Recycling Times Magazine
editorial
RecyclingTimes The magazine by the industry, for the industry.
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Publisher & Managing Director Tony Lee +86 (0)756 3919260 Directors David Gibbons +86 (0)756 3919261 Sabrina Lo +86 (0)756 3919266 Editorial Consulting Editor Art Diamond Editors Johanna Breen Lu Di +86 (0)756 3919268 translator@therecycler.com.cn Tina Chou +86 (0)756 3959286 editor03@therecycler.com.cn Sophia Jiang editor@therecycler.com.cn Jane Yu magazine03@therecycler.com.cn Jeven Zhang research@therecycler.com.cn Designer Miracle Wei design@therecycler.com.cn Sales Sales Manager Anna Leung +86 (0)756 3919266 Account Manager Kevin Zhu +86 (0)756 3919265 Sales Executives Sally He +86 (0)756 3919263 Tobee Deng +86 (0)756 3919282 Susi Guo +86 (0)756 3959299 Operation and Marketing Operation Manager Charles Lee +86 (0)756 3919267 Frank Yang +86 (0)756 3959280 Operations Assistant Sunny Zhang +86 (0)756 3959282 Accounting Betty Li +86 (0)756 3919269 Joy He +86 (0)756 3919262 Marketing Supervisor Jessica Yin magazine@therecycler.com.cn +86 (0) 756 3919264 Tracy Zhang +86 (0)756 3959283 Published by Recycling Times Media Corporation
T
he world’s largest professional printer consumables trade show, the CIFEX|RemaxAsia 2011, closed on October 15th after 3 days of successful business. Many days have passed, but the image of the trade show is still vivid in my mind – the magnificent variety of booths, the continuous stream of visitors, the exciting new product and award presenting ceremonies, the buzzing business atmosphere and supporting services. These recurring scenes demonstrate the influence of Zhuhai City as the world capital of printer consumables, and the position of CIFEX as the largest aftermarket trade show in the world. The 30 thousand square meter exhibition hall this year was about 30% larger than last year, and it hosted 422 exhibitors from 19 different countries and regions—an increase of 17.22% over last year. More exciting was the fact CIFEX attracted a total of 9893 visitors from 81 countries and regions—at a time when many competitor events have declined. These achievements honor us as the world’s largest professional aftermarket trade show two years in a row. Another successful event, the Global Remanufacturing Industry General Assembly (GRIGA) 2011, organized by Recycling Times, was held on October 12th. With the success of the General Assembly last year, GRIGA 2011 attracted even more attention from the industry and convened a total of 142 industry leaders from 18 countries and regions. Guest speakers shared their insights and discussed hot topics with the participants including recent industry developments, biotoner, firmware upgrading, and consumer education. The consumer education issue received most attention. Many aftermarket players are small and medium enterprises, and none can sponsor a public promotion project for our industry individually. So I agree the industry must join forces to conduct a consumer education program to let consumers know the truth about printer consumables and the aftermarket, as well as to create a favorable consumer market for our mutual prosperity. United we stand. The success of CIFEX and GRIGA is attributed to all of our exhibitors, visitors and industry participants. On behalf of Recycling Times, I would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to you all. Looking back at our development over the last five years, we have grown from a company that held an industry forum, a trade show and published an industry magazine. Now, we are a media company that has organized the largest professional printer consumables trade show on Earth, the general assembly of the global remanufacturing industry, published two of the most influential industry magazines, produced the first weekly video news program — inTouch News — and the most followed Twitter site in the industry. We grow with the industry, and we take responsibility as a industry media organization. We will keep up with the fast pace by using the latest information channels and platforms, to let the voice of our industry, especially the innovative news coming out of China, be heard far and wide around the world.
Address 5F, Pacific Insurance Building, Jiuzhou Ave, Zhuhai, 519000
RecyclingTimes
Tony Lee Publisher & Managing Director
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www.recyclingtimes.com.cn | November 2011
All rights reserved. © 2011 by Recycling Times Media Corporation. The contents are not be to copied or republished without official written consent. The editorial content does not represent official positions of Recycling Times Media Corporation.
Recycling Times Magazine
contents
Wrap-up: GRIGA and CIFEX 2011 GRIGA and CIFEX|RemaxAsia, the two successful events of the printer consumables industry this year, were ended on Oct 12 and 15 respectively. Let’s join Art Diamond to review highlights of the General Assembly and the show.
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Just a Minute with David Gibbons
04
Entering the era of color
Instant Ink for just $5.99
Recycling Times Magazine conducted a survey targeting 350 best-represented enterprises in the aftermarket, to generalize an overview and some future prospects of the general consumables market.
Money From Home
05
Welcome to wide format
Welcome to wide format While on the subject of new revenue opportunities for the toner and ink jet cartridge remanufacturer, let’s have a look at wide format printing.
Industry Updates China’s first laser printer goes international
06 First digital paper maker returns to SGIA conference Printer market increase in Q2 2011 Laser booms, inkjet up slowly
08 Indian printer copier and MFP market falls 0.8% in 2Q 09 80% expect MPS to grow
Computer printer industry TV News launched
OEM News MPS program saves thousands of dollars
17 Brother named best printer vendor in the UK New Kodak system for anti-counterfeiting
Print to increase 2.8% by 2015
More than a thousand counterfeit printing supplies found in Ghana raid
Product Release
10 FG releases comprehensive solution for HP CP1525/CM141 compatible toners for OEM printers 12 New New filling jig fills 25 different ink cartridges
Features
18 Wrap-up: GRIGA & CIFEX 2011 23 Entering the era of color
Sinobase releases new consumables for OEMs Hi & Bestech offers new compatible chips for OEMs
13 High-yield alternative toner cartridges for HP
Profiles
33
Toner Cartridge Testing Lab
OEM News Market Data
Firmware update for HP printers
14 Samsung lists top office frustrations New inkjet cartridge recycling program in USA
Particularities of Russia's market of monochrome printing
37 supplies in 2010
Paperless mortgages save money Kyocera introduces KC-50 series thermal printhead
16 protective overcoat
Konica Minolta acquires OfficeWare First ink tank printers in the Philippines
Tech Zone
42
Ricoh SP4100 toner cartridges
November 2011 | www.recyclingtimes.com.cn
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Recycling Times Magazine
Just a Minute with David Gibbons
Instant Ink for just $5.99 It was not big news‌ But I think it should have been. And it still is! Tucked away in a small press release this month was an announcement from HP that they are about to trial a new program. It will give home and small office users all the ink they need for their printer, for just a US$5.99 monthly subscription. And the price includes shipping. The proposed HP Instant Ink pilot program delivers original HP ink cartridges to the home or office when needed. HP says users may receive up to 50 percent annual savings on ink cartridge purchases for one low monthly fee. Subscriptions for HP Instant Ink will be available from $5.99 to $10.99 per month depending on which printer they are using. HP will be working with select retail locations in the northeastern United States to offer the initial pilot program before the end of 2011. I can hear some remanufacturers squealing
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already saying this latest action by HP may make it more difficult for them to provide their after market ink supplies to consumers. It is no different to what is happening with MPS (managed print services) in the business arena. Many medium and large companies are getting their office printing managed better to save costs. And now, HP says an Instant Ink subscription will provide a managed print service for home users too. It is quite obvious HP wants to guarantee for itself the long term supply of print consumables to this sector of the market, and to claw back some of the losses to the aftermarket industry. So, what can remanufacturers do? It is probably time to go and get involved in offering managed print services too. I mentioned last month how remanufacturers are better positioned to provide genuine service. And this can be done with home
www.recyclingtimes.com.cn | November 2011
David Gibbons is a director of Recycling Times. He has been a school principal, businessman, marketer, communicator, TV presenter/host and a remanufacturer. For many years he was the executive officer of the Australasian Cartridge Remanufacturers' Association (ACRA).
users too. It’s time to get a business plan up and working. There are amazing opportunities awaiting you.
Recycling Times Magazine
Money From Home
Welcome to wide format While on the subject of new revenue opportunities for the toner and ink jet cartridge remanufacturer, let’s have a look at wide format printing. Rather than plunging into the ocean of wide format printers, my suggestion is that rechargers dip a toe into this promising market. The strategy would be to deal only with toner and ink jet printers capable of handling tabloid-size print jobs. This reduces the risk and the investment in handling A2 and larger media for machines that straddle the office desktop marketplace and commercial printing applications. The dimension of a tabloid-size print is 11 x 17-inches according to North American standards. International standard ISO 216 defines tabloid-size, A3, as: 297 x 420-mm (11.69 x 16.54-inches). Among the most popular full-color tabloid printers are the HP LaserJet 5200, CP5525, CP6015 and OfficeJet 7000 and 7500; the Konica-Minolta Magicolor 7450 and 8650; the OKI 830 and C9650; the Ricoh SPC 820 and 821; and the Xerox Phaser 780, 7750 and 7760. Let’s narrow our market opportunities to that sector of the toner and ink jet printer population that can handle an A3 format. Overall, the wide format market is comprised of seven sectors: 1) Architectural and engineering firms with their requirements for blue prints, plot plans and structural views; 2) Utility companies concerned with water, electric power and fuel gas distribution, and sewage disposal; 3) Retail firms with their continuous signage requirements; 4) General manufacturing operations and their need for drawings of component parts and finished products; 5) Government agencies, with their demand for geographic information systems (GIS), transportation routes, public works operations, zoning and population density maps; 6) GIS users and hard copy images to fulfill their mapping, land surveying, public utility and emergency management responsibilities; and, 7) Textile printers including banners, flags, garments, military camouflage, household linens, drapes, wall coverings, etc. The combined retail sales of hardware and ink for all sectors in 2010 is estimated by IT Strategies at almost $40 billion worldwide. Consumer ink jet
accounted for about $30 billion of these sales and wide format graphics at $4.0 billion. Keep in mind that A3 printing is closely associated with color images and it’s no secret that the profit is in the color market. It is well recognized that monochrome toner margins have grown razor thin owing to the increased cost of starting materials at the expense level. The squeeze results from that reality coupled with aggressive price competition at the revenue tier. However, color toners and color print media continue to offer thick profit margins, adding luster to the A3 market niche. Wide format print making applications are growing and offer the opportunity for rechargers to earn premiums on their existing knowledge of imaging techniques, equipment and technology. According to Charles Brewer, CEO of Actionable Intelligence (Franklin, MA), “The A3 space is seeing more activity from traditional printer OEMs, such as Dell, HP and Lexmark. More small office users are seeking the benefits of an A3 printer or MFP (multi-function printer). In 2009, for example, HP penetrated the $1,500 barrier with the Color LaserJet Professional CP5220 A3 family, while Dell released its first A3 color printer, the 7130 cdn.” OEMs are now offering A3 MFPs in an attempt to capture a share of the copier market. They are exploiting the traditional copier dealer channel to move their A3 printers. OKI’s tabloid size A3 CX2640 and CX1145 printers, for example, are now being sold exclusively by BTA dealers, as are Samsung’s MultiXpress printer line. Brewer also observed that “A3 machines are popular with certain corporate users because of their flexibility. Users can produce a range of marketing materials including great looking color booklets and brochures with A3 printers and they can use the device for everyday monochrome printing as well. With the rise of managed print services (MPS), these machines are also becoming less expensive to operate.” Seek out these A3 installations and be prepared to offer color toner and ink jet ink cartridges as well as a variety of imaging media, papers, films, adhesiveand magnet-backed substrates. Make this your first step into a new world of opportunity among wide format imaging systems, equipment and supplies.
