Recently, we flew out to Wilsonville, Oregon to see a groundbreaking Xerox product that will be introduced in 2009. Think fast. Think brilliant color. Think economical. The new product represents the fruition of a significant investment in a somewhat alternative technology – solid ink.

There is not much we can say about this product other than we saw it and it worked. Customers can expect many of the benefits found on current solid ink products but on a product that is comparable in speed and capability to laser products currently available from Xerox as well as competitors.

This brings us to the question, is ink – whether solid, liquid or viscous, a viable option for customers buying business-class office machines? Hewlett-Packard’s Edgeline product was the first to compete against devices using xerography. In fact, we’re told Edgeline technology represents one of the greatest R&D investments HP has ever made. Although the Edgeline devices were probably not as successful as HP would have hoped, this was a first generation product and we fully expect HP to improve issues that may have developed since the initial launch.

Other companies have ink-based products that are finding their way into offices. Ricoh’s Aficio 615C looks much more like a xerographic device than a traditional ink-based imaging system. Not only does this machine use ink, it also offers many of the features such as @Remote capability, enhanced security, etc., not found in inexpensive SOHO products. Canon, Epson and Lexmark also have a significant stake in ink technology and we would not be surprised to see higher-end ink devices coming from these and other manufacturers in the next few years.

For years, business customers have turned away from ink printers for office use, feeling these devices were better suited for home or professional use. While the stigma is real, is it something that this industry can move past? At the end of the day, do customers really care what kind of technology the AIO, MFP or printer uses, as long as they walk away with their copies or prints? Based on the product we saw at Xerox and the investment HP has made in Edgeline, it seems this industry’s leaders seem to think they do. Certainly, Xerox’s forthcoming product will add credibility to Edgeline, Geljet and others. From what we saw, this product has the potential to shake things up and we think customers are going to love it. Stay tuned.


Andy Slawetsky is President of Industry Analysts, Inc. Industry Analysts, Inc., is a marketing and management consulting firm for the office automation industry. Much of the company’s research and testing results can be viewed on their web site – www.industryanalysts.com.