Lexmark is at it again! This week they filed lawsuits against ink cartridge refillers who they claim have been cutting in to their profits for years.

Lexmark is after North Carolina based Static Control again because they want static control to stop competing for their remanufactured cartridge business. Lexmark v Static Control started back in 2005 and focused up Lexmark’s Smart Chip technology. Now we are back for round 2 with Lexmark claiming Static Control has violated copyright law.

Lexmark claims that of the 10 million toner cartridges it shipped last year cartridge remanufacturers took away 27% (about 2.7 million) of the empties for remanufacturing for reselling. This could be worth as much as $200 million.

One good lawsuit deserves another, so Static Control has filed a law suit of its own. Static Control has accused Lexmark of monopolizing the toner cartridge market and falsely representing their products.

More to come . . .

What do you think about this? Sounds like a “deep pocket” approach to me.

Vyomesh Joshi, HP’s Executive Vice President of the Imaging and Printing Group, recently gave an interview and participated in a round table discussion at the Future in Review Conference. Here are some excerpts (you can read the full article here).

1. HP has been focused on being a printer business. They now need to shift to being a printing business.

Joshi says HP needs to focus on pages rather than printers. There are more than 48 trillion pages printed per year (Wow!) and in terms of a market share, HP only holds 2%. He sees a lot of opportunity in the pages.

Anyone see the need for more extensive use of printer ink in making the shift to this model? 48 trillion pages printed and HP only makes up 2% of that 48 trillion. That’s a lot of ink!

2. The Content Consumption model

Joshi believes that in its shift, HP needs to look at a Content Consumption model. There is a huge push today for the consumers to create and then consume the content they create. Given the technology that exists it is very easy for individuals to create content and then quickly distribute it for others to consume (that is what we are doing here). All of this can be done from their homes using a digital camera, Internet connection, various forms of inexpensive software, and a printer. The technology that was supposed to have created a paperless society has created a society that prints a lot more, maybe not always on paper, but on other mediums. HP’s goal is to be a source of printing on any medium.

3. Inkjet printing and DNA sequencing

Joshi believes that HP’s inkjet technology can play a big part in supplying technology that works in medical areas like drug delivery and DNA sequencing. He claims that HP’s core competency is making a pump that can accurately deliver liquid. Their pump (internal component of the inkjet printer) accurately delivers nanoliters of liquids, and they make a half a billion of them a year.

4. 3D Printing

HP has made 3D prints in their labs. It requires layering of materials, and the primary concern is the strength of the material used. He said the problem is not in the printer, and that HP could inkjet anything. The limiting factor is the material they are printing on.

5. On Kodak

(We are just going to use the direct quote on this one) “Kodak says they are half the price on photos only, not black and white. You will find that claim is not really valid. What do customers print in the home? Seventy percent of it is black and white. Kodak has patent issues. The problem is going to be any kind of business you want to build, it has to be a real business model. Look at Dell, they started (in printers) three years ago, and still can’t make money.”

6. On Memjet

(Direct quote on this one too) “It’s very interesting; they are claiming they have a prototype of one. It takes years to commercialize the technology. We always love competition; it gives us a wakeup call.”

Let Pacific Ink know what you think of Joshi’s comments.

This is for the science buffs out there!

We’ve joked (a little, and probably not to successfully) about the release of Epson’s new Micro Piezo print head technology. While most people just care about the end result, the print out, there are a few that want to know what the heck the Mirco Piezo print head is all about. So, this post is for them.

Micro Piezo actually comes from piezoelectric or piezoelectricity. Piezoelectricity is the ability of crystals and certain ceramic materials to generate a voltage in response to applied mechanical stress. Epson took this technology and put it in to all of their inkjet printers. They place a piezoelectric crystal in each nozzle of their print head rather than a heating element (as is done by HP, Dell, Lexmark, etc.). When a current is applied to the crystal it changes its shape/size and a droplet of ink is forced from the nozzle. According to those that “really” understand all this, a piezoelectric inkjet printer allows one to print with a wider variety of inks with higher quality than thermal inkjets. It also allows for much more economical ink usage.

Do you have any stories to share about your experiences with an Epson printer versus printers made by any of the other manufacturers? Share them with us.

The Canon PIXMA iP6700D is a very good printer for those wanting to print photographs. But those thinking they will be getting a machine that they can use to print their text based documents as well might be disappointed. Its text printing prowess is mediocre at best.

Canon designed the machine as one to print photos with, but strangely enough put in a duplexing feature. I haven’t heard of to many people printing two sided photos! The 3.5 inch LCD screen allows you to view and edit photos directly from your memory card (the printer comes with a built in memory card reader). Its photo print quality is quite impressive and the machine is Bluetooth capable.