Arthur S. Diamond Art Diamond is a 56-year veteran of the imaging industry. He is President of Diamond Research Corporation, a high technology research and consulting firm he formed in 1968 after research assignments with Eastman Kodak, Times Facsimile, Addressograph-Multigraph and Telautograph Corporation. DRC serves clients through product formulation and development, private studies, strategic market planning, and expert witness testimony. Diamond is known internationally as an expert on dry toners and imaging media with 15 issued U.S. patents.
November 2011 | www.recyclingtimes.com.cn
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Recycling Times Magazine
Industry Updates
China’s first laser printer goes international
A
Chinese remanufacturer has become an OEM by making and selling China’s first laser printer. Pantum has launched as China’s first laser printer in December, 2010. A successful global launch was held before hundreds of industry and government leaders and the media on October 14, 2011. Pantum released its laser multifunctional printers (MFP) P1000 and P2000 series during the CIFEX/Remax Asia Expo. Pantum printers have been shipped to
Australia already, and will be delivered to the USA and Europe very soon, according to Pantum. New MFP printers will print 50% more pages and have 50% less jams than other printers. Exclusive transfer and fusing techniques will make the printer more durable and safer. Pantum claims the engine life is 2x to 4x longer than others. Pantum developed this new MFP to meet the demand for MFPs in the printer market. Pantum
says research shows mono laser printers and MFPs take up 74.8% of the market. MFPs have seen a 60% increase in sales during 2010.
First digital paper maker returns to SGIA conference
T
he first maker of digital paper for sublimation transfer – Silver Back3 – returned to the SGIA (Specialty Graphic Imaging Association) conference in New Orleans October, 19 to 21. Thanks to Back3, its manufacturer – Spectra Jet – has become one of the leaders in the dye sublimation market. The company now is the
official distributor of the EFI/Vutek TX3250R fabric printer and sublimation inks by Hilord, an American manufacturer of inks and toners. Silver Back3 digital paper actually works with water, oil and solvent-based ink systems. In addition, Spectra Jet will also sell its new BACKLIT Fabrics. The company says these fabrics can substantially reduce energy
consumption and cost. About Spectra Jet Spectra Jet is a working partnership encompassing three companies which contribute over 100 years of paper making experience, more than 30 years of converting experience and more than 30 years of coating development and print technology.
Printer market increase in Q2 2011
D
espite a growth of 10% in computer printer sales in Australia and 5% in New Zealand, it was a poorer than expected result. Research from IDC shows the overall shipments in the Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) printer market in Q2 2011 were 760,000. This was 20,000 short of forecast. Due to excess stock following a strong Q1, laser printer sales dropped 2% year-on-year. But inkjet sales boomed, growing 15%.
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Rank
Vendor
1
HP
2
Canon
3
Brother
4
Epson
5
Sumsung
6
others
IDC recognizes an emerging trend of inkjet printers priced under $400 being positioned as low-end color laser model substitutes, while at the same time being able to offer ‘laser-quality’ print output. ‘Price discounting for channels and end users, particularly for lower price point inkjet models, greatly aided growth across the entire ANZ region’ said Arunachalam Muthiah, market analyst at IDC. IDC forecasts the ANZ printer market to drop by 11% sequentially in Q3. This 2Q 2011 market share forecast is based on the prevailing and uncertain economic conditions and 42% a seasonal slowdown in the printer 20% market. 15% HP has a 42% market share in this 10% area and Canon has a 20% share. 3% Brother takes up 15%, a 17% decrease. 9% IDC says the Japanese earthquake in
www.recyclingtimes.com.cn | November 2011
March is one of the reasons. About IDC International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services and events for the information technology, telecommunications and consumer technology markets. IDC helps IT professionals, business executives and the investment community to make fact-based decisions on technology purchases and business strategy. More than 1,000 IDC analysts provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries worldwide. For more than 47 years, IDC has provided strategic insights to help clients achieve their key business objectives. IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world's leading technology media, research and events company. You can learn more about IDC by visiting www.idc.com.
Recycling Times Magazine
Industry Updates
November 2011 | www.recyclingtimes.com.cn
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Recycling Times Magazine
Industry Updates
Laser booms, inkjet up slowly
F
ilipinos bought 415,053 printers and copiers in the first half 2011, a 1.5% decrease compared with last year. This included printers, multi-function peripherals (MFP) and digital copiers. Pamela Sumanga, Market Analyst and International Data Corporation (IDC), says this decrease was mainly caused by the weak demand for inkjet in the first quarter of 2011. IDC has released its report The IDC Asia/
Pacific Quarterly Hard copy Peripherals Trackers 2Q 2011. The research shows laser and serial dot matrix (SDM) technologies increasing 23.3% year-on-year. Although inkjet printer sales have a 78.4% market share, this is 4.9 percentage points lower than last year. Only copiers recorded a year-on-year growth, increasing nearly 50%. Printers and copiers still have 97% of the market share and MFP products expanded about
40.8% in the first half 2011. IDC projects the printer and copier market will reach nearly 910,000 units by end of 2011, a 3.1% increase from 2010. Consumer spending may be impacted by price drops and end-user promotions. Lasers are expected to keep robust growth accounting for roughly 10% of the 2011 sales. Inkjet and SDM, on the other hand, are forecasted to grow at a marginal rate of less than 2% each.
Indian printer copier and MFP market falls 0.8% in 2Q
T
he combined serial inkjet and page printer, copier and multifunction product (MFP) market in India totaled 666,859 units in the second quarter of 2011, a 0.8% decline from the second quarter of 2010, according to Gartner, Inc. Uncertainties in the global economy led by the US and European budget crisis had a ripple effect on the Indian economy. As a result, economic activities slowed down slightly and printer equipment purchases as a discretionary spend were affected. The country’s unprecedented high inflation also affected consumer spending on print devices. ‘Overall, HP, Canon, Samsung, and Epson continued to be the top four vendors, accounting for 92% of the total India printer market in the second quarter of 2011’ said
Amrita Choudhury, research analyst at Gartner. HP maintained its leadership position in the Indian printer, copier and MFP market, accounting for 53.1% of shipments (see Table below), followed by Canon with 22.9%, Samsung with 8.5% and Epson with 7.7% market share. In the A4 MFP segment HP also maintained its lead with 58.3% market share followed by Canon with 20.7%, Samsung with 7.4% and Epson with 5.3%. For 2Q11, in the A3 flatbed copier MFP segment, Canon led the market with 27.7%, followed by Sharp with 15.3%. Xerox and Toshiba commanded 13.7% and 13.4% of the market share respectively. Ricoh, which led the segment with a 24.2% market share in the 1Q11, had only an 11.8% market share in 2Q11 but it showed a growth of 13.2% year-on-year.
‘Overall, the Indian print market is seeing a paradigm shift from a single function to a multifunction device. In page printer space the market declined by 12.8% in the second quarter of 2011. HP continued to dominate the segment with 46.1% market share, recording 4.8% growth in 2Q11, while Canon, with 33.3% market share, declined 23.2%. Samsung recorded a decline of 20.8% but held 14.9% market share in the Indian page printer market,’ said Ms Choudhury. Additional information is available in the Gartner report ‘Quarterly Statistics: Printers, Copiers and MFPs, Asia/Pacific, 2Q11 Update’ available on Gartner’s website at http://www. gartner.com/resId=1773214. Contact: Sony Shetty Gartner +91 22 67092031 sony.shetty@gartner.com
Indian printer, copier and MFP unit shipment estimates, 2Q11 (thousands of units) Vendor
2Q11 hipments
2Q11 Market Share (%)
2Q10 Shipments
2Q10 Market Share (%)
2Q11–2Q10 Growth (%)
HP
354.2
53.1
339.0
50.4
4.5
Canon
152.9
22.9
169.5
25.2
-9.8
Samsung
56.9
8.5
72.5
10.8
-21.5
Epson
51.9
7.7
37.8
5.6
36.2
Others
51.4
7.7
53.4
7.9
-3.7
Total
666.9
100.0
672.2
100
-0.8
Note: Totals may not add up to 100% due to rounding Source: Gartner (August 2011).
