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BUSINESS INKJETS
At CeBIT on March 20, Epson
significantly strengthened its
business inkjet offering with the
launch of two high speed colour
A3 inkjet MFPs designed for busy
enterprises and small and medium-
sized businesses that have regular
spikes in print volume.
Underlining its growing reputation as a
provider of enterprise print solutions, Epson
was also showing a new, channel-only
RIPS device with an expanded ink capacity
of 84,000 pages, compared to 75,000
pages on previous RIPS models, and its
extraordinary PaperLab paper-making
machine, shown in Europe for the first time.
New printhead
When business inkjets were introduced
much was made of their potential for very
high speed colour printing.
Epson has delivered on this promise
by replacing the serial printhead used on
its existing devices with one that covers
the entire width of a page. Like HP’s
PageWide technology, this has enabled
Epson to increase print speed significantly,
to 100 pages per minute on the WorkForce
Enterprise WF-C20590 and to 75ppm on
the WF-C17590.
Epson’s existing serial business inkjet
devices have a top speed of 34ppm draft
and 24ppm ISO.
By meeting the productivity needs of
larger organisations, the company’s new,
faster MFPs have the potential to extend
the appeal of business inkjets to markets
in which productivity will always trump
considerations such as energy efficiency
and sustainability.
Speaking to
PrintIT Reseller
last
December, Peter Silcock, Epson
UK business manager for
business imaging, said that in
relation to business inkjets,
Epson’s main goal for 2017
was to develop the range
to address the productivity
needs of customers.
He said: “Productivity
is a real challenge for a lot
of businesses and the fact
that the time to first page on
business inkjets is so quick,
because there is no heat involved,
makes businesses so much more
productive. That is a real benefit,
which is why we’re constantly
pushing business inkjet into areas
that would traditionally be the
domain of laser-type devices.”
In the case of Epson’s new
Workforce Enterprise series, the area
in question is currently occupied by
55ppm colour toner copiers that
consume significantly more power
and generate much more waste than
inkjet devices.
Darren Phelps, Epson Europe
director of business imaging, said:
“The WorkForce Enterprise cuts
the environmental impact of print
by providing a low power solution,
with fewer supplies, while delivering
remarkably fast print speeds at high
quality. Having far fewer parts than
equivalent laser-based MFDs, this series
promises to deliver higher reliability and
significantly increase printer uptime.”
He added: “We knew we had
something special as soon as we saw
the WorkForce Enterprise in the lab, but
it has been the reactions from resellers
across Europe that has really confirmed
the ground-breaking nature of this new
range.”
The new MFPs will be available in
June and are compatible with a wide
range of solutions, such as Email Print
for Enterprise, Epson Print Admin and
Document Capture Pro. Options include a
WorkFlow Enterprise Finisher unit and a
4,000-sheet stapler and stacker.
RIPS expansion
Epson was also showing its latest RIPS
model, the 35ppm A3 WorkForce Pro
WF-C869RDTWF. RIPS business inkjets,
available exclusively from the channel,
come with extra-large ink tanks that
contain enough ink for 75,000
pages. On the WF-C869RDTWF,
Epson has increased capacity
to 86,000 pages for black
and 84,000 pages for each
of the colours.
Having such a large ink
supply reduces the servicing
requirements and costs
for managed service
providers, while maximising
machine availability for their
Epson takes business
inkjets to next level with
100ppm colour MFP
Strength in width
customers.
Peter Silcock said: “A lot of businesses
get really frustrated with the lack of
productivity you get with certain types of
device, particularly laser printers where
you’re constantly changing cartridges or
the printers are down because they need a
new drum or fuser unit. The beauty of these
products is that they take away all that
worry and make it really simple for users.”
Like other WorkForce Pro models,
the WF-C869RDTWF has impressive
environmental credentials including a 95%
saving on energy and 99% less waste from
supplies packaging.
Make your own paper
The third highlight of Epson’s stand is
the remarkable PaperLab.
PITR
covered
this paper-making machine when it was
launched last year, initially as a Japan-only
solution, and we are doing so again now
that it has been shown for the first time in
Europe.
A real calling card for Epson
innovation, PaperLab turns office waste
paper into printable paper using a dry
process that requires almost no water and,
importantly, no mains water supply.
Capable of producing thousands of
sheets a day, the compact unit shreds
an office’s waste paper and turns it into
recycled printer paper of varying sizes and
thickness. Paper can be coloured and even
scented.
Talking about PaperLab at CeBIT 2017,
Epson global president Mr Minoru Usui
said: “We plan to start selling PaperLab in
Europe by the Autumn of 2018. Our aim is
to create a new office printing ecosystem
where customers can enjoy high-speed inkjet
printers using paper recycled by PaperLab.”
He added: “My vision is for a world in
which you can print and then recycle all
the paper you want. One day I hope we
can develop PaperLabs of all sizes and see
them used in factories, in offices and even
in your home.”
The reaction
of resellers
across
Europe has
confirmed
the ground-
breaking
nature of this
new
range
EPSON :
WorkForce Enterprise
