Tag: printer

Xerox announced its acquisition of Lexmark for $15 billion, expanding its printer business and entering the large-format printing market. This acquisition will give Xerox control of Lexmark's product lines, manufacturing equipment, and distribution channels, integrating Lexmark's printers and IoT solutions with Xerox's product and service offerings. It will also increase Xerox's customer base to over 20 in more than 170 countries, with 125 manufacturing facilities in 16 countries. Furthermore, it will expand its entry-level and large-format printing markets and strengthen its managed printing services. As Lexmark is currently a leading supplier of A4-size color printing and consumables, Xerox will leverage this acquisition to strengthen its printing product line, expand into the large-format printing market, and reinforce its previously less developed Asia-Pacific market. Currently, the global printer market is mainly dominated by HP, Epson, and Canon, which together hold more than 60% of the market share. The remaining market share is contested by Ricoh, Brothers, Kyocera, Sharp, Konica Minolta, Samsung, Xerox, and Lexmark. Therefore, Xerox's acquisition of Lexmark is expected to further strengthen its competitiveness in the printer market.

In response to changing printer usage patterns in the market, HP recently launched a new business initiative, aiming to make printers more accessible to consumers through a subscription model and thus sustain its printer business. This subscription service, called the "HP All-In Plan," is similar to HP's earlier inkjet subscription service, except that it includes an additional printer. This means users don't need to leave home to buy a printer and can even replace their old one if it malfunctions. The "HP All-In Plan" subscription starts at $6.99 per month, with the most basic plan allowing for approximately 20 pages of printing, roughly meeting typical home printing needs. It also offers an entry-level inkjet printer. The highest subscription price is $35.99 per month, with options including the OfficeJet Pro and increasing the print capacity to 700 pages. If a user exceeds the monthly print limit, the cost will increase by $1 for every 10 to 15 pages printed, providing users with some flexibility in their printing usage. For normal malfunctions or damage to the printer during use, customers can contact customer service for assistance with repair or replacement. However, this subscription service is offered on a two-year cycle with a 30-day trial period. If a user cancels the subscription before the two-year period, a $270 "late fee" will apply. Furthermore, the printers used in this subscription service are essentially leased; therefore, they must be returned to HP after two years of use. This service is primarily designed for users who need to print in their daily lives but don't want the hassle of constantly buying ink and maintaining the printer. However, it may not be very appealing to users accustomed to digital content who only need to print on specific occasions. Given that the US doesn't offer the same level of convenience stores with paid printing services as Taiwan, HP's implementation of this service in the US should still attract a considerable number of users.

With the widespread adoption of digitalization, the demand for printers has actually decreased year by year, but a certain level of demand still exists. Therefore, manufacturers, including HP, continue to promote printer products. However, it seems that only a few manufacturers, including HP, are still trying to differentiate their printer products. With the launch of the new Tango printer, HP has changed the stereotypical printer design, covering the printer's exterior with fabric or cork in a book-like style, giving it a more fashionable look that won't look out of place in the home. In terms of functionality, Tango continues HP's tradition of integrating wireless printing capabilities, allowing users to remotely print via smartphone or scan documents. The printer's lightweight design and simple wiring also allow users to easily reposition it. Furthermore, HP has made the Tango series compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Microsoft Cortana (excluding Apple Siri), allowing users to easily operate the printer functions via voice control. In addition, with its network connectivity, the printer will automatically order more ink online once it detects that the ink is running low. However, this service is currently only available in specific markets such as the United States, and may not be available in Taiwan if the printer is sold there in the future. HP also offers a monthly print plan for the Tango series printers, and additionally offers a free printing service by uploading photos from a mobile phone or tablet. However, this service is also limited to the United States, and different cooperation plans may exist in other regions. As for the version with the book-shaped accessory that can change the appearance, it will be sold under the name Tango X. Users can also purchase the book-shaped accessory separately to give the Tango printer a stylish look. The suggested retail price is $149 for the Tango and $199 for the Tango X with the book-shaped accessory. It is expected to be available in October this year, but it has not yet been confirmed whether it will be introduced to Taiwan.