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www.recyclingtimes.com.cn | November 2011
Recycling Times Magazine
Industry Updates
Computer printer industry TV News launched
A
weekly TV news service for the computer printing industry has been launched. Industry and government leaders applauded the first 6 minute episode saying it was a much needed initiative. Produced by Recycling Times Media Corporation, the organizer of CIFEX/Remax Asia expo, the inTouch news bulletin will complement the monthly Recycling Times magazine. It will also fit alongside online news
services including Twitter and FaceBook, providing the industry and consumers with easy to understand stories. The weekly bulletins will include industry updates and news about OEMs as well as the aftermarket industry. You can visit the inTouch News at http://vimeo.com/channels/243238 h t t p : / / w w w. t u d o u . c o m / p r o g r a m s / view/7wv85BQ3FWs h t t p : / / v. y o u ku . c o m / v _ s h o w / i d _
XMzA1OTg0ODYw.html http://video.sina.com.cn/v/b/614493041604230725.html
80% expect MPS to grow
M
ost IT managers and business owners expect managed print services (MPS) to grow to meet office demands. CompTIA researched 400 IT and business
executives and found that 80% expect MPS to grow significantly. They also found 80% say they prefer to have a ‘paperless office’, even though 75% of the surveys say they print personally every day. All firms think printing is a very important office function, but most of them still want the maintenance and management to be improved. Approximately half of large (over 500 employees) firms surveyed already use the MPS model to some extent, while only 25% of small (under 100 employees) firms surveyed use MPS. Tim Herbert, vice president of research at CompTIA, notes this data shows the adoption of MPS is closely related to company size. Large companies have more printing management
needs. The survey showed of those companies not using MPS, 35% will adopt MPS over the next 12 months. As for companies who provide MPS solutions, 80% expect growth – 22% of them expecting great growth and 58% expecting moderate growth. About CompTIA CompTIA is a non-profit trade association advancing the global interests of IT professionals and companies. CompTIA’s version of the IT landscape is shaped by more than 25 years of global perspective and more than 2,000 members and 1,000 business partners. For more information, visit www.comptia.org.
Print to increase 2.8% by 2015
I
nfoTrends has released its newly researched report—Western European Digital Production Printing Application Forecast: 2010–2015. The forecast shows the total print volumes in Western Europe are expected to increase by 2.8% until 2015. The research examines 28 application segments for digital production printing in seven print application groups, divided out by several hardware segments. Applications are the drivers of the demand
for print and dictate which devices will be needed by print service providers over the coming years. InfoTrends says growth in usage, electronic replacement and others will impact the specific change greatly. The print volumes will increase by 2.8% until 2015, and some applications are expected to outgrow the average rate, according to Ralf Schlozer, Director of InfoTrends. Schlozer adds that applications used in books
profit most. Others, used in applications like newspaper, direct mail and magazines will also profit a lot. InfoTrends says the market will shift towards promotional, publishing print and emerging segments. Suppliers and consumers need to adjust the changes. The forecast is available for immediate purchase. For more information, please contact Jason Russell at +44 7585 506079 or e-mail jason_russell@infotrends.com. November 2011 | www.recyclingtimes.com.cn
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Recycling Times Magazine
Product Release
FG releases comprehensive solution for HP CP1525/CM141
F
uture Graphics has announced the availability of comprehensive system solution for HP CP1525/CM1415.
Kaleidochrome TRUE CPT toner is available along with matching components, including replacement chips and insertion seal etc. to
ensure excellent Image Density (ID), yield and print quality.
New product information FG part number
Description
Pack qty
Engine compatibility
HP1518CHEMC10KG
Compatible cyan toner – bulk bag, 22lb Per-Fil – Box of 1, sold per box
2
HP CP1215/CP1515/ CP1518/CM1312, HP CP1525/CM1415
HP1518CHEMM10KG
Compatible magenta toner – bulk bag, 22lb Per-Fil – Box of 1, sold per box
2
HP CP1215/CP1515/ CP1518/CM1312, HP CP1525/CM1415
HP1518CHEMY10KG
Compatible Yellow Toner – Bulk Bag, 22lb Per-Fil – Box of 1, sold per box
2
HP CP1215/CP1515/ CP1518/CM1312, HP CP1525/CM1415
HP1518CHEMK10KG
Compatible black Toner – Bulk Bag, 22lb Per-Fil – Box of 1, sold per box
2
HP CP1215/CP1515/ CP1518/CM1312, HP CP1525/CM1415
HP1525CHIPC
Compatible replacement cyan chip
10
HP CP1525/CM1415
HP1525CHIPM
Compatible replacement magenta chip
10
HP CP1525/CM1415
HP1525CHIPY
Compatible replacement yellow chip
10
HP CP1525/CM1415
HP1525CHIPK
Compatible replacement black chip
10
HP CP1525/CM1415
HP1518ESEALPI
Insertion seal, plastic
50
HP CP1215/CP1515/ CP1518/CM1312, HP CP1525/CM1415
HP1525CHEMK50
Compatible black toner
10
HP CP1525/CM1415
HP1525CHEMC35
Compatible cyan toner
10
HP CP1525/CM1415
HP1525CHEMM35
Compatible magenta toner
10
HP CP1525/CM1415
HP1525CHEMY35
Compatible yellow toner
10
HP CP1525/CM1415
FG test data
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Toner
OPC
Avg. ID
Avg. background
Yield
Trans %
FG
HP1525CHEMK50
HP1518MKIHPNPE
1.46
0.2
1,979
85
OEM
OEM
OEM
1.42
0.23
1,973
88
FG
HP1525CHEMC35
HP1518MKIHPNPE
1.55
0.15
1,281
89
OEM
OEM
OEM
1.39
0.26
1,278
90
FG
HP1525CHEMM35
HP1518MKIHPNPE
1.43
0.17
1,277
73
OEM
OEM
OEM
1.24
0.11
1,278
79
FG
HP1525CHEMY35
HP1518MKIHPNPE
0.97
0.16
1,267
80
OEM
OEM
OEM
0.86
0.22
1,278
74
www.recyclingtimes.com.cn | November 2011
Recycling Times Magazine
Product Release
November 2011 | www.recyclingtimes.com.cn
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Recycling Times Magazine
Product Release
New compatible toners for OEM printers
A
toner manufacturer in central China has announced new compatible products for
Ricoh, Konica Minolta and Fuji Xerox printers. Pointrole released the new toner product, the DT-148, as an alternative for the Ricoh 8105D and it can be used in the Ricoh Aficio 2105, 2075, 1085 and 1075. The DT-148 features a BID (Black Image Density) over 1.45 , a fusing rate of over 90% as well as a low toner consumption of less than 0.03g per page, with consistent prints. Also now available is the DT-149, an alternative for the Konica Minolta TN117 and
117H used in the Konica Minolta BizHub 164, 184 and 7718. It has a BID over 1.40, a fusing rate over 96% and toner consumption per page of less than 0.02g. Meanwhile, Pointrole also released a laser printer toner for CT201613 toners, which can be applied to the Fuji Xerox DocuPrint P105b/ M105b. The toner features a BID over 1.40, fusing rate over 95% and less than 0.023g toner consumption per page, with no backgrounding problems.
New filling jig fills 25 different ink cartridges
P
arts supplier CBR Engineering has made a jig that will fill 25 different inkjet cartridges. The filling jig is a multi use refill tool to fill HP and Canon ink cartridges. It is called HPCa Single Jig and comes with several different inserts to refill 25 different cartridge types. The cartridges are mounted in the air-tight fill box and filled with the appropriate colored ink
from a syringe. There are also new adaptors for filling Brother LC985/1100 black and color cartridges. The cartridge valves are opened automatically by the adapter pins and the cartridges filled easily without trapped air and without drilling holes. For more information please visit www.cbr-e. com.
Sinobase releases new consumables for OEMs
A
Chinese printer remanufacture has released a series of consumables for OEM printers at RemaxAsia Expo 2011 Zhuhai China. Sinobase, a provider of digital printing solutions for the remanufacturing industry, has made compatible cartridges, toners, OPCs and chips for OEM printers. 3RV Imaging Company Limited., Sinobase group of companies, is recruiting distributors, dealers and retailers. Any interested party is welcome to future discussion with Mr. Ben Hung, director of 3RV.
worldwide. It serves as a single source for remanufactured and compatible toner cartridges. Sinobase established 3RV Imaging Company Limited in 2010 and the products are sold in South Africa, Europe and other countries. Contact information Sinobase Network Tech. Ltd Email: benhung@empties.com. hk / rachel@empties.com.hk Website: www.inklaser.com
Products OEMs Brother DR450 , TN450 HP CC3364 Mono cartridges
Lexmark E260/360/460 Samsung MLT-3110 Samsung SCX-5365, SCX-4824 Xerox P105 Brother TN115
Color cartridges
HP CP1025 HP CP1215/1415 (Universal) Samsung 407 Bother universal bottle toner
Bottler toner
HP 2600, HP 1215 color bottle toner Lexmark universal bottle toner Samsung universal bottle toner HP4300, 1012, 1000, P1002 and 1200
About Sinobase Group Sinobase is a Hong Kong-based company with a state-of-art STMC certificated factory located in China to ser ve the clients
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www.recyclingtimes.com.cn | November 2011
3RV Imaging Co., Ltd Email: info@3rvimaging.com Website: www.3rvimaging.com
OPC
Samsung ML1640, ML1630, ML2010 and ML1610 Lexmark E120, E230, T640 and X203/204
Chips
Samsung MLT-108+CD, MLT-109+CD, 3560 and 4550
Recycling Times Magazine
Product Release
Hi & Bestech offers new compatible chips for OEMs
T
aiwan-based manufacturer Hi & Bestech has developed compatible chips for OEMs. Details of these new chip products are in the OEM
Samsung
Minolta Epson
table below. Contact Hi & Bestech Tel: +886-4-2422-2097 Fax: +886-4-2422-4379
Model
Color
Yield
Additional Info.
