Businesses and Inkjet printers : Potential Market?

[websnail]

It's been pointed out to me that I may be specialising a little too heavily in the education sector and may be missing a potential market in small to medium businesses so I thought I'd ask for a bit of feedback.

My product is based around the HP Officejet inkjet printer line (ie: the K550, K5400, L7x80 multifunctions as well as the K850 and K8600 A3 media lines) and without sounding like a marketing record can help save on consumable costs.

Now, at present my focus is very much on primary schools as they tend to fit this particular niche rather well. As any parent or nursery/primary school staff member will doubtless know, the tendancy for younger children to print off everything from Ceebeebies pictures to educationcity certificates is quite high and of course it's all in full colour so if you're talking about a standard inkjet using OEM/branded cartridges the consumables cost goes through the roof. Even colour laser printers don't save much...

The thing is that the type of printing that goes on in school is ideal for my kind of CIS (Continuous ink) system because the printer is getting regular exercise (try not to think of a printer being led around on a lead ) and all the colours are being used. That and as I said there's a lot of printing going on so money is being saved..

When a printer does just documents or sits idle for weeks at a time it's a waste of time... So when it comes to businesses I'm not so sure about where a CIS kit might fit... There are some obvious areas such as printshops, graphic design, etc.. but in the main they tend to pay out for much bigger and more specialised units which are outside my remit.

So, I'm curious as to just how prevalent the use of inkjet printers is in your business, what sort of models you've gone for, if at all and just as importantly why... Oh and if you regret it

And worry not I will not be PM'ing folks or using to this build leads.. I'm simply interested in some input and feedback.

Thanks in advance...

 

[debbidoo]

Lexmark 1270X - absolute PANTS. I bought one on special offer a year ago and it was fine, but then it started mangling paper a couple of months ago and I couldn't find the receipt to get it exchanged/refunded. I'd bought a couple of brand new cartridges for it, which were at that point unused, so I thought I might as well replace it with the same model and get the use out of the cartridges, which had cost more than the flipping printer. Anyway, the new one doesn't mangle paper, but it doesn't have very good print quality either. And my laptop wants me to reinstall it every time I switch it on, which is annoying... I get so far and then the laptop wants the XP disk, but my laptop came with XP pre-installed and no disk, so I can't do what it's asking me to do. Consequently I can print, but not scan. I wouldn't recommend this printer to anyone, it's rubbish.

</rant>

As to actual usage... it comes in fits and spurts really. Sometimes I seem to have to do a lot of printing, then I'll not print anything for weeks. One day when I'm a bit richer I'd like to get a colour laser printer, but it's not essential

 

[websnail]

Ouch... sorry to hear that Deb' but not overly surprised unfortunately... Lexmark are without doubt some of the worst inkjet printers out there.

Just as a nugget of advice, if you opt for a laser printer think long and hard about spending a bit more to get a more expensive version as the consumables tend to be killers for the low end models. Consumables is how these companies make their profits.

 

[jdpos]

The Epson DX7400 and DX8400 are extramely good printers. They come with allsorts of amazing software like auto read data and import it into a document, print a index of images and use it like a lottery ticket, scan it and it prints those selected prints full size.

It's a printer, copier and scanner. Ports for USB, CF card, XD/SD/MS(pro) cards and the inks last ages, if a colour starts running out the printer automatically mixes it with other colours to use less of that ink.

Great printer for home use.

 

[Cathy]

We use an Epson and chose it primarily because it offers the chance of replacing colours separately. We use predominantly the magenta and black cartridges - or at least replace those far more frequently than the others - that's because of our logo and we print a lot of invoices.

So, we'd be interested in ways of making that more efficient but not sure if your product would work for ours as I know HP's have a combined colour cartridge.

We've been pretty pleased with our Epsons - pretty reliable, fast and we managed to find a cheap and reliable source of compatible cartridges which of course does cut costs significantly.

