In a recent report, research consultancy IDC identified Epson as a driving force in the adoption of business inkjet technology
Business inkjet printers, which are more environmentally-friendly and cheaper to run than laser models, are becoming increasingly popular, the growth looks set to continue in 2017 and Epson is capitalising. The company invested €400 million in new production facilities and will allocate a further €185 million towards its PrecisionCore inkjet technology over the next three years.
Described as the next generation of inkjet printing technology, PrecisionCore features Epson’s advanced thin-film piezoelectric (TFP) elements, which are produced via a MEMS manufacturing process. At the core of this proprietary technology is the PrecisionCore MicroTFP print chip that produces dots at the micron level. Each nozzle on the printhead delivers up to 50,000 droplets per second for increased precision and print quality.
This commitment to business inkjet is underlined by the release of Epson’s WorkForce Enterprise, a generation of ultra-fast colour office A3 printers. With completely new printhead and linehead technology, Workforce Enterprise models are capable of producing up to 100 pages per minute, while significantly reducing power consumption. The optional WorkFlow Enterprise Finisher unit enables automatic document finishing, a 5,350-sheet max paper input with optional paper feed and a 4,000-sheet stapler and stacker to improve efficiency, saving time and effort.
Enormous potential
“IDC’s report highlights the enormous potential of business inkjet technology,” said Rob Clark, Managing Director, Epson UK. “With forecasts suggesting the overall business inkjet market will grow at a rate of 10.2 per cent (CAGR) up to and including 2020, Epson is leading the way, and we’re delighted to be named as the most influential vendor.”
He added: “Our products are encouraging businesses to make the switch from laser to inkjet. WorkForce Pro business inkjet models offer high speeds and great print quality, while improving costs of ownership and eco-benefits, such as an 82 per cent reduction in power consumption.”
Business inkjet printing is the big growth opportunity for Epson in the UK and pivotal to this is its range of Workforce Pro Replaceable Ink Pack System (RIPS) business printers that make it much easier to achieve predictable print costs.
RIPS devices have been designed exclusively for managed print services and use super high-yield ink supply units containing three years’ worth of ink. The black ink pack has a capacity of 75,000 pages and each of the three colour ones contains enough ink for 50,000 pages.
Distribution agreement
This innovative WorkForce Pro range is now available to selected resellers via a newly formed distribution agreement with Exertis. The business will be managed from Exertis’ specialist OA print facility in Norfolk, utilising dedicated OA account managers who will be working with new and existing Epson RIPS customers.
Jamie Brothwell, Exertis, Print General Manager said: “Epson has a very unique proposition using its business ink continuous feed technology that delivers up to 75,000 business quality prints between ink changes. The WorkForce Pro printers are known for their reliability and provide customers with a low TCO including using up to eighty per cent less energy than competitive colour lasers. We are looking forward to offering these printers to selected resellers alongside our range of specialist pre-delivery and logistical services, and our flexible credit facilities.”
Epson’s WorkForce Pro RIPS printers provide exceptional reliability with lower IT support costs, increase business productivity, reduce waste by simplifying supplies management and as a result are more environmentally friendly.
As part of a managed print service, WorkForce Pro RIPS printers can help to create a distributed printer fleet that provides an easy yet secure, high quality, distributed print resource that delivers predictable print costs. In addition, Epson’s Document Capture Pro software enables an automated paper capture and storage process and its Email Print for Enterprise solution enables users to securely send documents to a printer and print directly from any device that can send an email in the office.
Claire Robinson, Business Director, Epson UK said: “We’ve seen a 40 per cent year-on-year increase in business inkjet unit sales and are now the second largest business inkjet supplier in Europe. We are looking forward to extending our existing relationship with Exertis and the specialist services it can offer our reseller channel to continue to grow our market share even further.”
Exertis provides a range of print and logistical services that includes virtual warehousing facilities, PDI, product configuration and advanced delivery services. It offers an extensive OA credit line with flexible payment terms available for customers.
www.epson.co.uk
www.exertis.co.uk