ML3310/3710/SCX5637/SCX5737
BK
2k, 5k, 10k
MLT-D205S, L, E
ML1660, SF650P/ ML-1910/ 1900/ 1915/ 2580/ SCX4600/ 4606/ 4623, ML-1640/ 1641/ 1642/ 2240/ 2241, SCX-4824/ 4828/ ML-2855, SCX4300/ 4310/ 4315
MLT-104, MLT-D105/ 108/ 209/ 109
CLP-320/ 325/ CLX-3285 CLP-310/ 315, CLX3170/ 3175 CLP-615/ 620/ 670 CLP-770
CLT-407, 409, 508, 609
Bizhub C220/280/360
CMYK
Bizhub 40P/43
BK
19k, 18k
C3900
CMYK
6k
CMYK
2.5k~3.1k
106R01452~55/ 106R01477~80
2k, 4k
106R01485, 106R01486
Phaser 6128MFP/ Phaser 6140 Xerox
Bizhub 43 chip and SIMCARD
Phaser 3140/3155/3160, 3435, WC 3210/ 3220
Fuji Xerox
E-mail: financial@tonerchips.com Website: www.tonerchips.com
docuprint C1190
CMYK
3k
CM205b/ CP105b/ CP205
CMYK
1.4k~2k
CT201591~94
P205b/M205b
BK
2.2k
CT201610
5k
CWAA0776
Phaser 3155/3160 WC 3210/3220 HP
Ricoh
Dell
Olivetti
CP1025, CE310/311/312/313A/ CM1415/CP1525, CE320/321/322/323A SPC220/221/222, SPC231/232/310/311
CMYK
2k, 6k
SP3400/3410
BK
113X, 5330
BK
1230
CMYK
d-Color MF451/MF551/MF651
CMYK
120k~285k
MF3000
CMYK
6k, 30k
Toner chip, Imaging chip
High-yield alternative toner cartridges for HP
I
LG (International Laser Group) has released the first-to-market, highyield OEM alternative cartridges – called the CE390X – for the HP LaserJet M455f, M455h and M455fskm printer series. This new toner cartridge can print 24,000 pages. ILG claim the new toner cartridges can print quality pages with bold print resolution.
They say the CE390X can offer substantial cost savings because they have applied several state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies to the product. The CE390X is both STMC and MPS certified. MPS certified cartridges are developed to meet the heavy cost-per-print demands expected by managed print service providers. November 2011 | www.recyclingtimes.com.cn
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Recycling Times Magazine
OEM News
Firmware update for HP printers
H
P has released a new firmware update, which can deliver the latest mobile printing technology to HP LaserJet printers. The new firmware update allows small and medium businesses to increase productivity and mobility. HP says with the firmware update users can choose HP LaserJet printers to be connected
to the HP cloud. ePrint and AirPrint are also available in this new firmware update. This means users can walk up to and connect to, a printer from any Wi-Fi-enabled mobile device with a peer-to-peer connection. HP LaserJet products which will be mobile printing enabled include: the HP LaserJet Pro CP 1025nw Color printer, the M1217nfw MFP, the P1102/1102w series, the P1560 and P1600 series
and the 100 color MFP 175w.
Samsung lists top office frustrations
Paperless mortgages save money
lmost half of office workers in the UK say printer jams really rile them. So says Samsung which has celebrated its twentieth year in printing by releasing its ‘Office Bugbears Research’. This research covers about 1,500 office workers. When asked what riles people most about office life, over two thirds (68%) of respondents chose slow IT systems and 42% said print delays caused by printer jams. Other frustrations included unnecessary email traffic (39%), colleagues talking too loudly on their phones (34%) and colleagues leaving the printer tray empty (27%). Annoying mobile phone ring tones takes up 23%, eating smelly food in the office 19%, and over one in ten (12%) get annoyed by colleagues that never offer to make tea or coffee. Only 4% said that nothing in their office annoyed them. The internet and Wi-Fi (80%), computers (71%), email (68%), video conferencing (51%) and printers (45%) were all voted as office essentials when questioned about the equipment they think will still be in use in 20 years’ time. When asked to suggest ways to deal with office problems, almost a third (29%) would most like to see the development of an automatic paper jam fixer and 18% want self-refilling toner cartridges.
esearch shows 70% of mortgage professionals are now electronically delivering documents rather than printing them out. According to the Path to Paperless Survey, more borrowers are paying off online without printing a single page if the lender provides paperless mortgage solutions. This is not only fast and easy, but also saves cost. Full-service mortgage banker Radius Financial Group Inc. is saving thousands of dollars per month using Xerox Mortgage Services’ BlitzDocs and BlitzDocs eXtended Edition (XE). To drive future growth, Radius is using BlitzDocs to improve collaboration with other participants across all parts of the loan process. The cloud-based platform also helps the company accommodate influxes of loan applications or changing market conditions. Lenders, brokers and investors working with Xerox Mortgage Services benefit from an extensive network of BlitzDocs certified partners and providers who work together from origination to the archival of a closed loan. Many companies have joined this group, including Colorado Housing and Finance Authority, DocuTech Corp., and Harland Financial Solutions.
A
R
New inkjet cartridge recycling program in USA
A
new inkjet recycling program has been started in more than 1,600 print shops in USA. Canon has partnered with FedEx Office Print, Sims Recycling Solutions and Close the Loop to collect empty inkjet cartridge for recycling. Canon says this program will use the best
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environmental measures to treat the recyclable materials. Sims, which specializes in the large-scale processing of electronic waste, will collect the empty inkjet cartridges at more than 1,600 print shops. These cartridges will be sent to Close the Loop, a material recovery company.
www.recyclingtimes.com.cn | November 2011
This is a free service for all shoppers. Close the Loop will manufacture other products from the recycled cartridge parts. Inkjet plastics and inks can be made into felt-tip pens and markers, recycled ink into industrial colorants and recovered metals into new steel.
Recycling Times Magazine
OEM News
November 2011 | www.recyclingtimes.com.cn
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Recycling Times Magazine
OEM News
Kyocera introduces KC-50 series thermal printhead protective overcoat
K
yocera says it has developed a new protective overcoat for thermal printheads. Since thermal printers are widely used outdoors and in industrial environments, durability is a key feature. Utilizing its proprietary thin film technology and materials, including formation, photo-lithography and surface treatments, Kyocera claims the new overcoat can provide six times greater corrosion resistance in harsh working conditions. In addition, the protective overcoat layer is
approximately 15% thinner than conventional overcoats. This means the heat source and print media quantities are lessened, reducing heat requirements and increasing energy efficiency. The improved heat transfer also
increases print accuracy, even at high print speeds, resulting in a higher-quality print. Many flat-type thermal printheads manufactured by Kyocera will soon be available with the KC-50 Series protective overcoat.
Konica Minolta acquires OfficeWare
K
onica Minolta has acquired Kentucky-based OfficeWare. After acquisition, OfficeWare will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Konica Minolta and maintain its current locations and employees. OfficeWare is a Kentucky-based regional fullservice business equipment dealership with offices in Louisville, Lexington and Bowling
Green, Kentucky; Evansville, Indiana; Marion, Illinois; and Cincinnati, Ohio. It provides businesses with equipment to enhance their document productivity. Rick Taylor, president and CEO of Konica Minolta says the acquisition further increases the company’s market share in the highly competitive US market. ‘OfficeWare has a long-established reputation for their ability
to provide a complete breadth of solutions includes technologies and services’, said Taylor. The quality and reputation of OfficeWare is one of the biggest reasons why Konica Minolta has acquired OfficeWare. According to Rick Maxwell, president of OfficeWare his company will work hard with Konica Minolta, introducing its technologies and services to customers.
First ink tank printers in the Philippines
A
Japanese printer vendor has launched the world’s first genuine ink tank printers in
the Philippines. Epson officials say its genuine inks cost slightly more than third-party inks. Ink tank printers, also known as continuous ink supply system (CISS), allow consumers to refill ink containers. The Epson ink tanks fit to the printers’ chassis and can be detached. Consumables can be used to refill the system easily. When the detachable tank module is placed flat, the ink refill openings face upward. Epson explains that the ink tank printer
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www.recyclingtimes.com.cn | November 2011
uses the company’s proprietary Micro Piezo technology to guarantee the printing quality. Epson hopes its L-series printers – L100 and L200 – which combine low-cost ink tank printing to make difference in the local industry. These printers have three special parts: an ink tank, special ink tubes and a choke valve. All of these allow users to refill ink and transport printers easily, without causing a mess. Epson also introduced the ‘only ’ monochrome inkjet printers in the world, Newsbyte has reported. They are the Epson K100 single function printer, the K200 allin-one monochrome printer and K300 all-
in-one monochrome printer with automatic document feeder. According to Epson, these printers are designed for customers who want to print only in black and white at a low cost.
Recycling Times Magazine
OEM News
MPS program saves thousands of dollars
A
n environmentally friendly MPS program has saved thousands of dollars for the Cherokee County School District. Sharp, who started the managed print services (MPS) program, says the MPS program not only saved thousands of dollars for the schools, but also helped contribute to the community. Sharp also replaced around 1,000 older inkjet printers and these printers will
be used by industries run by an organization known as ‘Goodwill’. Printers will be refurbished by Goodwill and resold, used by Goodwill themselves or sent to Dell to be refurbished or recycled for charity. Tommy Pickens, president of Sharp in South Carolina, says that Sharp has partnered with Goodwill industries for years. This environmentally friendly program can benefit society.
Brother named best printer vendor in the UK
B
rother was named as UK’s best printer at the PC Pro Excellence Awards, winning in both the laser and inkjet printer categories. More than 11,000 readers of the magazine voted for the winner. Brother gained overall score of 91% for price, speed and reliability. Brother won against seven other main OEMs, including Canon, Epson, HP and Samsung. PC Pro readers gave Brother a 92% quality rating and 95% of them say they would buy a Brother printer again. Phil Jones, sales and marketing director f o r B r o t h e r, s a y s the company always focuses on improving Brother ’s offer to meet the customers’ needs.
More than a thousand counterfeit printing supplies found in Ghana raid
H
undreds of counterfeit inkjet and toner cartridges, ready for sale, have been seized in Ghana, Africa. HP has cooperated with local officials in raids on illegal businesses, collecting 125 finished ink and 970 laser printer cartridges on location. Ghanaian officials have detained six people associated with the counterfeiting operation. HP claims it has seized nearly nine million pieces of fake printing supplies in Europe, the Middle East and Africa over the last four years. HP says it has conducted nearly 5,000 investigations in almost 90 countries and seized more than 30 million counterfeit printing products. The company works closely with local and global law enforcement to detect and dismantle operations which produce fake HP printing consumables and parts. Adnane Besri, Laser and Enterprise Manager, HP Africa, says: ‘People who buy counterfeit print cartridges believe mistakenly they’re purchasing original products’.
