What we liked:
• super high yield ink packs
• expanded functionality
• reduced running costs
• reliable operation
• energy-saving and eco-friendly
15
Epson’s revolutionary Workforce Pro
RIPS devices boast super high yield
ink packs, each containing enough
ink for 75,000 pages.
Business inkjet technology has been
one of the printer market's few bright
spots, as more and more small businesses
replace laser devices with economical,
energy-efficient inkjet machines offering
comparable print speeds to laser and up to
50% lower running costs.
Epson’s new generation devices offer
expanded functionality, including oversize
A3 printing, longer lasting consumables
and essential print management solutions,
from follow me and mobile printing to user
authentication and digital workflows. The
Workforce Pro series is aimed at small and
medium-sized businesses and enterprise
workgroups.
The most exciting development is
the launch of Epson’s Workforce Pro
Replaceable Ink Pack System (RIPS)
available exclusively for managed print
services (MPS) implementations. The three
A3 and A4 Workforce Pro RIPS models offer
all the functionality of standard Workforce
Pro machines with the addition of extra
large ink supplies that on lower end devices
could last for the lifetime of the machine.
Each of the four ink bags for the A3
devices has a yield of 75,000 pages. Yields
for the A4 models are 75,000 for the black
bag and 50,000 for each of the colour ones
(CMY). Replacement ink sacks are available
in capacities of 20,000 or 50,000 pages.
In comparison, the maximum yield
for standard versions of Epson’s new
A3+ models (the WP7000 and WP8000
series) is 10,000 pages for an XXL mono
cartridge and 7,000 pages for an XXL
colour cartridge. Standard A4 models have
maximum ink capacities of 4,000 pages
both for mono and colour cartridges.
RIPS has clear benefits – it reduces
running costs (the first set of consumables
is included in the hardware price and for
leasing purposes is considered as part
of the machine). Epson believes that by
reducing support requirements, RIPS can
reverse the trend towards centralised
print infrastructures, which it argues are
detrimental to the interests of end users. In
a recent survey, almost half of businesses
said that centralised print issues, such as
long print queues, the need to get up to
retrieve prints and the difficulty in printing
confidential documents, were a concern.
Andrew Semple, Head of Business
Imaging for Epson Europe, said that by
combining the predictable print costs and
low maintenance of a centralised model
with the convenience and productivity
advantages of localised print, RIPS provides
a better way of delivering print.
“Epson’s proposition is you no longer
have to go down a centralised print route.
There is an alternative now, with a product
that is easy to manage under a managed
print service thanks to its very high
capacity ink supply system,” he said.
Demonstrating the resilience of
Workforce Pro devices and the RIPS
ink feeding system is vital when you
consider that customers are paying
upfront for several years worth of ink. To
reassure doubters, Epson cites the use
of PrecisionCore printheads in all new
A better way of
delivering print
Epson Workforce Pro
RIPS devices
Editor’s Choice:
Print IT Reseller
Workforce Pro products. This is the same
technology used by Epson industrial label
and fabric printers, which are capable of
printing 15 metres of media a minute.
Epson says that the use of PrecisionCore
in environments where the cost of
downtime is prohibitive is testament to
the technology’s durability.
In addition to its three RIPS devices,
the company has launched an additional
12 new Epson Workforce Pro products,
including its first A3 devices.
Epson’s Workforce Pro products offer
the established benefits of business
inkjet devices: they consume 80% less
power than lasers; they generate less
consumables waste and packaging; they
have no warm-up time and so are more
productive for typical office print jobs; and
they are clean, with no ozone emissions
or toner dust. In addition, they have faster
print speeds (up to 34 pages per minute
for mono and 24 ppm for colour) and
greater paper capacities of up to 1,831
pages on the A3 models.
Editor’s Choice Awards
– 01732 759725
EPSON
· Workforce Pro RIPS
Each of the
four ink bags
for the A3
devices has
a yield of
75,000 pages.
