magazine
40
Business Inkjets
Interesting things continue to happen
in the inkjet printing market as
manufacturers explore alternative
purchasing models either to broaden
the appeal of inkjet technology
itself or to protect supplies revenue
from falling print volumes and/
or competition from third party
consumable suppliers.
Following the launch of its RIPS
devices for managed print services,
Epson has introduced a new purchasing
model for UK consumers that, like RIPS,
makes use of extremely high capacity
ink supplies to minimise the need for
refills and reduce the cost of printing.
The new Eco Tank range goes against
the grain in the UK printer market by
replacing the traditional razor/razor
blade model of subsidised hardware
and expensive consumables with a true
hardware price and a very low cost per
page due to the printer’s extra large ink
tanks.
The first two Eco Tank printers – the
L355 (£249) and L555 (£329) – contain
enough ink for 4,000 mono pages and
6,500 colour pages i.e. as much as 55
individual ink cartridges. Epson says that
this is enough to last for two years, but
it will last many users much longer.
The purchase price covers the cost
of the hardware and a full supply of
ink that the customer empties into
ink tanks housed on the side of the
printer. Because hardware prices aren’t
subsidised, customers will pay more up-
front but much less in the long-term.
Epson UK product manager Simon
Hanly said: “One of the messages we
have is that you end up saving 65%
compared to buying any other Top 10
European printer plus the equivalent
amount of ink. The L355 costs £250. To
buy any European Top 10 model and the
equivalent amount of ink would add up
to about £750.”
Moreover, when you have used up
the ink that comes with the printer,
replacement ink bottles can be bought
for just £7.99 each, which works out at a
fraction of a penny per page.
With savings of this magnitude you
would expect the printers to fly off the
shelves. However, Hanly says that the
razor/razor blade model is so engrained
in the UK mindset that the Eco Tank
model, which may be new to the UK but
is well established in Eastern Europe, is
unlikely to make much headway. Epson
expects only a 5% conversion rate from
its standard line to Eco Tank.
More choice
What it does do, argues Hanly, is provide
an alternative choice for consumers who
are fed up with high cartridge costs and
regular cartridge changes.
“We launched these models in
Ireland about six months ago and have
found that the customer base is very
diverse, from busy households to small
businesses. The common factor is they
are all frustrated with cartridges and
cartridge prices. People just love the idea
of getting everything up front and not
having to think about how much they
are printing and not having to monitor
themselves,” he said.
“It’s not just the cost. It’s the hassle
of running out of ink at inappropriate
times, when you are trying to finish a
piece of work, and having to replace the
cartridge. Eco Tank customers love the
idea that they can fill the printer up with
Epson Eco Tank printers slash the cost of printing by two thirds,
but require more investment up front
Print and forget
ink and
leave it alone
for at least two
years.”
Fill and forget
Hanly argues that Eco Tank’s ‘fill and
forget’ approach makes it a more
attractive offering than the HP Instant
Ink subscription model, which offers
savings of a similar size but requires
customers to pay for a set number of
pages every month (albeit with some
flexibility to accommodate fluctuating
print volumes).
“Our view is that that type of
managed print system has the same
problems as a traditional cartridge model.
You have to understand how much you
are printing per month and you have
to know what your print requirements
are. Then you have to sign up to a
programme, which people in the UK hate
– it’s another direct debit. Instant Ink has
the same problems you have with the
cartridge model: Do I print enough?Will
it work out for me? Eco Tank addresses
that problem straightaway. Because you
are paying for everything up front, you
don’t have to worry about how much
you are printing.”
Hanly says that once you remove
fears about the cost of printing or the
risk of running out of ink, people print
more. “People actually end up changing
their print habits.We find that people
are doing more photos, they are printing
more documents. They are printing
more things than they would have done
before,” he said.
The Eco Tank L355 (print/copy/scan)
and L555 (print/copy/scan/fax with
30-sheet ADF) have print speeds of up to
9 pages per minute and come withWiFi
connectivity as standard, plus the ability
to print from smartphones and tablets
with Epson iPrint. They are available
exclusively from PCWorld and Currys
until after Christmas when they will be
available through other retail outlets and
online.
The purchase
price covers
the cost of
the hardware
and a full
supply of
ink...
..that the
customer
empties into
ink tanks
housed on the
side of the
printer.