New Kodak system for anti-counterfeiting
A
new system which uses invisible ink will help businesses know if they are using fake computer printing devices. Kodak has introduced its Kodak TRACELESS AD System, which can help track products and prevent illegal distribution and unofficial resellers. The invisible ink in the system can be used in most major solvent-based continuous inkjet
printers. Kodak says the ink has a long, stable shelf life to ensure the invisible code remains on the products. This system can be used in many applications, including industrial goods, labels, packaging and secure documents. Only Kodak’s proprietary viewers, readers and scanners can see the invisible codes and markings. Kodak also says the markings are not visible under ultraviolet (UV ) or normal light. November 2011 | www.recyclingtimes.com.cn
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Recycling Times Magazine
Features
Wrap-up: GRIGA & CIFEX 2011 It was another record-breaking turnout for CIFEX|RemaxAsia Expo this year at the Airshow Centre in Zhuhai, China. An estimated 9,893 Visitors attended the world’s largest trade show for computer printing supplies. They came in a fleet of buses, vans and private cars. On Friday, October 13, they braved a drenching rain to see a dazzling display of products and services, to network with fellow members of the reman community, and to hear industry leaders discuss the markets, the Players, and the future. This year’s crowd represented a 14.6% increase over the 2010 gate. A total of 422 Exhibitors promoted their products and services at the event, comprising an increase of 17.2% over the 360 who participated at CIFEX last year. GRIGA representatives convened on October 12, one day prior to the ribbon cutting ceremony that opened the CIFEX trade show. This group included industry leaders, trade association delegates, and representatives from government and media organizations. David Gibbons delivered a brief welcome speech and introduced Mr. Arnald Ho and Mr. Art Diamond for their opening remarks. Two major launches highlighted this year’s show: A new laser printer by Seine Technology under the brand name Pantum and a new broadcast news program called inTouch, by Recycling Times Corporation. Pantum printer launch Seine Technology’s CEO, Mr. Jackson Wang, made the announcement that grabbed the attention of all CIFEX
▲ Seine CEO Jackson Wang With Art Diamond and Kennard S. Cloud
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www.recyclingtimes.com.cn | November 2011
delegates. Seine Technology has completed development of China’s first laser printer, a unique product designed to compete on the world stage with Lexmark, Samsung, Brother, Hewlett-Packard and other popular printers. Branded “Pantum” the Seine product enters as a direct challenge to existing printers in both performance and price. Most importantly: It certifies China and Chinese technology as a key Player in world imaging markets, just as China has established its position in space travel, medicine, aeronautics, battery technology and other disciplines at the leading edge of science. Although it was first announced at the People’s Great Hall in Beijing on December 6, 2010, and later in Shanghai at the Rechina Expo on April 20, 2011, more complete details and sample prints were made available at CIFEX. The launch was completed with much pomp and ceremony, including a lavish dinner and stage show at the famous Ocean Spring Resort in Zhuhai. The word “Pantum” cannot be found in an English dictionary because it is a transliteration based on two Chinese characters. The first Chinese character refers to a verb meaning to run and move very fast, something that persistently moves forward overcoming all obstacles. The second character refers to a bright future or prospect. Putting the two together Pantum is a brand that is persistently and rapidly moving forward overcoming all obstacles with a very bright future. Four new printer models were introduced—the P1000, P1050, P2000 and P2050.Their metal frame construction is built to last and is more durable than most desktop office printers. Engine life is estimated to run up to four times as long as competitive, plastic frame machines thereby reducing printing costs by as much as 30%. Now, Seine is going global with the Pantum printer line by setting up dealer and distributor arrangements in many countries around the world. Privately, Pantum’s Kennard S. Cloud, Worldwide Product Manager and U.S. General Manager, met with a small group of attendees to answer questions regarding the new line of laser printers and their performance features. On the matter of Pantum printer cartridges, however, he declined to comment on pricing or remanufacturing plans. However, Ken Cloud did say that each cartridge contains a smart chip with sophisticated encryption firmware that chip makers will find
Recycling Times Magazine
Features
November 2011 | www.recyclingtimes.com.cn
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Recycling Times Magazine
Features
▲ Seine Senior Manager, Ms. Helena Huang, chats with Art Diamond as Seine’s Ken Cloud looks on.
extremely difficult to emulate. Welcome inTouch News During the opening ceremony, CIFEX organizer Recycling Times Corporation launched inTouch, the first weekly TV news service aimed specifically at the imaging industry. The 6-minute weekly broadcasts, hosted by Mr. David Gibbons, are educating and updating consumers about events in the computer printing industry, thereby keeping them in touch with developments that are important to their business and personal operations. Upon their arrival, delegates were exposed to a typical inTouch broadcast via a gigantic TV screen set up outside the Airshow Centre. Opening remarks In his opening remarks to the 130 delegates attending the second annual GRIGA meeting, Print-Rite CEO Arnald Ho, urged rechargers to educate consumers on the merits of buying remanufactured cartridges. He encouraged GRIGA to work toward its stated goals and objectives, estimating a total cost of $300,000 USD to fund the program in the year 2012. The effect was most impressive. Art Diamond urged rechargers to “Aim Higher” with their sales and marketing programs. The availability of color toners, biotoners and chemical toners now enable our industry to reach for a greater share of cartridge sales to the aftermarket. With their current slice estimated at 25% to 35%, rechargers
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www.recyclingtimes.com.cn | November 2011
should aim to boost that figure to 40% or 50% of the imaging supplies and consumables sold. We are proud of this achievement and recognize that it happened for good reasons: • We now offer quality products, many equal to or better than original equipment • We offer customers a chance to save money • We offer the end user a choice when it comes to printer supplies • We offer a green product that protects the environment • Our industry has gained strength through networking and communication • Industry Players teach each other the best methods and techniques • Many corporations and government agencies support our principles Diamond urged rechargers to aim higher and shoot for the next level of market share. “Let’s make 50% of aftermarket sales our goal,” he said. “We can do it. Let us heed the words of the late, ingenious Mr. Steve Jobs, who inspired us to ‘Dream Bigger!’” Discussions Charles Brewer, one of the world’s leading market analysts in the digital imaging industry, delivered the Keynote Address on “Trends in Today’s Global Hardware and Supplies Markets.” His market research firm, Actionable Intelligence at website (www.Action-Intell.com) has rapidly become the industry’s destination news site for information on trends, directions and strategies. His talk envisioned another tough year for 2011 caused by the earthquake in Japan, a sluggish economy and unfavorable foreign exchange issues. Despite signs earlier in 2011 that the market would strengthen this year, the net result was that it appears to be softening. While hardware shipments were up in the first quarter compared to 2010, shipments slipped in the second quarter year-over-year. Driven by the recession, new technology and a growing familiarity with electronic media, is a decline in the overall demand for hard copy. Over the past decade, says Brewer, the demand for paper has fallen by hundreds of millions of tons in the U.S., with similar shrinkage in Europe and Japan.
Recycling Times Magazine
Features Expectations are for this trend to continue. Tracking the decline in hard copy is the demand for cartridges which translates into a decrease in OEM supplies revenues, fewer empties and a struggle for third party vendors. However, certain market segments continue to show strength, including growth in digital hard copy, the market for high-end production printers, certain A3 size printers, office color printing, and most important a robust increase in Managed Print Services (MPS). Brewer reports that copier companies have the largest share of the global MPS market with Xerox being the Number 1 provider. OEMs have had their greatest MPS successes with large companies, claims Brewer. For rechargers, however, the MPS trend is a mixed blessing. Evidently, the large remanufacturers are participating in the MPS program as they can offer a full range of copier and printer cartridges along with other related supplies and services. Smaller rechargers, on the other hand, are often less qualified to enter the bidding process on MPS contracts. Thus MPS may be a boon for the large remanufacture companies, but is largely a bust for the little recharger. Overall, the U.S. is the largest market for MPS with Europe in second place. MPS contracts have not done well in other markets including China. Famed attor ney, Ed O’Connor explained that remanufacturing an OEM cartridge is considered to be permissible repair and is entirely legal in the United States provided that the cartridge was first sold in the U.S. He said the burden of proof of a first sale in the U.S. lies with the recharger, not the OEM. Yet, such documentation can be extremely difficult, if not impossible to obtain. O’Connor also said that many OEM patents are not bona fide inventions and should have never been granted. Many were issued to protect minor modifications that would be obvious to anyone skilled in the art. Unfortunately, contesting such patents is a long and costly battle that most rechargers cannot afford to wage. The good news is that recent Supreme Court decisions have compelled patent examiners to be more conservative by denying claims on these superficial patent applications.
D r. A y d a n B e k i r o v , publisher of RechargEast and RechargeRussia Magazines painted a clear picture of our industry in Russia and Eastern Europe. He noted that sales for government offices represented an important opportunity.
Amarasimha (Gopi) Varma, President Delegate of ICRRA reported on the status of cartridge remanufacturing in India.
J o h n D u f f y, D i r e c t o r, Precision Toner Products Pty, Ltd., gave GRIGA an update on the cartridge recharging industry in Australia.
Jose Bustamante, Director, Consumables Magazine, discussed today’s cartridge recharging industry in Spain.
Neil Coulton, Vice Chairman, UKCRA brought us up-to-date on the status of cartridge remanufacturing in Europe and the United Kingdom. He denounced the influx of Asian new mold compatibles priced far below remanufactured OEM cartridges. They represent a threat to many Players, not just for their price competition, but for the fact that they poison the empties pool.
November 2011 | www.recyclingtimes.com.cn
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Recycling Times Magazine
Features According to strategic marketing consultant Ms. Sharon Williams, CEO and Founder of Taurus Marketing (www. taurusmarketing.com), a recognized expert on branding, rechargers are at risk of losing market share unless they begin to connect better with consumers. “From my perspective” Williams said at GRIGA 2011, “the OEMs are wiping the floor with us.” She noted that our message is not getting through to the consumer and advised us to push back against the myths and false claims being made by the OEMs against remanufactured cartridges. The solution is an aggressive consumer education program which Ms. Williams summed up by emphasizing that “Education is Key!” One important revelation that took place at GRIGA 2011 was that some government officials are setting guidelines on the printers their agencies purchase. This is a goal first articulated by Mr. Arnald Ho in his keynote address at GRIGA 2010. It is a promising lead to expanding aftermarket share, especially if government agencies were admonished to avoid the purchase of printers that cannot accept remanufactured cartridges, hence that do not offer a choice of aftermarket supplies. Art Diamond pointed out that one of the major barriers facing GRIGA is the reluctance of other trade associations around the world to take part in GRIGA. They view GRIGA as a Chinese-driven association and resent the Chinese for building and exporting new mold, compatible cartridges. “This resistance must be addressed,” Diamond said.