PS: Welcome to the forum

 

[websnail]

We use an Epson and chose it primarily because it offers the chance of replacing colours separately. We use predominantly the magenta and black cartridges - or at least replace those far more frequently than the others - that's because of our logo and we print a lot of invoices.

Makes sense

So, we'd be interested in ways of making that more efficient but not sure if your product would work for ours as I know HP's have a combined colour cartridge.

In the bulk of cases this is true but when you get into Business Inkjet and Officejet printers (and indeed some Photosmart printers) the cartridges are seperate. I wouldn't touch any tri-colour (all colours in one) printers as they tend to be low quality (Epson being a minor exception)

We've been pretty pleased with our Epsons - pretty reliable, fast and we managed to find a cheap and reliable source of compatible cartridges which of course does cut costs significantly.

With the epsons, small tip... They tend to get a "service required" message after a while which means the waste ink tank/pads has/have filled up and needs replacing. There's a plethora of resources out there for this sort of thing so throwing the printer needn't be the only option.. Depending, of course on the model printer ... which is what btw?

PS: Welcome to the forum

Thanks and thanks for the input...



@jdpos : You too... thanks

 

[Cathy]

Now that's a great tip because we bought a couple of Epsons last year because our C66 (I think) seemed to be throwing up just such an error message and we figured it was cheaper to replace than to get someone to 'service' it. Hope you don't mind but I'll send you a PM - it's still kicking around the office and would be handy as another back up.

We currently have a DX7000F and a D78

 

[websnail]

Hope you don't mind but I'll send you a PM - it's still kicking around the office and would be handy as another back up.

PM away...

Just to note, the C66 is a little more involved than the R model Epsons because you have to do a little printer disassembly to get to the waste pipe. The next bit of bad news is that because the C66 uses Durebrite (read: ultraclogging ink) you're going to need some cleaning solution to de-clog the printheads because they will be solid.

The good news however is that:
a) I was the fool who figured out how to modify the C86 (the slightly older brother) so I know how it's done and have a guide online that shows how.
b) All you need with the head clog is suitable cleaning fluid, patience, more patience and time.

My particular frustration with Epson is that their printers can work for years but the waste ink issue results in a massive landfill issue. But we're getting off topic...

 

[Marzipan]

Hi Websnail, it sounds like you really know your onions when it comes to inkjets!

We have an Epson C70+ that gets hammered but only occasionally. We've tried newer inkjets but they all end up on ebay because they don't/can't feed though the thin card we use it for whereas it's a walk in the park for the C70, C70+ and C80. Perhaps there are other makes & models that might do it, but I wouldn't consider anything that didn't have seperate colour cartridges and I think I've tried most of those. For our main office printing we use a HP Colour Laserjet 5 - ancient, noisy, and absolutely huge but ever so cheap on consumables - 99p for a toner cartidge from ebay on a good day, a fiver on a bad day, and things like drum kits (rrp £600 or something stupid) for around £50. It's not the best for photographs but for solid colours like our logo on invoices etc it's a cracking good print. Anyway, you don't need to know about lasers, I'm just telling you that to highlight how small businesses like ourselves may well have gone down the laser route once they start doing any sort of volume printing, hence very little use for their inkjets.

Where I think you might find high end users of inkjets is charities - particularly the local branches of nationals or the local independent charities run entirely by volunteers, from home, utilising their home-use inkjets. Speaking as someone who's been very involved in a couple of said charitable groups - flyers, posters, and newsletters are very thirsty on ink and while some volunteers might not claim back their costs, a surprising amount do so any saving is a godsend and also helps to ease the conscience of those who claim. Might be worth tackling it from the local end but also speaking to the HO of some nationals from the point of view of how much you could be saving their network?

