Epson has reaffirmed its full commitment to inkjet printing for the office, announcing that it will end the global sale and distribution of laser printers by 2026. Explaining the decision, the company cites the greater potential of inkjet to make meaningful advances in sustainability. This is due to the way the different technologies work - with laser requiring heat to fuse toner to a page where inkjet is a cold technology needing less energy to operate.

The news comes a year after Epson announced its ¥100 billion investment into sustainable innovation and coincides with the launch of its new range of business inkjet MFPs.

Epson EMEA’s senior vice president Rob Clark says: “The decision to leave the laser market has been inevitable. As a company we’ve committed to sustainable innovation and action, and laser printers don’t fit within that. They consume more energy than business inkjets and use more consumable parts.

“Our printing business will instead focus 100% on piezo Heat-Free inkjet, leveraging our propriety technology to deliver efficient, sustainable print solutions for our partners and end users.”

The business inkjet market is forecast to grow; to the detriment of laser

According to IDC data, the business inkjet market in Western Europe is expected to grow at +5.1% per annum, contrasting with a -0.4% year-on-year decline in demand for laser printing[1], with growth in business inkjet showing similar trends for CEE and MEA. IDC research also suggests that 88% of hardware decision makers now consider energy consumption and waste (87%) to be ‘extremely’ or’ very’ important when selecting new printing devices[2].

The new Epson Enterprise range

Leveraging Epson’s piezo Heat-Free line-head technology, the new WorkForce Enterprise AM-Series completes Epson’s business print portfolio. The new range provides print speeds of 40-60ppm, addressing the middle market and complementing the rest of the Epson business inkjet line-up.

With a compact footprint and lightweight design, the products help limit resources used during production and shipping. High yield ink cartridges also reduce material usage, shipping, storage and end of use management of consumables, as well as reducing downtime for routine maintenance. 

Timothy Thomas, Epson South Africa’s country manager says: “These new products complete our business inkjet MFP line up, from small work-group units to high-speed departmental machines, meaning that no matter the business function or print demand, we have a product to suit. 

“Each product that we offer in our business inkjet range provides businesses with the technology they need to help meet their own sustainability goals. We’re passionate and proud to produce sustainable technology for our partners and customers that really makes a difference in reducing power consumption and CO2 emissions. Every business that switches to inkjet technology contributes to a more sustainable society.”