Epson definitively abandons laser printers. His argument: the electricity bill

Ah, printers. You hate them or you hate them. These invivible but irreplaceable peripherals, as Sabina would say, have become a nightmare for companies and users. Epson, one of the leading printer manufacturers, has just announced that it is abandoning laser printers.

Sustainability to power. The Japanese multinational has announced that it will “end the sale and distribution of laser printers worldwide by 2026.” The main reason is according to those responsible that “while laser printing requires heat to melt the toner, inkjet is a cold technology that requires less energy to operate.” With this strategy they want to “contribute to sustainability with relevant advances”.

Inkjet as the only option. The decision “was inevitable” according to Rob Clarck, vice president of Epson EMEA, who explained that lasers “consume more energy than inkjets and use more parts and replaceable elements.” For this manufacturer the focus from now on will be “No Heat” inkjet technology, with the use of piezoelectric technology that allows these printers to be more efficient.

Laser technology loses ground. A recent study by IDC reveals that in Europe growth of 5.1% per year is expected for the business inkjet market. The demand for laser printing meanwhile is stagnating and in fact it is estimated that it will suffer a very slight drop of 0.4%. According to these data, 88% of hardware purchase decisions take into account the energy consumption of the devices.

Lasers consume (much) more. Consumption depends a lot on the model, of course, but the reality is that laser printers consume much more energy than inkjet alternatives. In domestic models, the consumption of a laser printer multiplies by 10 that of a jet printer according to some analyses, while in business printers the consumption of laser printers is at least double or triple that of comparable jet printers.

Practical examples. A practical example: if we go to Epson models, a laser model like the WorkForce AL-M320DN has a consumption that reaches 870 W. If we go to inkjet technology, the WorkForce Pro WF-C5390DW consumes up to 25 W during the impression.

More examples: An HP LaserJet M209dwe (up to 29 ppm mono), a modest laser printer, has a consumption of 420 W. An inkjet model like the HP ENVY Inspire 7221e (up to 15 ppm mono) has a consumption of up to 14 W. If we go to a somewhat more ambitious injection like the HP OfficeJet Pro 9022e (24 ppm in monochrome) it consumes up to 30 W.

The light is through the roof, but better not to talk about the ink. These data are certainly compelling and show that lasers can be very expensive, especially now that light (like almost everything else) is through the roof. Still, there is a clear advantage to lasers over inkjets, whose cartridges command the hefty prices that traditionally draw striking comparisons: A liter of printer ink costs more than a liter of luxury perfume than the lowest champagne. expensive or even, they say, than human blood.

Let’s talk about cost per page. Although lasers consume more, the cost per page of both technologies must also be taken into account. It is estimated that in an inkjet printer a monochrome page costs about 10 or 12 cents, and in color about 20 or 30 cents. In a laser the cost in monochrome is usually between 3 and 4 cents, and in color laser those color pages are around 10-15 cents.

Cheap ends up being expensive. Laser printers are more expensive to buy, but they try to make up for that extra cost with their low cost per page, while inkjet printers are often so cheap that it costs more to replace their cartridges than to buy a new one. Example: the HP DeskJet 2720e is currently at 51.99 euros on Amazon. The pack that includes an original HP305XL high-capacity black cartridge and a tricolor one costs 44.99 euros. It makes you think

It’s my cartridge and I’ll take it. The cost of ink joins the well-known and tragic strategy of many manufacturers to put all kinds of obstacles so that users cannot use third-party compatible cartridges in their ink printers. This particular war between manufacturers —HP, Canon and Epson itself have starred in various news in this regard— has had unique episodes, but the truth is that it does not only occur in ink printers: there are those who even hack their laser printer ( ahem) for the same reason.

Sustainability and margins. This makes inevitable the question of what profit margin a laser printer leaves for Epson (and other manufacturers), and what margin a laser printer leaves, which especially in companies becomes a cheap alternative if we look at energy consumption but potentially very expensive if employees aren’t careful and don’t stop printing in color. It is true that this manufacturer’s EcoTank technology joins other alternatives to significantly reduce the cost per page, but if you want to save with your printer, be it an individual or a company, you will have to do your own calculations.

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Epson definitively abandons laser printers. His argument: the electricity bill

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xataka

by Javier Pastor.

Source: www.xataka.com