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Ink-Based Marking Technologies Could Enable Office Users to Print in Color at a Lower Cost

(Weymouth, MA)April 02, 2008…Several ink-based marking technologies have recently surfaced, and these technologies are causing quite a stir in the market. The reason for this is simple. Ink-based imaging offers a number of attributes that address an underlying need in office printing: affordable color. In fact, for quite some time InfoTrends has forecasted a much broader deployment of inkjet-based technology to address these unmet needs. InfoTrends has released a report entitled, Opportunities for Ink-Based Marking Technologies, that provides an overview and history of marking technologies and examines the benefits that they can afford users in the office printing market, such as decreased costs associated with color printing.

According to Robert Palmer, a Director at InfoTrends and the author of the report, “Office customers are looking to integrate more color into their documents. They understand the value of color—particularly for those documents that touch their own customers. At the same time, however, most of today’s office customers feel that color printing is too expensive. Considering current customer needs and the benefits of inkjet technology, it makes sense for consumers to consider an ink-based page printer for the office.”

One important attribute that ink-based technology offers is the ability to precisely measure the amount of ink that is laid down on each page. This means that vendors could implement unique usage-based pricing programs—charging customers only for the amount of color ink that is used on each page. This would be particularly attractive for copiers or workgroup-level MFPs, which are often leased under a contract that includes a per-page click charge. With toner-based copiers, customers pay a set price for color pages regardless of how much color toner is used. With ink technology, vendors could create pricing programs that charge much less for pages that contain only small amounts of color ink.

In addition to analysis of the benefits and barriers to ink-based imaging, this document provides information on new and emerging technologies in this market. Key highlights of the report include:

• Detailed description and comparison of inkjet imaging technologies including serial inkjet versus page-wide arrays, thermal inkjet, piezo inkjet, and solid inkjet marking technologies.
• Explanation of various emerging ink-based technologies, including HP Edgeline, Memjet, and Brother’s line head technology.
• Overview of Xerox’s continued innovation with solid ink technology.
• Criteria that end-users should consider when reviewing alternatives to laser marking technology.

The complete research report is available immediately to clients of InfoTrends’ European and North American Digital Peripherals Solutions Consulting Services. For more information about the report or to make a purchase, visit our online store or contact Robyn Wuori at +1 ext. 109 or .

InfoTrends, a Questex company, is the leading worldwide market research and strategic consulting firm for the digital imaging and document solutions industry. We provide research, analysis, forecasts, and advice to help clients understand market trends, identify opportunities, and develop strategies to grow their businesses. Additional information about InfoTrends is available on the Web at www.infotrends.com.

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