One other niche within small businesses that could be worth a look at is small craft suppliers - my dad does egg craft and the catalogues he's received are all printed on inkjets, and one of them is about 50 pages double sided, full colour. Given that their range of goodies sells from about 10p you wonder how they make any money really... but anyway, their profit margins must be very tight so any saving your system could give them (not to mention not having to babysit a print run of catalogues all night just to be on hand to replace cartridges!) would be very welcome I should think.

Regards
Aly

 

[websnail]

Hi Websnail, it sounds like you really know your onions when it comes to inkjets!

Yeah, ok so in my intro I was lying about not being obsessed

We have an Epson C70+ that gets hammered but only occasionally. We've tried newer inkjets but they all end up on ebay because they don't/can't feed though the thin card we use it for whereas it's a walk in the park for the C70, C70+ and C80. Perhaps there are other makes & models that might do it, but I wouldn't consider anything that didn't have seperate colour cartridges and I think I've tried most of those.

Erk, sounds like you're as in it up to your eyeballs too...

Interesting re: the card... I've not had the same issues with card feeding so long as it's 160gsm or just slightly above.. 200gsm tends to hit problems though. More often it's clogging with the durabrite ink.

Anyway, you don't need to know about lasers, I'm just telling you that to highlight how small businesses like ourselves may well have gone down the laser route once they start doing any sort of volume printing, hence very little use for their inkjets.

Thanks for that insight...

Where I think you might find high end users of inkjets is charities

Hadn't considered that aspect so very useful and I do have some contacts there so worth chatting to them.. thanks

One other niche within small businesses that could be worth a look at is small craft suppliers

Makes sense.. older Epson printers are better in that regard as they tend to reset more readily without needing intervention so long as you send the jobs in chunks. Many of the newer printers have anti-autoreset chip routines that make it difficult to reset without user intervention if at all... Classic example of this being the newer HP's...



Ok... thanks overall though... exactly the sort of insight I'd wanted... cheers.

 

[Marzipan]

.. older Epson printers are better in that regard as they tend to reset more readily without needing intervention so long as you send the jobs in chunks. Many of the newer printers have anti-autoreset chip routines that make it difficult to reset without user intervention if at all... Classic example of this being the newer HP's...

Ok, it's official, you are UKBF's numero uno printer geek!!

 

[brownie]

Ouch... sorry to hear that Deb' but not overly surprised unfortunately... Lexmark are without doubt some of the worst inkjet printers out there.

Just as a nugget of advice, if you opt for a laser printer think long and hard about spending a bit more to get a more expensive version as the consumables tend to be killers for the low end models. Consumables is how these companies make their profits.

Agree with both points, Lexmark budget printers are sh*te and the consumables a rip off.

I've currently a budget Samsung laser (ml-2571n) which I've been very happy with, about £70 with ethernet. The cartridge is dead easy to refill for about £6.

 

[Dawg]

Where can I get the head cleaning solution? I have an old workhorse 1160 which I'd like to at least try to breathe some life into.

One niche you might try is Farmers Markets. A lot of the sellers make their own labels on inkjets and print quite a lot of labels. If you could offer a CIS with waterproof/showerproof ink you might get some custom.

 

[Kay Sera]

Hi websnail

I am really interested in this thread as I am currently considering buying a colour inkjet.

We print wrappers for chocolate bars and are currently using a Samsung CLP500 laser printer. We are using 135 gm laser glossy paper but I am not completely happy with the finish. The wrappers look ok but they do lose some of the high gloss finish, I presume because of the heating element within the machine. I also find the colours can be quite different to what I expect - much deeper and "loud" (for want of a better description) so I end up wasting paper and ink just getting the balance right.

I was thinking of looking for a new laser printer and have been turned away from considering inkjets in the past because of cost of refills etc. BUT I was always happy with the quality of print from my old inkjets.

We don't do large volume printing (yet! We have only just started up this business) and any that we have already produced have been very happily received by our customers. I think it's just me who isn't 100% happy with the quality.

Would you recommend an HP Inkjet, and if so, which one?

