TCPglobal - news, views and issues on total cost of printing

Issue #0738/1 - Buying the right printer from a pre-selected manufacturer can still be confusing because of the differing marketing strategies used by the various players in the market, meaning that the low-end of the range may never be the best value. A competitive comparison should always include not only a comparison of devices from competing manufacturers but a comparison of more than one model from each manufacturer.

Issue #0737/1 - While many manufacturers claim that their printers, AiOs and MFPs are ‘affordable’, it is often better to look elsewhere for the most cost-effective option but customer preference often over-rides any financial consideration.

Issue #0737/2 - Most US printer manufacturers are paying lip service to the dramatic weakening of the US Dollar but they are being highly selective in which products are affected most or least.

Issue #0736/1 - Printer manufacturers have begun targeting power users with highly specified printers with low purchase prices. Firstly Samsung launched its CLP-350N in September and at the end of October Xerox released its new Phaser 6130.

Issue #0736/2 - Adding to the enormous number of special offers and promotions, Hewlett-Packard brings the ‘Cashback’ concept to Europe and enables customers to buy colour laser printers at half-price.

Moving the US trend to offer Cashback on hardware purchases across the Atlantic, Hewlett-Packard is aggressively tackling the market with promotional offers that can result in an effective discount of up to 50% on the hardware purchase.