With sustainability becoming an ever-increasing objective of today’s companies, it is no wonder that business inkjet products are garnering growing interest, Epson said.
Keypoint Intelligence forecasts a 3.2% compound annual growth rate for these products in Asia Pacific through 2021, driven by “green” features as well as their simpler design and lower cost per page compared to laser technology.
Business inkjet printers are inkjet-based devices targeted to home office, SMB, and in some cases enterprise business environments. Compared to consumer-based inkjets, they offer higher speeds, higher paper capacities, higher cartridge yields, and a lower cost per page.
Keypoint Intelligence’s inkjet segmentation
Business inkjets may also integrate features like a standard automatic document feeder (ADF), standard automatic duplexing, finishing capabilities, and support for more than six users.
These devices have been growing in popularity in recent years as leading manufacturers introduce new models with increasingly powerful features and value propositions. Keypoint Intelligence’s research shows that top motivators for buying business inkjet printers tend to include easy maintenance, good-enough image quality, and price compared to laser technology. At the same time, the top deterrent from purchasing business inkjets is by far expensive ink.
Epson said, that while customers have their own perceptions of business inkjet printers, the reality is these devices offer some clear benefits over laser printers. As mentioned above, these include fewer moving parts, a lower cost per page in many instances, and sustainability advantages.
In terms of fewer moving parts, ink-based marking technology tends to involve only a few major components (i.e., ink, an ejector or printhead, and a forced air dryer)—which leads to fewer maintenance and servicing requirements compared to laser products. Less maintenance and servicing translate into lower costs.
In terms of cost per page, business inkjet printers are now in the market that can deliver a cost per page that is up to 50% lower compared to similarly priced laser printers. In other words, these inkjets are compatible with cartridges that can reduce the cost of consumables by one half. For an organisation that prints thousands of pages a week, this savings can really add up, Epson explained.
And when it comes to sustainability, business inkjet printers typically use less power and produce less carbon dioxide compared to similar laser printers—partly because inkjet printhead technology requires less heat than laser technology. And because inkjet printers are structurally simpler, fewer parts need regular replacement—leading to less waste. In addition, inkjets are associated with cleaner air as they do not emit toner dust.