Future goals & objectives Wrapping up the event with an overview of GRIGA’s goals and objectives, they are: • Finance GRIGA’s future program by raising $300,000 • Educate consumers on the merits of remanufacture cartridges • Expand the rechargers’ share of the consumables market • Push back against the myths about reman products being spread by OEMs • Develop a plan to be a part of MPS contracts • Sell color cartridges • Sell biotoner cartridges • Sell wide format, A3, products • Find another venue for GRIGA 2012 There was some discussion as to whether the 2012 GRIGA meeting must be associated with an existing trade show, such as World Expo, Remax Europe, PaperWorld, etc. Neil Coulton, Vice Chairman of UKCRA was asked to meet with David Connett to discuss 2012 siting possibilities. Concurrently, Art Diamond will meet with Ms. Patricia Ames of Recharger magazine and Tricia Judge of I-ITC to discuss a possible USA venue.
Art Diamond Art Diamond, President of Diamond Research Corporation & Consulting Editor of Recycling Times Magazine, is a 56-year veteran of the imaging industry ,having worked in this field continuously since 1955.He is currently President of Diamond Research Corporation (DRC),a high technology consulting and chemical engineering firm he formed in April 1968 specializing in toner, ink jet and media R&D, production and marketing Until January, 2011, Diamond was Chairman of The Tiara Group ,LLC a trade show management firm he spun off of DRC on July 1, 2001 to perpetuate a series of seminars and trade shows held in Australia, Belgium, China, Germany, Mexico, Switzerland and the USA since1984 .Diamond holds 15 US patents in the field of reprography . He has authored more than 90 articles, talks, and publications relating to imaging materials and processes.
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Recycling Times Magazine
Features
Entering the era of color Printer consumables market survey for the first three quarters in 2011 At this very moment when Europe is haunted by the debt crisis and the US is hampered by a weak recovery, the global economy still faces great uncertainties, which in turn could affect the national economy of China. According to the latest economic data released by the National Statistics Bureau of China (NBSC), the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has recorded a slowdown in the first three consecutive quarters of 2011, with an average growth rate of 9.4% year-on-year. Sheng Laiyun, spokesperson of the NBSC, said during the press conference on October 18th, that China’s exports were affected by the slow global economic recovery generated by the European debt crisis, the downgrading of US’s sovereign debt, and the turbulence in international financial markets, especially when reviewing the quarterly and monthly changes in the export data. In China’s domestic printer consumables market, there are issues like
the surge of raw material prices and the appreciation of RMB, while OEMs are actively promoting low-priced ink and toner cartridges to grab the aftermarket back again. In such circumstances, what is the current status of our industry? Bearing such concerns in mind, Recycling Times Magazine conducted a survey targeting 350 best-represented enterprises in the aftermarket, to generalize an overview and some future prospects of the general consumables market. 350 questionnaires of the survey were distributed totally, with 291 of them being returned, giving a response rate of 83.14%. Of all the collected questionnaires, 282 are valid, giving us a validity rate of 96.91%.
The basic information of all respondents About fifty percent (49.6%) of the survey participants are finished product manufacturers engaged in the production of ink and toner cartridges and ribbons. 25.2% are cartridge component manufacturers of inks, toners, chips, OPCs, magnetic rollers, blades, and shells. 5% are engaged in the production of media, such as photo papers, copy papers, heat transfer papers and other specialty media. 3.2% are manufacturers of production, filling and testing equipment for printing and photocopying consumables. 11.7% are component manufacturers of printers and photocopiers. 3.2% are service providers of technology, information, software and media, related to the industry while the remaining 2.1% are companies engaged in the production of other products. See Figure 1. Compared with the survey data collected in the first quarter this year (hereafter referred to as the 1Q11 survey), consumables market players are basically stable, especially in terms of product type.
November 2011 | www.recyclingtimes.com.cn
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Recycling Times Magazine
Features
As for the major target sales market, North America is still the leading market of the industry, with 44.7% of respondents selling products into or within this region. The Western Europe market ranked third, with about 40.1% of respondents conducting business there. In addition, the emerging markets are becoming more and more important for our industry. For instance, the South American ranked second with 40.4% of respondents selling products in that region. 35.8% of respondents conducted business in China, making the area the fourth place among others. The combined market of Russia, Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia still ranked fifth with 29.1%, dropping from the figure of 37.6% in the first quarter. The rest market ranked as follows: Asia Pacific (Excluding China and Japan, with 17.6%), Africa (9.6%), Japan (5.3%) and Australia (4.6%). See Figure 2. From the data above, it is safe to conclude that the economic recession and the European debt crisis have caused more consumables enterprises to diversify their market development strategies. South America, Russia, the Central and Eastern Europe and the Central Asia are emerging rapidly, while China, Asia Pacific (excluding China and Japan), Africa and Australia are gaining more weight in the market as well. These markets are likely to be the driving force of growth in a foreseeable future.
Fruits of the first three quarters Future market expectations have been affected seriously by the debt crisis and the unstable securities market. However, printer consumables enterprises have still made progress in terms of new product innovation and sales. The frequency of new product launches can reflect the innovation capability of a company. Eighty percent (80%) of the respondents released new products during the first three quarters. See Figure 3.
Of those enterprises which launched new products, 49.1% released 1 to 5 new products, 25.8% launched 6 to 10 new ones, 14.3% announced 11 to 20 new products, and 13.8% of them launched over 21 new products. See Figure 4.
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Recycling Times Magazine
Features
November 2011 | www.recyclingtimes.com.cn
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Recycling Times Magazine
Features
Based on the frequency of new product launching, it is clear that the innovation capability of consumables enterprises can still improve in the future. The same conclusion can be reached based on the data of new patent application. 62.9% of respondents have not applied for new patents in the first three quarters. 31.9% have submitted between 1 and 5 patent applications, 2.6% applied for 6 to 10 patents and another 2.6% submitted over 11 new patent applications during the same period of time. The independent innovation is still highly valued by large and major players only. See Figure 5.
Compared with the performance during the same period last year, 88.6% of all the corporate respondents reported growth of product sales, with 26.1% recording growth of more than 30%, 39.7% had sales growth of between 10% and 30%, and the remaining 22.8% saw a growth rate of less than 10%. Additionally, 11.4% of all the respondents recorded a drop of sales in the same period. See Figure 6.
Despite the fact that the majority of the respondents recorded sales growth, 71.1% of them said they were experiencing increasing pressure from production costs. 45.7% of these companies complained of cost increases of more than 10%. This is much higher than the 31.3% of companies who had experienced cost increases in the 1Q11 survey. It seems surging production costs have affected more and more consumables enterprises. Also, 25.4% of respondents experienced cost increases of less than 10%, 22.1% reported a similar cost level over last year, and only 6.9% said there had been a drop in production costs year-on-year. See Figure 7.
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Recycling Times Magazine
Features
Surging production costs will have a direct impact on the profit level of all affected companies. The big question facing these companies is whether to increase their product prices accordingly, which will weaken their price competitiveness against OEM’s products, or to consume these additional costs themselves and accept a lower profit rate, which will bring a negative impact in a longer term. To rise or not to rise, that is the question. Respondents may have provided a good answer to this question. 37.4% of them reported an increase in their product pricing—17.6% increased their prices by more than 10% of the original price while 19.8% increased less than 10%. 16.8% of respondents kept their product price unchanged. The remaining 45.8% reduced their product prices—30% of them reducing less than 10% and 15.8% reducing by more than 10% of the original prices. See Figure 8. Coexistence of Confidence and Challenges The current market situation is not favorable. However, the majority of respondents (96.7%) expressed their confidence in the future. 34.9% of them have very strong confidence, believing their year-on-year ( YoY ) sales will increase more than 20%, but there are fewer companies with such confidence when compared with the figure of 43.3% of respondents in the 1Q11 survey. Respondents who are relatively confident and believe their YoY sales will rise by over 10%, accounted for 35.3%, while respondents claimed to have normal prospect and believe their YoY will rise less than 10%, accounted for 26.5%—a larger number when compared with 15.7% in the 1Q11 survey. Only 3.3% of all the respondents expressed no confidence and believe their sales will go down, but the overall confidence about the future market is slightly down compared with the results of 1Q11. See Figure 9. Despite the fact that most of the respondents are confident about the fourth quarter and the following year, the various pressures in front them are starting to materialize. As has already been mentioned, on the one hand, there are the surging raw material costs and increasing foreign exchange rates. On the other hand, there are price competitions with low-priced products continuously being launched by the OEMs, which will, no doubt, narrow the overall margins. As a result, the Low Profit Rate problem has replaced the Increasing Raw Material Price, to become the top challenge, with 57.4% of respondents saying this issue worries them most. The issue of Increasing Raw Material Price still ranked No. 2 among all the problems, with 53.5% of respondents agreeing. The appreciation of the Chinese RMB made the Foreign Exchange problem a real issue to export-oriented enterprises (about 46.1% of all respondents). In addition, the economic instability of Wall Street, the European debt crisis, and the continuously downgrading of sovereign debt of countries has greatly impacted the expectation of the market, although the real economic crisis is yet to materialize. 13.8% of respondents agreed that the looming of Economic Crisis is a challenge. Except for the issue above, the problem of Funding Deficiency (8.2%), Difficulty in Empty Collection (7.1%), Technological Barriers (5.3%) and IPR Litigations (5%), etc, are the remaining challenges recognized by respondents. See Figure 10.
November 2011 | www.recyclingtimes.com.cn
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Recycling Times Magazine
Features
Entering the era of color printing Facing problems such as low profit rate and increasing raw material costs, quite a number of players in the aftermarket turned to higher profit color toners and color toner cartridges, for business development. Almost half of all the respondents (44.2%) said they started color toner cartridge remanufacturing as part of their business. See Figure 11.
For the majority of these color toner cartridge companies, however, their production of color toner cartridges only accounted for medium to low percentages of their cartridge business. For instance, 78.8% of the respondents who claimed to have a color toner cartridge business, actually had a product proportion of less than 50% for their color toner cartridges, and only 21.2% of them have a product proportion of over 50%. See Figure 12.