Many thanks in advance.

 

[websnail]

@ Marzipan: LOL... Shhhhhh!, nobody is going to notice...


@ Dawg: Another good point and with a father doing a lot of trade now he's down in Devon, I can get a bit of market research going there too. The waterproof side of things causes a few niggles but Epson handle that fine.


It is sounding a lot like Epsons are where a lot of people are at isn't it.. Hmmmm.

 

[websnail]

Hi websnail

I am really interested in this thread as I am currently considering buying a colour inkjet.

We print wrappers for chocolate bars and are currently using a Samsung CLP500 laser printer. We are using 135 gm laser glossy paper but I am not completely happy with the finish. The wrappers look ok but they do lose some of the high gloss finish, I presume because of the heating element within the machine. I also find the colours can be quite different to what I expect - much deeper and "loud" (for want of a better description) so I end up wasting paper and ink just getting the balance right.

Eek... colour balance is a "fun" area but usually it comes down to creating colour profiles that match your screen to your printer. There are some services out there that can help develop a custom profile for you and a few software packages too.. In truth I don't tend to deal with that side of things as Nursery school children seem to be less exacting but I can recommend the forums at nifty-stuff for more intel and discussion on colour profiling.

I was thinking of looking for a new laser printer and have been turned away from considering inkjets in the past because of cost of refills etc. BUT I was always happy with the quality of print from my old inkjets.

We don't do large volume printing (yet! We have only just started up this business) and any that we have already produced have been very happily received by our customers. I think it's just me who isn't 100% happy with the quality.

Would you recommend an HP Inkjet, and if so, which one?

Right... your million euro question (dollars are soooo last year ) is whether you need the output to be "water proof" or water resistant at least.

If so Epsons are generally going to be your best option as they use a pigment based ink. Canon have recently brought out their first pigment based printer the Pixma 7600 but frankly they haven't got a clue yet and a CIS for that machine is non-existant at present anyway.

The HP Officejets are pretty good if you want something where you're not fussed about ink running when wet and especially good when speed is required. CIS kits for them are also a proverbial piece of pee to install because the cartridges are static (unlike other inkjets). And of course I know this great kit supplier *flutters eyelashes winningly*

Anyway, I'm in severe danger of making myself even more of a geek here... So, perhaps it'd be better to start a different thread with your specifications (including type of use, etc..) I can wax lyrical there without losing this topic thread as people fall asleep

 

[Kay Sera]

lol

You must be a mind-reader as the question about being water-proof or not was on my next list of questions to ask! As many of our wrappers will be in attendance at children's parties I think being water-proof is essential! It's a good few years since I owned an inkjet printer so wasn't sure whether this was possible these days or not.

Looks like I will have to stick with the laser then - the fluttering of your eyelashes would have gained you a new customer if an inkjet could have done the job (sorry).

 

[websnail]

lol

You must be a mind-reader as the question about being water-proof or not was on my next list of questions to ask! As many of our wrappers will be in attendance at children's parties I think being water-proof is essential! It's a good few years since I owned an inkjet printer so wasn't sure whether this was possible these days or not.

Looks like I will have to stick with the laser then - the fluttering of your eyelashes would have gained you a new customer if an inkjet could have done the job (sorry).

Just to clarify one bit in case there was any confusion... Something like the Epson C84 or newer D88 would do the job as their pigment inks are water resistant thanks to the resin-type ink base used. It does mean they have to be exercised or used regularly to reduce clogging issues.

I don't actually have those kits at present because of problems I experienced with the cartridges available for kits.. It's something for the future but right now there's only so much space, time, money, etc...

 

[Kay Sera]

Thanks for that - the penny hadn't dropped! Just been reading a few reviews and all seem to say good things at the moment but I will do a bit more research first. Thanks again for your advice - very much appreciated

 

[websnail]

Whoops... This topic managed to go quite a ways off base so to bring it back on track..

