Amid a global demand for energy efficient machines, electronics multinational Epson has announced an end to the sale of its laser printers due to their “limited ability to make meaningful sustainability advances.”
Epson says it will now focus on inkjet printing, and has launched a new range of 40-60ppm business models to close the range gap and deliver a total suite of sustainable heat-free business inkjet multi-function printers (MFPs).
The company’s decision is based on the greater potential of inkjet to deliver climate-smart printing services, Epson’s Regional Head for East and West Africa, Mukesh Bector said.
The vast majority of organisations, he noted, are continuing to reinvent themselves, anticipating and fulfilling unmet social and environmental needs, and this has become a collective priority.
“The way the different technologies work; laser requires heat to fuse the toner to a page whereas inkjet is a cold technology needing less energy to operate,” said Bector.
He remarked that as climate change continues to be the world’s most urgent challenge, and the demand for products and services that use less resources and work more efficiently is rising, it was only prudent that the company responds by implementing changes to improve the value and sustainability of its printers, while reducing the impact of their products by 50% across their lifecycle and extending their service life.
“The decision to leave the laser market has been inevitable. As a company we’ve committed to sustainable innovation and action, and laser printers don’t fit within that. They consume more energy than business inkjets and use more consumable parts,” reiterated Epson Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) Senior Vice President Rob Clark.
Clark indicated that the company’s printing business will instead focus 100% on piezo heat-free inkjet, leveraging its proprietary technology to deliver efficient, sustainable print solutions for Epson’s partners and end users.
The business inkjet market is forecast to grow; to the detriment of laser. According to International Data Corporation (IDC) data, the business inkjet market in Western Europe is expected to grow at +5.1% per annum, contrasting with a -0.4% year-on-year decline in demand for laser printing, with growth in business inkjet showing similar trends for CEE and MEA.
IDC research also suggests that 88% of hardware decision makers now consider energy consumption and waste (87%) to be ‘extremely’ or’ very’ important when selecting new printing devices.
The new Epson Enterprise range is a result of continuous research and development towards designing sustainable and innovative products that fit into our customer’s lifestyle and friend to the environment.
Each day, Epson invests about €1.14 million [KES 139 million] into research and development, as a reflection of how important innovation is for the company.
To support its sustainability goals, the company is investing more than €770 million [KES 94 billion] in sustainable innovation and developing new technology to reduce environmental impact.
Leveraging Epson’s piezo heat-free line-head technology, the new WorkForce Enterprise AM-Series completes Epson’s business print portfolio.
The new range provides print speeds of 40-60ppm, addressing the middle market and complementing the rest of the Epson business inkjet line-up.
With its compact footprint and lightweight design, the products help limit resources used during production and shipping.
High yield ink cartridges also reduce material usage, shipping, storage and end of use management of consumables, as well as reducing downtime for routine maintenance.
“These new products complete our business inkjet MFP line up, from small work-group units to high-speed departmental machines, meaning that no matter the business function or print demand, we have a product to suit,” said Bector
He noted that each of the products that they offer in their business inkjet range provides enterprises with the technology they need to help meet their own sustainability goals.
“We’re passionate and proud to produce sustainable technology for our partners and customers that really makes a difference in reducing power consumption and CO2 emissions. Every business that switches to inkjet technology contributes to a more sustainable society,” he noted.