From survey results, it is obvious that the color toner cartridge has gradually become a future trend for our industry. 41.8% of all the respondents recognized color toner cartridges as their key future business, while 28.7% recognized monochrome toner cartridge as the key future business. In addition, color toner business is an attractive business for many toner companies, since 11% of all the respondents claimed they will enter the color toner business in the future. See Figure 13.
Conclusion A weak western market and a looming European debt crisis have brought unfavorable external factors, while the appreciation of the Chinese RMB, rising raw material costs, and the price competition strategy of the OEM products have generated tremendous internal pressures. Against such a backdrop, the general printer consumables industry will have to face a razor-thin profit margin from conventional business, and consequently will have to fight its way out of such a difficulty by entering the color business that promises better profitability and prospects. Color toners and color toner cartridges could bring the industry new breakthroughs and momentum for future development. Three quarters of 2011 have passed, and generally
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www.recyclingtimes.com.cn | November 2011
speaking, the first three quarters for our general printer consumables industry have shown a good development, which in turn may facilitate a favorable fourth quarter and a good beginning for 2012. Universal problems faced by most of the aftermarket players, such as the low profit rate, the rising costs and the difficulty of empties collection, is likely to continue in the short term without any foreseeable solutions. However, our industry has answered the challenges with the movement of their business models—with many shifting from the conventional monochrome cartridges only, to introducing color toners and cartridge into their businesses. Actively studying and following market trends is a key to a bright future for aftermarket players.
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Features
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Features
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Features
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Recycling Times Magazine
Profiles
Toner Cartridge Testing Lab TCTL is one of a handful of toner testing facilities in the United States (see Side Bar) engaged in the testing and evaluation of laser toner cartridges. The company’s founder, Mr. Thomas F. Kelly, brings to the organization a wealth of experience as a toner cartridge remanufacturer with special expertise in the evaluation of color and MICR toners. Background Tom Kelly began his career in the reprographics industry with Xerox Corporation in 1970 as a Sales Representative. He formed his first toner cartridge remanufacturing company in 1986 and is considered by many to be one of the first entrepreneurs to enter that field. Over the years, he has designed, set up, and run 5 different laser cartridge remanufacturing facilities that have produced many millions of cartridges. More than 17 years ago he set up a remanufacturing plant in China becoming the first American business man to do so. He has been a guest lecturer at various conferences for the remanufacturing community. He invented the first commercial split-hopper machine for the industry as well as a new type of cartridge seal and universal pull-tab. Kelly also was a pioneer in the remanufacture of MICR toner cartridge, having worked closely with one of the world’s largest banks to develop a special MICR application. TCTL welcomes products from all commercial sources,
Toner cartridge testing facilities in the United States Battelle Memorial Institute Dr. Bhima Vijayendran Vice President, Business Development 655 West Broadway, Suite 1420 San Diego, CA 92101 Phone: 619.574.4821 Mobile: 619.857.9974 eMail: vijayenb@battelle.org Website: www.battelle.org Buyers Laboratory, INC. Mr. Anthony Polifrone Managing Director 20 Railroad Avenue Hackensack, NJ 07601 Phone: 201.488.0404 eMail: info@buyerslab.com Website: www.buyerslab.com QualityLogic Jim Zuber, Chief Technical Officer 5401 Tech Circle Moorpark, CA 93021 Phone: 805.531.9030 eMail: jzuber@qualitylogic.com Website: www.qualitylogic.com Toner Cartridge Testing Lab Mr. Thomas Kelly, President 10390 Rockingham Drive Sacramento, CA 95827 Phone: 916.857.1561 eMail: tom@tctlab.com Website: www.tctlab.com Rochester Institute of Technology Mr. Bill Garno, Director Printing Applications Laboratory 66 Lomb Memorial Drive Rochester, NY 14623-5603 Phone: 585.475.2609 eMail: wtgter@rit.edu Website: www.printlab.rit.edu
▲ Defect Testing November 2011 | www.recyclingtimes.com.cn
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Recycling Times Magazine
Profiles coverage between different SKU’s. To receive a more in-depth look at the performance of the combination of components in
▲ X-Rite Pulse
from toner producers, OEMs, cartridge remanufacturers, to large retail chain stores, state and local government agencies. For all monochrome, MICR and color laser toners, this California-based company is equipped to conduct formal comparisons of a remanufactured cartridge to its OEM equivalent. Today, TCTL has only one business: testing laser toner cartridges. It specializes in all aspects of this business from initial testing, to providing suggestions on how to improve the quality of a cartridge. TCTL also performs in-plant audits of remanufacturing protocols, and evaluates the causes of defective cartridges. Role of an Independent Test Lab Many cartridge customers are dubious about claims of high quality from a remanufactured cartridge. They have either experienced problems in the past or have heard about problems from others. A formal report from a reputable third party testing facility can help to alleviate these concerns. At best, an impartial evaluation of a remanufactured laser toner cartridge as compared to an OEM equivalent can act as an invaluable sales tool. At worst, it can provide a road map to identifying defects that when eliminated improves the quality of the remanufactured cartridge. Modified ISO Test Method TCTL offers the remanufacturer an outside, unbiased Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC) department and a quality proof source for the remanufacturer’s customers. As with most of its competitors, TCTL also offers expert Life Testing on laser toner cartridges. However, with many testing methods available, TCTL is set apart from the rest due to the adaptation of their modified ISO test methods. Many current testing procedures only offer a partial view into the life of a toner cartridge. Using the ISO test page, TCTL is able to achieve a “real world” test with consistent page
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a particular cartridge build, a test suite is included every 1000 to 2000 pages of the life test. The suite includes: • An image density page with 11-inch black squares in accordance with ASTM F2036-05 • A variety of other test patterns such as, a blank page for testing background and critical components in the waste hopper section • A 100% solid page for observing development uniformity and critical component wear in the toner hopper section • A 30% Grey Scale for observing critical component wear and contacts in both the waste hopper and toner hopper sections without the masking effect of higher percent coverage • Ghosting pages for ghosting repeats related to the PCR. The above additional test patterns are used to observe cartridge performance while applying “real world wear and tear”. Every test protocol includes appropriate acclimatization, ambient conditions, imaging media, and well-maintained printers set to their default settings. Benchmarking All data gathered for the remanufactured cartridge is benchmarked with a current OEM cartridge subjected to the exact same testing process. TCTL life test qualifications include but are not limited to: Page yield analysis in comparison to published target as well as current benchmarked OEM, fill weights, pages per gram of toner, toner transfer efficiency, and page coverage’s and densities documented throughout the life of the cartridge. For color cartridges, included is a color analysis which compares the L*A*B* values of a cartridge to that of the OEM. TCTL understands the importance of timely results; turnaround time on Life Tests is approximately 10 business days. For new customers, Life Testing provides TCTL with a good perspective of the type of builds and components used as well as the cartridge’s overall performance. For existing customers, TCTL encourages life test qualifications at least once a year per SKU, pending retests for occurring defects and corrective actions. While Life Test qualification is important, it really only gives a snapshot of the particular production run. For higher confidence in the product, expert defect analysis, along with improved customer support and periodic plant inspections, benefits TCTL’s company far more completely.