Here is what Canon’s description of this photo printer:

This versatile machine is a photo-printing powerhouse. Its patented print head technology and six ink tanks produce beautiful, long-lasting prints with startling color and detail. The extra-large 3.5 inch color LCD viewer lets you enhance images before printing and advanced paper handling increases your productivity. Plus, you can print from your computer, compatible memory cards, cameras, Bluetooth devices and even camera phones. Snap and print, wirelessly - Print wirelessly right from your infrared-enabled mobile camera phone Print wirelessly - Print from a compatible Bluetooth device in another room, using our optional USB Bluetooth adapter Print 2 sided and save paper Life-like colors - Two high-intensity photo inks plus four conventional inks equals precise, life-like color values Faster data - The USB 2.0 interface enables the fastest possible image transfers Print Speed - Up to 4×6 borderless photo as fast as 47 seconds, 8×10 photo as fast as 76 seconds Nozzle Text - 512 x 6 colors (C, M, Y, BK, PC, PM), 3072 Total Print Resolution - Up to 9600 x 2400 dpi Black, Up to 9600 x 2400 dpi Color OS Compatibility - Windows XP, 2000, Me, 98 and Mac OS X v.10.2.8 to 10.4.x8 Standard Interface - USB 2.0 Hi-Speed, Direct Print Port (cables not included), IrDA version 1.2 (JPEG only), Bluetooth version 1.2 Buffer/Ram - 42KB Paper Sizes - Credit Card (2.13 x 3.39), 4×6, 4×8, 5×7, 8×10, Letter, Legal, U.S. #10 Envelopes Direct Printing supported card formats - CF, SD, MMC, SmartMedia, Microdrive, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro

The iP6700D is definitely a machine designed for printing image heavy documents (pictures, graphics, image heavy web pages).

This printer utilizes the CLI-8 (CLI-8BK, CLI-8C, CLI-8M, CLI-8Y, CLI-8PC, CLI-8PM) series of cartridges. The series is made up of individual ink tank cartridges (one cartridge for each color), so you simply have to replace the color you run out of, rather than the entire set. At this time only Canon brand cartridges are available, but we expect the 100% compatible versions to be available in early June.

If you own this printer, let Pacific Ink know what you think.

Add this one to our ever growing list of uses for inkjet printers.

Nanoident Technologies, a company in Linz, Austria is producing organic semiconductors (microchips) by spraying intricate patterns of specialized ink onto layers of foil and polymer. How does it work?

A modified printer uses 128 inkjet nozzles to spray a pattern onto different layers of foil or polymer. They layers are then put together. Pretty simple!

Using this technology the company is capable of producing 40,000 square meters of semiconductors a year. Traditional methods can also produce 40,000 square meters a year, but at a much greater cost. It would cost about $1.3 billion and require 5,000 employees. The Nanoident printing method only costs $10 million and requires 50 people. Printed semiconductors also have larger features than the traditional silicon chips. They can be printed with more than 100 times the features inserted in to silicon chips.

Despite the advantages, the organic chips will not be put to use in computers. They are far slower and degrade faster than silicon chips. They will instead be used for single use applications.

Back in late April Lexmark announced that their quarterly profits were below their estimated target. This in turn caused their stock share prices to drop. We could go on for a while about the stock market and the relationship between missing your target earnings and plummeting stock prices, but that is probably a topic for a completely different blog.

Instead we will discuss what Lexmark decided to do about the problem. At the time they made the announcement they said that a part of the problem was a decline in inkjet and laser printer sales (inkjet sales were down by 10% while laser were down by 6%). They also said that sales of supplies — printer cartridges — was flat.

In 2006 Lexmark presented a plan that would reduce the sales of unprofitable inkjet and laser printers. Such a plan is the complete opposite of plans used by HP, Canon, Dell, and just about every other printer manufacturer out there. We are not fully aware of the level of profitability these other companies have on printers they sell, but we do know that they depend more on the sale of the cartridges that go in those printers to make the real money.

This move by Lexmark would seem to be a form of suicide. Reducing sales means reducing the number of printers in the market place and thus reducing the number of printers in homes and offices. Bottom line is then that the number of printer cartridges sold for these printers would decrease.

Now we see the results of their plan. Declining printer sales, flat printer cartridge sales, earnings below target.

Hopefully Lexmark can find its way out of this. We just found it strange that they presented a plan that would have them sell less printers (and therefore less printer cartridges), like their competitors. Or, a plan that would have been more like the one Kodak is deploying (more expensive printers and lower priced ink).

Pacific Ink wants to know what do you think?

Yesterday’s post also led me to another interesting story. Actually, it was only a paragraph or two within the same story, but I found it pretty interesting and kind of comical. So much so that is deserved its own post. This just goes to prove there is a niche to be found for everyone.

Dr. Will Miller is a noted pop culture psychologist and the self proclaimed “Ink Shrink”. Your are reading this correctly, an INK SHRINK. Now, the question has to be asked, what on earth does an Ink Shrink do, or what could he possible useful information could he lend to the world. Well, useful or not is up to the reader, but here is what he offers.

According to Dr. Will the typical home printer users fits one of three profiles — Squirrels, Squids, or Snakes (Any guesses as to where this is going yet? Keep reading.) Using his expertise and results from the Kodak survey the profiles can be described in the following ways.

