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

Issue #1308 – About a year on from the launch of the Epson WorkForce WF-3500 series, business inkjet All-in-One series, the range has come in front of me again, arrousing renewed interest. Targeted fairly and squarely at the small business environment, WorkForce WF-3500 series offers reasonably fast printing, a low Cost of Printing, a very flexible feature set and extensive remote printing capabilities.

Issue #1307 – Research shows 90% of smartphone users want to print but either don’t realise it is possible, do not know how to do it or find it too difficult.  Before long, these issues should be a thing of the past.  There are two main initiatives under way to sort us out and help to make printing the documents or photos we want to print from our mobile devices nice and easy.

Issue #1304 – As you know, CharisCo Printer Labs is passionate about Total Cost of Printing and the best interests of the customer/consumer/user. Therefore, I have responded to an item on the BBC’s Watchdog primetime consumer program last week (1st May, 2013) to alert the presenters, producers and researchers to the fact that there is a very positive message for consumers about the cost of ink. Read on for my letter to Watchdog ….

Issue #1303 – Describing it as a ‘fun’ way to buy printer supplies, Xerox launched a new loyalty program a couple of weeks ago that seems to include a number of potential implications at the same time as seeking to encourage customers to buy original supplies and protecting against counterfeits. For instance, ‘Will large companies allow employees to participate?’, ‘could the program have the effect of actually capping prices in the channel?’

Issue #1302 – Inkjet technology has never looked so good for office printing. Having applied its Scalable Printing Technology to large format commercial printers for a couple of years, Hewlett-Packard now considers the business/office environment is ready for a genuinely fast inkjet device that also cuts the cost of printing by as much as 50% over laser – the Officejet Pro X family.

Issue #1301 – Attitudes towards Total Cost of Printing have clearly changed over the years since the aggressive printer purchase price wars began in the mid-90’s in both the business and consumer segments of the market. Instead of all the focus being on purchase price, consumers are now focussing on the ongoing costs of printing every bit as much as on purchase price. CharisCo Printer Labs’ recent survey showed a startling emphasis on ongoing costs.