Canon has announced the launch of its new PIXMA home-use professional photo multifunction printer series in Taiwan. The series, including the PIXMA TS8070, TS6070, and TS5070, features a larger, adjustable touchscreen LCD panel, a 6-color separate ink system, and cloud printing capabilities such as AirPrint, the PIXMA Cloud Link cloud application, and the Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY smartphone applications. This series targets the needs of home printing users. The newly launched PIXMA TS8070, equipped with a 6-color separate ink system featuring added gray ink, enhances grayscale effects in black and white photo printing, revealing details in both dark and light areas, resulting in more pronounced tonal gradations and reduced color cast issues, thus resolving the common color cast problems in black and white photos. It also significantly improves color reproduction when printing color photos. The PIXMA TS6070 and TS5070 are equipped with a 5-color separate ink system. An additional photo black ink enhances the depth and contrast of photos, while a highly water-resistant document black pigment ink is used for printing black and white documents, avoiding the common ink bleeding problem on ordinary paper. Furthermore, catering to the increasing demand for handmade notes or instant photo styles, all the new printers support a new square print size (13cm x 13cm), making it easier for users to print similar instant or Instagram-style photos. The PIXMA TS8070 and TS6070 also support a business card print size (91mm x 55mm) for creating your own business cards, and the PIXMA TS8070 offers CD cover printing functionality. All three printers are equipped with Canon's FINE inkjet head (Full-photolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering), providing more detailed image printing output. In terms of printing speed, the PIXMA TS8070 and TS6070 can print up to 15 A4 black and white pages or 10 A4 color pages per minute, while the PIXMA TS8070 can complete a full-page photo print (standard mode) in approximately 21 seconds. Compared to previous models, the newly launched models are 35% smaller and emphasize a sleek, linear design concept, making them easier to integrate into home environments. Furthermore, Canon announced the recruitment of former HP Taiwan Vice President and General Manager of Imaging Printing and PC Business Group, Hu Da-gang, who will serve as General Manager of Canon Taiwan's Consumer Imaging Products Business Unit.

After several years of launching original continuous ink supply printers in Taiwan, Epson today (October 18th) announced the launch of its fourth-generation series, adding A3+ printing size options. The series also includes high-end models for office use and maintains low-cost models for high-volume printing. The fourth-generation series primarily targets the commercial market with the L1455 multifunction printer supporting A3+ printing size, and the L605 featuring 6-in-1 printing and networking capabilities. For general high-volume, low-cost printing needs, the L380, L385, and L485 models are also available. Compared to previous models, the main improvement is the addition of larger print output sizes, while also offering more diverse options. Supporting A3+ size print output, the L1455 is primarily designed for commercial offices, design studios, or SOHO needs. It features Epson's exclusive PrecisionCore inkjet printing technology, a durable printhead capable of printing up to 80,000 pages, and a high-speed printing rate of up to 18/10 ipm. Waterproof black ink can print up to 6000 pages, while color ink can print up to 6500 pages. The cost per page for black ink is NT$0.08, and for color ink it starts at NT$0.2. It also supports printing, photocopying, scanning, and faxing, as well as card scanning and printing functions. With wired or Wi-Fi connections, it can also use Epson iPrint, Email Print, and Google Cloud Print cloud printing functions. Designed for small and medium-sized enterprise offices, the L605 also features Epson's exclusive PrecisionCore inkjet printing technology and a durable printhead with a lifespan of up to 50,000 prints. High-speed printing speeds reach 13.7 and 7.3 ipm respectively, with waterproof black ink capable of printing approximately 6000 pages and color inks up to 6500 pages. The cost per black print is NT$0.08, and for color, it starts at NT$0.2. It supports printing, photocopying, and scanning, and can be used with wired or Wi-Fi connections for Epson iPrint, AirPrint, Email Print, and Google Cloud Print cloud printing functions. For general consumer needs, Epson's L380, L385, and L485 offer different multi-functionality options and support low-cost, high-volume printing. In addition, Epson also launched two cloud photo multifunction printers, the XP-245 and XP-442, which support printing, copying, scanning and wireless printing functions respectively, and adopt a multi-color separate ink cartridge design, making it easier for users to control the cost per print.