Squirrels - Conscientiously concerned about conserving ink.

Squids - Not concerned about wasting ink; strong likelihood to print whatever, whenever.

Snakes - Printing personal documents away from home or having others print for them.

In an apparent plug for the benefits of the new Kodak ink cartridges, Dr. Will said “Printer innovations, like Kodak’s new premium ink, can reduce undue stress and ink conservation maneuvers for the squirrels and snakes among us.” He then went on to say, “It can also drive thicker family photo albums, less ink sneaking at the office and better printer privileges for the kids.” Sounds like someone was on Kodak’s payroll for this one. Combine survey results with some pop culture and hopefully that equals some sales.

For those interested you can take a survey and find your profile at www.inkisit.com. The questions are pretty funny. It is a Kodak sponsored site so be prepared.

I am a squirrel!

What does the U.S. population think about printer ink?

Kodak recently commissioned a nationwide survey and the results are in. Here is what they found out.

Nearly 50% of home printer users said they would print more or their printing habits would change if printer ink cost less. Nearly 60% said that printer ink is so expensive that they try not to waste it. And, 8 out of 10 (80%) of printer users say it is important to conserve printer ink.

Other results show that:

- 59% of printer users print in black and white as a way to conserve the more expensive color ink.

- 33% print in draft mode to conserve ink.

- 57% choose to just view things on their computer monitor rather than print at all.

- 30% avoid printing photos.

- 25% are sneaky and print in locations other than their home (friend’s home, work)

The cost of printer ink has also impacted children. 30% of the parents surveyed said they would let their children print more in color if ink was less expensive. 36% of parents admited to limiting their children’s use of the printer because of the cost of ink.

And now comes my favorite part of the survey. A new titled has been given to those that do all of their printing at their place of work — The Office Ink Sneak!

Results show that 6 out of 10 office workers that own their own printer (at home) print their personal documents at work. 28% said they use the office printers to conserve their home printing supplies or because the supplies at the office are free. You can read the whole story and see all the results here.

Having worked in an office I could definitely be called an Ink Sneak, as are many of my co-workers now. But, this gives me an idea. How about Pacific Ink offers a Ink Sneak discount? A little something to save you a little money so you don’t have to feel so bad when you have to print something on a weekend while you are away from the office.

The Canon PIXMA Pro9000 photo inkjet printer provides photo lab quality prints up to 11″ x 14″ and is priced at $830.00 (although better prices can be found by shopping around online).

Canon describes this photo inkjet printer in the following way:

With the PIXMA Pro9000, you’ll discover just how good a photographer you really are. The 8-color ink system opens up your color palette, and advanced software fine-tunes your output. Move up to 13×19 print on fine art papers. The PIXMA Pro9000’s ChromaLife100 system combines the benefits of dye-based ink, Canon photo paper and FINE print head technology to produce long-lasting, beautiful prints. With an 8-color dye ink system, the Pro9000 produces a wide color gamut to achieve vivid coloration and high glossiness. Black and Color Print Resolution - Up to 4800 x 2400 dpi Maximum 4800 x 2400 dpi FINE print head technology High-Speed USB 2.0 Ink Droplet Size - 2 picoliters Buffer/Ram - 42KB Paper Sizes - Letter, Legal, 4x 6, 4x 8, 5x 7, 8×10, 13×19, U.S. #10 Envelopes Paper Handling - Top Feeding (ASF); Front Feeding (Single sheet up to 1.2mm paper thickness) Noise Level (Approx.) - 37 dB(A) in the best quality mode Power Source - 120V AC, 60Hz Professional printer features using Easy-PhotoPrint Pro (Plug-in software for Adobe Photoshop CS/CS2) New printer driver with advanced color controls OS Compatibility - Windows XP, 2000, ME, 98 and Mac OS X v.10.2.8 or higher Dimensions - Width 26.0 x Height 7.6 x Depth 14.0 inches Weight - 30.8 pounds

Here’s what the users of this printer are saying:

• It has greatly exceeded my expectations and has far outperformed other printers I have owned over the past 15 years.
• It is a huge printer, but I absolutely love it.
• The color from this printer just blew me away.
• This is not a printer for the casual PC user. It was clearly designed for art studios and pro photo labs.
• It does not have in internal paper cartridge. To print you must open the front tray and rear trays.
• Very fast. Very quiet.

If you own this printer, let Pacific Ink know what you think.

This is a sad one.

The Glouchester County Times recently ran a story about a township council cutting $809,000.00 from their proposed school budget. Areas of reduction included transportation, employee health benefits, benefits paid to retirees, and $20,000 in each printer ink and supplies.

A $20,000 cut in printer ink supplies? What on earth are you doing spending so much in the first place? Honestly, give Pacific Ink a call we’ll work to save you some money so you can put some it back in to health benefits and retiree benefits. Those folks work hard and don’t deserve to have their benefits reduced.

Any thoughts from anyone out there?