This year Epson announced plans to go toe to toe with the biggest printer manufacturers in the colour laser industry, stating their “mission” was to “replace laser printers with inkjet printers”.
Epson have backed this declaration up with the imminent release of a printer range aimed exclusively at the managed print sector that boast an ink capacity or up to 75,000 prints. Yes, that right and no, it’s not a typo, 75,000 prints!
Naturally this figure is dependant on what you are printing and CMY inks are 50,000 rather than the 75,000 black ink. But this is still massive and with both A4 and A3 printers in the range there must be other manufacturers starting to look over their shoulders.
This new ink technology from Epson is known as “RIPS” (Replaceable Ink Pack System) and are placed into the printer as aluminium foil bags.
The design of these ‘ink bags’ is based on research carried out by Epson, which revealed one of the biggest costs to a organisation’s print environment is the printer maintenance. They claim that RIPS will save companies up to 150 working days a year (depending on print environment).
The new range of business printers along with their RIPS will only be available through a Managed Print Service agreement. Highlighting the company’s ambitions to challenge the big players in laser printer and managed print industries.
The new RIPS technology is being heralded by some as a real game changer. The bags are seemingly far easier to change than traditional ink toners and the 75,000 black and 50,000 colour capacity is going to be very appealing to many businesses that print high volumes each year. However there is one factor that nearly always overrides any other and that is cost.
The explosion of Managed Print Services has meant that organisations have seen considerable reductions in their printing overheads and it’s interesting to note that Epson will only be offering these printers through Managed Print channels. Every printer manufacturer has their own unique selling points but more often than not it’s the quality of the print and the cost per print that will seal the deal. We know that Epson can deliver good quality print outs and now they can deliver them in a busy print environment, if they can keep the cost per print down we could well see a new Don in the managed print sector.
As an independent provider we maintain good working relationships with all printer manufacturers. That’s why we’re best placed to provide advice that will help your business grow. A managed print solution will save you substantial amounts of money but choosing the right managed print agreement can be a trickier prospect. That’s why we offer free Printer Audits that help you understand your existing print environment and how it can be improved to enhance your organisation’s workflow and running costs. Call 020 3145 1355 or book a print audit today.
View more information on Epson Managed Service here