As previously rumored, Samsung has confirmed the sale of its printer business to HP for $10.5 billion, with plans to spin off the business as a separate entity. However, this transaction still requires approval from Samsung shareholders. While not the previously rumored $18 billion sale, the $10.5 billion sale will allow Samsung to assist HP with printer manufacturing, while HP will acquire over 6500 technology patents and up to 1300 engineers and R&D personnel. Following the sale, Samsung expects to focus its development on its core businesses such as mobile phones, semiconductors, and displays. The printer division is planned to be spun off from Samsung and sold to HP starting in November. However, this sale still requires shareholder approval. For HP, acquiring Samsung's printer business will allow it to further innovate in the $55 billion printer market.

To further streamline its business operations, Samsung may be planning to transfer its printer business to HP, with an announcement expected as early as next week. According to a report by the Seoul Economic Daily, Samsung is considering selling its printer business to HP for approximately $18 billion, with an announcement anticipated as early as next week. However, neither Samsung nor HP has responded to the rumor. Historically, Samsung has been restructuring its internal operations, such as ending its PC business and focusing solely on laptops and tablets, ending its LED lighting business in 2014, and transferring its protective and chemical assets to Hanwha Group and Lotte Group. The continued impact of digital platforms on the printer business has led to a shrinking demand for traditional printers. Unable to gain a competitive edge in a market dominated by HP, Canon, Epson, and Fujifilm, and undergoing business transformation, Samsung may have decided to sell its printer business to HP.

Canon announced a collaboration with Tsann Kuen 3C to create the PIXIMA Mobile Coffee Truck. The truck will tour popular tourist attractions and Tsann Kuen flagship stores across Taiwan every weekend until February 15, 2015, showcasing the new Canon PIXIMA MG7570 cloud-based touchscreen flagship printer and the PIXIMA MG5570 stylish Facebook printer. Participants will also have the opportunity to experience the printers, participate in instant photo printing and share their photos, and receive a free hot coffee and a PIXIMA discount coupon. In response to the launch of the new PIXIMA MG7570 cloud-based touchscreen flagship printer and the PIXIMA MG5570 stylish Facebook printer in Taiwan, Canon announced a collaboration with Tsann Kuen 3C to create the PIXIMA Mobile Coffee Truck from December 20th to February 15th, 2015. The truck will tour popular tourist attractions and Tsann Kuen flagship stores across Taiwan every weekend, showcasing the new printers. Users can enjoy hands-on experience, participate in instant photo printing and sharing activities, and receive a free cup of hot coffee (limited to 500 cups per day) and a PIXIMA discount coupon. Detailed information can be found on the Canon Taiwan website, which will regularly announce the weekly locations of the PIXIMA Mobile Coffee Truck. The PIXIMA MG7570 flagship cloud-enabled touchscreen printer launched in Taiwan features NFC technology, allowing users to quickly print documents and photos from their phones with a simple touch. It also supports wireless printing via Wi-Fi. The PIXIMA MG5570 stylish Facebook printer similarly supports Wi-Fi printing and access to services like Facebook, Dropbox, Apple AirPrint, and Google Print, making document printing even easier. The suggested retail price for the PIXIMA MG7570 flagship cloud-enabled touchscreen printer in Taiwan is NT$7990, available in Shiny Orange, Stylish White, and Classic Black, while the PIXIMA MG5570 stylish Facebook printer is priced at NT$4990.