Printer Model Comparison
The current street price for the Xerox AltaLink C8145, released in July 2020, is $21,800 while the HP LaserJet M776zs, released in November 2019, is $7,600, according to bliQ.
Both machines print at speeds of up to 45 ppm in color and black-and-white, and each has a maximum monthly duty cycle of 200,000 pages per month. The HP model has a higher recommended monthly print volume than Xerox’s machine, too (40,000 compared to 20,000 pages per month).
So why the substantial difference in cost? Let’s break down why in a little more detail:
AltaLink C8145
HP LaserJet M776zs (via PC Connection)
Difference #1: Finishing and Configuration Options
A major difference between the two models in this comparison is that the Xerox machine has significantly more advanced print finishing options, such as various staple, hole-punch and booklet-making accessories.
This means that the Xerox device has substantially more ways to configure it to meet your desired goals. See the graphic below to see some of the differences in finishing options, courtesy of bliQ:
Difference #2: Maximum and Standard Paper Capacity
Another area of disparity between the two models is in the amount of paper they can hold.
The Xerox AltaLink C8145 has a standard paper capacity of 3,140 sheets while the HP LaserJet M776zs holds a standard paper capacity of 1,750 sheets.
The difference is much more sizable in the maximum paper capacity category: The Xerox printer holds a max capacity of 6,140 sheets and the HP printer holds the same 1,750 sheets as its standard capacity.
Difference #3: Print Resolution
Print resolution, the level of detail in a printed image, also serves as a noteworthy difference between the two models.
Xerox’s printer has an unenhanced resolution of 1200 x 2400 dots per inch (dpi), while HP’s printer has an unenhanced resolution of 600 x 600 dpi.
Which Printer Model Is Better?
Now that you’ve seen some of the differences between the two models, which one should you go with in this scenario?
Well, if you just need the basic features of a color multifunction printer, you should go with the HP LaserJet M776zs since it’s a much cheaper and smaller model than the Xerox one.
And in terms of print speeds and print volume, they are either the same or HP has an edge, which means the printer will meet quality efficiency standards.
But if you need a more robust color multifunction printer with advanced configuration options that can hold more paper and has more features, as well as apps, then the Xerox AltaLink C8145 would be the better fit.
If you needed to make specialty prints, like booklets or pamphlets, then the Xerox device would be the only choice in this scenario, since the HP device can’t make extensive specialty prints.
See how much work goes into the research process when comparing two printers? It’s a lot to take in, and it shows that buying the first option you see on the market is not always the right choice.
It will not always be the cheapest option, either, as showcased by this comparison. It’s why narrowing down your printing requirements is critical to ensuring you get the right long-term machine in place for your company.
For more information on how to choose the right printer for your situation, read these blogs:
Which Printer Brand Is Right for Me?
So, which is it, Xerox or HP?
If you’ve read through this article, you would likely agree that neither is going to be the perfect fit for everybody. Instead, it depends on what you specifically need and desire in your ideal office printer.
However, as an experienced print vendor with extensive knowledge of the subject, we can safely conclude that Xerox and HP are two of the top printer brands for a reason. They both make quality products that can rival any other brand in the industry.
In general, HP products are more of a retail option and are typically sold by major retail distributors. Xerox products are more apt to be sold by print vendors or providers rather than a traditional retail store.
Both options, buying from a retail distributor and purchasing from a print vendor, have their pros and cons and where you buy from will also play a factor in which machine you purchase.
Just because HP and Xerox are two of the most popular brands in the industry doesn’t mean that they’re the most ideal brand for everyone.
There’s plenty of competition in the printer/copier world, and Xerox and HP are just two of the many manufacturers that form the sector of major office equipment suppliers.
At Strategic Technology Partners of Texas, we know that the central element to any rightful purchase is education, and you likely need more information before definitively choosing where to buy from.
Read our blog comparing Xerox to another one of its competitors, Canon, to see a different comparison between major printer brands.
