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Toner unit sales dropped by 11.7 per cent year on year in 2009, while OEM sales were down by 20.6 per cent. Ink dropped 6.8 per cent with OEM sales down by 16.7 per cent in the same period. IDC predict that the ink market is expected to develop at a CAGR of 1.4 per cent to 2014 while the toner market is expected to grow at 3.4 per cent. And whilst OEMs are expected to regain some market share, those compatible vendors that managed to establish a strong presence in the crisis years will continue to perform well.

All change

The printer consumables market is one that has undergone dramatic changes over the last couple of years. Consumers now have much more choice and long gone are concerns about counterfeit compatible products, poor quality and low print yields. The UKCRA (UK Cartridge Remanufacturers Association) estimates that the number of recycled cartridges sold each year now exceeds 1.5 billion.

A compatible cartridge, either new or recycled/remanufactured, is one that is not produced by the original manufacturer, but is still developed specifcally to suit the product for which it is designed. Toner cartridges for laser printers, photocopiers and plain paper fax machines can’t be reflled. However, most types of toner cartridge can be remanufactured. The cartridges are sent

to a factory where they are completely dismantled and cleaned, any worn parts are replaced and then they are reflled with fresh toner. Reflling inkjet cartridges is more straightforward and can even be done on a DIY basis. There are a number of companies such as Kleen Strike UK, a member and General Secretary of UKCRA, who offer an inkjet reflling service to a guaranteed quality standard, or www.inkfactory.com and www.cartridgepeople.com who supply the ink and reflling equipment.

Eco-nomical alternatives

Armor Offce Printing (www.armor-print.com), a leading manufacturer of compatible consumables for inkjet, laser, fax and dot matrix printers, has the capacity to produce more than 24,000,000 inkjet cartridges and 1,500,000 laser cartridges a year. All ARMOR remanufactured

as much as 70 to 90 per cent of the components being re-used. According to Etira (European Toner & Inkjet Remanufacturers Association), this process results in 60 per cent less CO2 and 16,000 tonnes less waste compared to the amount of CO2 generated by the production of original laser cartridges and saves more than 30 per cent of the energy used to produce original supplies. End-of-life laser cartridges are sent to a specialist industrial partner and to ensure that 100 per cent of the cartridge has been recycled, the recycling company delivers a materials report back to ARMOR, in which the input weight of the cartridges to be treated must be equal to its output weight after dismantling.

Headquartered in Minneapolis, Katun Corporation (www.katun.com) supplies OEM-compatible imaging supplies and other select products and services for the offce equipment industry. ISO 9001 certifed Jettec (www. jettec.com) is one of Europe’s best-known compatible inkjet cartridge manufacturers. The specialist ink used in their printer cartridges is carefully formulated to match the performance of each printer type. Each month the frm recycles 500,000 ink cartridges and in its manufacturing facility in Boston, Lincolnshire produces over two million compatible inkjet cartridges, 700,000 remanufactured inkjet cartridges and 100,000 laser toner cartridges. Sister company, The Recycling Factory (www. therecyclingfactory.com) works with charities, businesses, schools, clubs, societies and individuals, helping them to recycle and at the same time earn money. To date they have raised over £1.5 million for charity.

Reflling inkjet cartridges is more straight-forward and can even be done on a DIY basis.

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Going green can save £s

n Over 45 million cartridges go into UK landfll sites each year

n It is estimated only 15 per cent are recycled or re-used

n By 2012, 500 million laser cartridges and 1.8 billion ink cartridges will be dumped in landflls worldwide

n Each cartridge thrown into landfll can take up to 1,000 years to decompose

n In just 12 months, cartridge recycling could save 15 million litres of oil in the UK

Key facts

Industry analysts IDC say that as a result of the recession, most OEMs

(original equipment manufacturers) reported signifcant drops in sales of original consumables, with toner sales suffering the most. Compatibles, on the other hand, thrived in the worsening economic climate, with all EMEA markets reporting signifcant increases in sales.