A few months ago, Consumer Reports published an article purporting to measure the amount of ink wasted in today’s inkjet printer/MFP systems (The Case of the Disappearing Ink, August 2013). The tests were conducted in response to readers indicating “ink seemed to be disappearing faster than usual with light printer usage.” CR proceeded to test “how much excess ink is used to print pages intermittently compared with printing the same number of pages at once.”
Surprise! More ink is used when printing intermittently. Manufacturers of toner-based laser MFPs all threw parties in celebration (none of which I was invited to). At last, their sales strategy claiming that ink jet pages (especially color) cost about a billion dollars each was going to work!
But, not so fast, bucko!
There are some serious issues involved here. Inkjet systems are slowly but surely becoming mainstream, not only in the SOHO market, but in the general office as well as the production segments – all filled with toner-based systems that, if inkjet succeeds, could be at risk.
Consider:
- HP has launched their Officejet Pro series of MFPs offering full color speeds of up to 70 PPM for only $799.00. That speed surely takes the product out of the SOHO market and places it squarely in the workgroup. Some say that, since many of these systems are sold by VARs, they are concerned about service. I say, “Buy two.” It’s still less expensive than the toner based systems.Of greater significance, these new systems make use of HP’s PageWide technology, using a fixed print head as wide as the page. Because the print head doesn’t move, as is the case with most inkjet printers, imaging speed is limited only by the speed of the RIP and the speed with which the system can move paper.
- Memjet also uses a page wide fixed print head for their inkjet systems. At present, the company is focused on the production print environment using OEM relationships that incorporate their ink and print head technology into their own systems. Some of these OEMs include Delphax, Canon/Océ and Fuji Xerox. We would expect to see this technology migrate to the office environment.
(Note: In January 2013, Parts Now became the initial distributor and reseller for Memjet-powered C6010 color printers in North America.)
- Inkjet technology has had a profound impact on the production print environment where companies such as Kodak (yes, Kodak!), Canon/ Océ, HP Ricoh and even Xerox prevail. Faster, better, cheaper seems to be the mantra here.
But, let’s focus on the office and/or SOHO environment where Consumer Reports says we’re wasting a ton of ink and money. Yes? Well, like a true consultant, I’ll have to say, “It depends.” First and foremost, it doesn’t really matter how much ink is used for printer maintenance. What matters is how many pages you get from a cartridge. Most OEMs publish approximate yields for their cartridges. But, actual experience can cause the real number to be higher or lower. Factors such as run lengths, page coverage, the type of paper used, temperature, humidity and frequency of use all have an impact.
Have you ever looked at the mileage ratings on the new car sticker? They are the result of a test in which the car never actually hits the road. Look for the telltale words, “Your actual mileage may vary.” Inkjet cartridges are no different. Most vendors determine yields using an ISO test protocol where a print job is started and not stopped until the printer runs out of ink.
Do you use printers that way? Do your customers? No. So, in a sense, the test is irrelevant to results obtained under actual use. To be fair, Consumer Reports made the same assumption. So they used the tested printers “intermittently,” printing only a few pages a few times each day. That seems closer to actual use, except for one detail. After each “intermittent” job, Consumer Reports testers turned the printer off! When was the last time you did that to an inkjet printer? If the test protocol called for five jobs per day, testers turned the printer off five times. What’s more, they turned the printer on five times each day. And, when you turn an inkjet printer on (virtually any inkjet printer) the system will go through series of self-diagnostic checks and will clean the print heads. What is used to clean them, you ask? INK! Well, then, doesn’t that reduce the yield?
The answer, in a word, is “not necessarily.” Oh wait. That’s two words. Remember again, it’s not how much ink you use, but the page yield per cartridge. If the manufacturer says a cartridge yields 1,000 pages and that’s what you get, does it matter how much ink is used to clean the print heads? Does it matter how much ink is left in the cartridge when you weigh it? NO to each.
Cleaning the print heads and, in some cases, filling the ink sump, are essential maintenance procedures. Most toner-based products use a toner reclaim tank which, periodically, must be emptied. Does anyone weigh that toner and deduct it from the page yield? NO!
Some inkjet manufacturers actually put extra ink in the cartridge to perform maintenance procedures without impacting yield. Great idea! On the other side of that, some users have tried to sue those manufacturers because there was ink left in the cartridge when the printer interface indicated it was time to install a new one. That ink was never meant to be used. So, who cares how much was left?
When comparing ink jet to toner, do the math. How many pages were promised? How many were received? At what cost? Then, make sure you consider the variables. What coverage (per color) are you assuming? Are the ink jet printers left on between jobs? Overnight? Were the expected yields on either system determined by testing to ISO standards (producing pages until ink/toner runs out)?
Without testing assumptions you risk your credibility. HP says that their Officejet Pro inkjet MFPs can print in color at half the cost of toner based systems. You may disagree. But, suppose it can?
Never base your strategy for success on the failure of your competition!