Does anyone else have any comments re: Inkjets and whether they use them, etc.. as per the original post. Cheers...

 

[asonda]

Hi,

I have been a devout Epson worshipper since I can remember. We've been through Epson Stylus Colour 240, C44, C66, RX420, DX4400 and many more.

The printers are typically used for a range of things. We use top quality paper for PC Quick Start Guides, Invoices, Letters, Remittance Advices etc.

The thing is and to be quite honest with you, I do buy remanufactured cartridges for about 1.95 a pop per colour but...

The prices on colour laser printers has dropped so dramatically that when any of the inkjets I have fail, I may jump on the laser wagon so to speak.

For some reason I always equate laser to be much better quality than inkjet but I also know that the latest inkjets can produce some blinding results using the correct colour settings, paper, dpi etc

Just another thing, our local technology college ONLY uses laser printers. The ONLY inkjet they have is in a Graphics Design room which is an old Canon A3 printer used alongside a plotter for different ways of producing technical drawings etc

I was suprised to hear you say your main customer is infact schools! there we go, learn something new everyday!

I would always consider buying HP but I think Epson give the best value in my opinion.

 

[websnail]

Hi,

I have been a devout Epson worshipper since I can remember. We've been through Epson Stylus Colour 240, C44, C66, RX420, DX4400 and many more.

The printers are typically used for a range of things. We use top quality paper for PC Quick Start Guides, Invoices, Letters, Remittance Advices etc.

The thing is and to be quite honest with you, I do buy remanufactured cartridges for about 1.95 a pop per colour but...

The prices on colour laser printers has dropped so dramatically that when any of the inkjets I have fail, I may jump on the laser wagon so to speak.

For some reason I always equate laser to be much better quality than inkjet but I also know that the latest inkjets can produce some blinding results using the correct colour settings, paper, dpi etc

All useful... I tend to think from an "expert" or at least "experienced" POV so it's always good to get the other side (well, hence this thread really )

Just another thing, our local technology college ONLY uses laser printers. The ONLY inkjet they have is in a Graphics Design room which is an old Canon A3 printer used alongside a plotter for different ways of producing technical drawings etc

I was suprised to hear you say your main customer is infact schools! there we go, learn something new everyday!

Yeah that makes sense... As a general rule, the older the student gets the more they tend to print in black and white so lasers make a lot more sense there. That and the poor individual changing the toner cartridges doesn't want to be spending every other hour changing inkjet cartridges whereas toners last much longer.

When you get primary schools it's a whole other ball game... You've seen the colours used in nursery paintings right? Well it's the same with computer paint programs, etc.. Lots of colour..

I would always consider buying HP but I think Epson give the best value in my opinion.

Interesting... Ok... thanks for that...


Wonder what else we can shake loose? Anyone else willing to share?

 

[websnail]

Just wanted to update this topic after a considerable time away developing my business plan.


As luck would have it I have fallen into one aspect of Epson printers that really has been neglected but given the level of waste in terms of cartridges and printers themselves it seems like a natural extension of my original plans.

Instead of supplying cartridges or CIS kits or even printers I've found myself providing end-users with the means to resurrect a printer that has announced that it won't print until the waste ink pad has been changed (A lot like a baby demanding a nappy change or else!).

The old "service required" or "parts in the printer have reached the end of their service life" message is a real nightmare because Murphy being alive and well it'll always be when you need this one thing to print.

Anyway, net result has been the development of various resources on wasteink.co.uk along with an eBay store and my own eCommerce operation too. I'll not spam but in case anyone is hitting this problem the wasteink site should help explain the problems, the issues and the solutions.

It's going to be an ongoing battle of sorts though, as Epson and other printer manufacturers seem to be releasing 8 new models every quarter and then putting different model numbers for different global sales zones to make it even more fun!

Thanks again for everyones input this time last year though, it really did help enormously.

Martin