Recycling Times Magazine
Profiles
▲ Technical Support Hotline
Defect Analysis TCTL also offers defect analysis as it is difficult to collect a large enough sample size during Life Test qualification to capture all issues that may occur after the initial qualification process. Analyzing returned defective cartridges is perhaps the best way to resolve potential problem trends that may escape Quality Assurance testing, post testing, destructive testing, and the small sampling of Life Testing. Sending a percentage of defects directly from the end-user to an outside lab can achieve the goal of discovering and solving defect issues. Another aspect of TCTL’s approach to improving the quality and acceptance of a remanned cartridge is to provide endusers with direct technical support via telephone, email or text messaging. For problems other than obvious broken cartridges and cartridges that are leaking toner, a trained technician is needed to quickly and accurately identify true defective trends and components or the process that caused these failures. Customer Support with the aid of a trained technician must eventually be able to report the true nature of the problem so that later lab analysis is not slowed-down due to further complications introduced in shipment back to the lab. Initially, with new vendors and new programs, the larger the sample sizes the better and quicker issues can be identified and resolved. Once confidently identified by customer support, and fixed by the vendor, analysis of that particular problem is no longer necessary. Confidence in identifying on the phone the exact cause of a customer problem and its respective vendor component or process prior to later analysis, requires a history of properly matching customer support reported defects with lab analysis defects. Identifying the true nature of a problem on the phone gives the vendor the earliest awareness of a particular issue and quickest turn around on resolutions. A temporary resolution to a customer’s problem may also
be instituted within the customer support call. TCTL has been able to solve a customer’s problem on the phone for over 60% of the total calls for a specific cartridge type. TCTL can also work with your Distributor’s Customer Support Team and help educate them on what the four questions are that they should ask an end user with a problem and how to help that end user solve the problem themselves. In many instances, this can be accomplished is a telephone conversation. A good long-term relationship between a remanufacturer and distributor is ideal for both sides. Initial development of this relationship requires confidence which should eventually lead to trust. This can be achieved more quickly by using third party audits. If an audit fails, TCTL doesn’t just reject the SKU, but works with the remanufacturer to quickly implement a Corrective Action which gives both the remanufacturer and the distributor confidence in the audit process. In-Plant Inspection Plant inspections are a key element in the process of Quality Assurance. As a third party inspector, TCTL has the ability to critique a remanufacturer’s production line and its operations to insure that: procedures are proper and consistent. It can determine whether the installation of components is appropriate, post-testing results meet specifications, packaging is effective, and labeling is accurate both inside and outside the box. Often, a third party look at these processes results in recommendations and changes. These changes can help minimize fallout rate and improve operating efficiency. Plant inspections are enhanced if a sampling of defects returned from end users is analyzed prior to the physical inspection. From the information received through the analysis of these defects the area requiring a closer look comes to light and can be targeted during the in-plant inspection. At times a corrective action is necessary and is therefore recommended to further assure each reman cartridge meets the highest quality standards. The results of prior life tests are also vital to in-plant inspection. Because a life test evaluates all aspects of the finished product, any results that deviate from the standards set forth by the OEM are noted and evaluated. One of the most vital aspects of an in-plant inspection is comparing the remanufacturer’s methodology for life testing with that of TCTL. It is important that both are tested using the same process to ensure that results are directly comparable. In many cases, educating the remanufacturer on correct protocol will result in endless rewards with finished goods that perform consistently to quality standards. November 2011 | www.recyclingtimes.com.cn
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Recycling Times Magazine
Profiles Trends established through the information gathered from the Technical Support Hot Line are crucial in the ongoing process of quality. The information supplied by the enduser is both educational and priceless. In many cases, the technician can defuse a potentially disastrous situation merely by educating the consumer, sympathizing with their frustration, and resolving the situation either with a replacement or a fix, all the while gathering vital information that may avoid repeats of the same undesirable result. This information, both emotional and constructive, is useful during all phases of in-plant inspections as the consumer’s views and feelings directly affect repeat business. In Summary In summary, unbiased reporting along with a wealth of history and experience in the remanufacturing process, has successfully allowed TCTL to work with, share, and solve critical issues between buyers, sellers, and end-user’s. Whether a client just needs an impartial evaluation of the quality of its remanned cartridge compared to the OEM’s, a complete analysis of a remanufacturing process, or technical help with its customers in the United States, TCTL may be the answer. The TCTL Team Patrick “Sean” Kelly, was, initially, Production Manager for Tom Kelly Senior’s remanufacturing plant that opened in Hayward, California in 1986. In 1999, he helped with the development of a new reman venture in Guangzhou, China. Not knowing the language or culture did not stop him. What started out as a couple months ended up 4½ years later, with Sean as Production Manager in a world class facility he helped develop in Zhuhai, China. In 2004, ready to come back home, he headed up, developed, and ran a pilot plant in Rochester, New York. In 2005 he moved back to California and helped launch Toner Cartridge Testing Lab. He trained TCTL employees to be proficient in the basic skills of electrophotography, the use of precision measuring instruments, such as the X-Rite Pulse Color Elite, Image Expert,s, X-Rite spectrophotometers and optical densitometers. He makes sure that they understand current ISO Standards as well as older ASTM Standards. He is currently working with engineers and technical staff in methodologies for “real world” testing. Thomas Kelly Jr. began at a very early age, by taking part in the remanufacturing business his father started in 1986. In 2005, Tom Jr. and brother Sean, under the guidance of Tom Sr., started Toner Cartridge Testing Lab in Sacramento,
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California. He has been to World Expo shows in Belgium, Australia, and Las Vegas. In 2007 and 2008 he attended multiple classes on remanufacturing at the Las Vegas Expo shows. He has participated in quality assurance inspections of remanufacturing facilities and distribution centers and is a well experienced member of the customer support phone team. Recently his article on “Testing Toner Cartridges against Industry Standards” was published in industry magazine. Nicholas Flores. Prior to Nick’s employment with TCTL he held multiple positions in Desktop Support at Apple for PC and Mac operating systems. This experience prepared him for the imaging industry through the knowledge he gained working with the installations of printers, drivers, and firmware updates. As a result of this exposure, he became familiar with printers, both laser and inkjet, and acquired experience in trouble shooting technical and repair issues. Nick has been employed with TCTL since November 2007. He attended Recharger’s World Expo trade show in 2008, participating in classes to improve his knowledge in the imaging industry. Since being employed with TCTL, Nick has gained competence in diagnosing problems related to quality issues of remanufactured cartridges. He is part of the customer support phone team for helping end-users with cartridge issues. He has played an active role in remanufacturing facility and distribution center inspections for quality assurance. David Bang has become a valued addition to the TCTL team. He participates in all aspects of the Lab, and has recently traveled to an international manufacturing facility to assist in the quality assurance inspections. David is bilingual in English and Cantonese. (For more information on the Toner Cartridge Testing Lab, please visit our website at www.TCTLAB.com call us at 916.857.1561, or email us at tom@TCTLAB.com. For readers of this article, TCTL will test one cartridge at half price in order to show what information can be gleaned from a rigorous testing protocol.)
▲ Employees from left to right Nick Flores, Sean Kelly, David Bang, Thomas Kelly Jr.
Recycling Times Magazine
Market Data
Particularities of Russia's market of monochrome printing supplies in 2010 By RechargEast Magazine RechargRussia Expos held in Moscow on a yearly basis are both marketing and educational events. One of the reasons for industry professionals from Russia and CIS countries to attend the event is to acquire new knowledge about the market and leading companies. Therefore, the practical part of the expos comes with the organization of technical seminars and educational sessions. The expo is also a host of great networking one-day forums, which gather industry leaders, local companies, market analysts and which contribute a lot to the overall educational effect of the expos. In 2011 the VIP Forum organized on May 18 gathered over
60 industry specialists from Russia and abroad who spent one full day in discussions about innovative products, industry trends, industry events and other exciting topics useful for any industry player concerned with the market dynamics and developments. This article is based on the presentation from the market research agency Business Inform, a Moscow-based research firm, which specializes in the printing market. They are on a constant watch for the market dynamics and changes. The material presented by the agency at RechargRussia Expo 2011 is presented below:
Sales in million USD 1800
The amazing growth in sales volume for laser printers in Russia from 2000 to 2007 was interrupted by the economic crisis. 2010 saw signs of recovery based on the positive dynamics compared to 2009. (See Figure 1)
1600
1293,2
1400
1119,7
1200
1168,4
964,3
1000
806,3
800 600
398,0
454,0
669,2
659,0
531,0
845,9
400 200 0 2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010 Year
â–˛ Figure 1 Sales of Laser Printers (MFPs included) in 2000-2010 (in total)
Sales in million USD 1000 Monochrome, within 20 ppm Monochrome, 21 to 44 ppm
768,6
Monochrome, over 45 ppm
800
705,8
Color printers
638,2
601,8
557,6
600 465,0 400
298,0
337,0
372,0 213,9
200
0
102,0 69,5 58,8 39,0 28,2 32,5 18,0 15,0 13,0 2000
2001
2002
118,0 55,0 21,0 2003
142,2 73,4
32,1 2004
265,9
104,1 44,6 2005
139,7 60,3 2006
320,6
287,7 206,5
177,4 181,0 77,7 2007
195,7 79,6 2008
219,0
172,3 71,4 2009
236,0 203,4 85,9 2010 Year
â–˛ Figure 2 Sales of Laser Printers (MFPs included) in Different Market Segments in 2000-2010
When it comes to market segments, the below 20 ppm category of printers suffered the strongest hit in the recent recession by falling by over 70%. The recovery was weak as well with a slight increase in sales in 2010 compared to 2009. The 21-44 ppm category of printers had the strongest recovery of all the outlined segments. In 2010 sales exceed the results from before the recession. Color printers are also a promising segment, where the growth in sales has continued ever since 2000 despite the poor economic situation. (See Figure 2)
November 2011 | www.recyclingtimes.com.cn
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Recycling Times Magazine
Market Data
Table A: Sales of Printers in 2004-2010 (in million units)
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Sales
1.44
2.01 (+39.6%)
2.85 (+41.7%)
3.3 (+15.9%)
2.69 (-18.5%)
1.28 (-52.4%)
1.63 (+27%)
Total working units
2.86
4.31 (+50.7%)
5.96 (+38.3%)
8.18 (+37.2%)
8.92 (+9.0%)
9.1 (+2.0%)
8.44 (-7.25%)
Sales
1.43
1.92 (+34.9%)
2.63 (+37.1%)
3.16 (+20.1%)
3.35 (+6.0%)
2.35 (-29.9%)
2.49 (+5.6%)
Total working units
2.94
3.63 (+23.5%)
4.69 (+29.4%)
6.06 (29.2%)
6.83 (+12.7%)
6.66 (-2.4%)
6.87 (+3.15%)
Sales
2.87
3.93 (+36.9%)
5.48 (+39.4%)
6.46 (+17.9%)
6.04 (-6.5%)
3.63 (-40.0%)
4.12 (+13.5%)
Total working units
5.8
7.94 (+36.9%)
10.65 (+34.1%)
14.24 (+33.7%)
15.75 (+10.6%)
15.76 (0%)
15.31 (-2.9%)
Laser Printers
Inkjet Printers
Total (laser and inkjet)
The economic crisis had a serious impact on the overall number of sold printers. With a more cost-saving behaviour, users preferred to buy fewer new printers and focus more on the already existing fleet of printers. Nevertheless, 2010 saw some improvement on that chapter with more printers sold during that year compared to 2009. (See Table A)
Table B: Sales of Printer Cartridges in 2004-2010 (in million units)
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Total cartridges sold
18.7
26.1 (39.6%)
35.0 (+34%)
45.6 (+30.3%)
48.94 (+7.3%)
50.08 (+2.3%)
45.27 (-9.6%)
Total cartridges used per year
6.5
6.05
5.87
5.57
5.49
5.50
5.36
Total cartridges sold
10.2
13.07 (+28.1%)
17.87 (+36.7%)
25.51 (+42.7%)
29.7 (+16.4%)
30.3 (+2.0%)
30.67 (+1.2%)
Total cartridges used per year
3.46
3.60
3.81
4.21
4.35
4.55
4.46
Total cartridges sold
28.9
39.17 (+35.5%)
52.87 (+35.0%)
71.11 (+34.5%)
78.64 (+10.6%)
80.38 (+2.2%)
75.94 (-5.5%)
Total cartridges used per year
5.43
5.23
5.17
5.08
5.06
5.14
5.00
Laser Printers (within 45 ppm)
Inkjet Printers
Total (laser and inkjet)
As for printer cartridges, including new, remanufactured, and compatible ones, the Russian market experienced growth even during the economically troubled 2008 and 2009. This was due to increases in sales for aftermarket products. The Russian user did not stop printing during the recession based on the average number of cartridges used every year. The average number of cartridges used each year was stable between 2000 and 2011. This all tells again that with smaller sales volumes in USD and the number of cartridges used not changed, users switched to less expensive supplies, thus, allowing an additional expansion of the aftermarket’s share. (See Table B)
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Recycling Times Magazine
Market Data
20,00
100,00 Laser
Toner cartridge
Inkjet
15,75
Total
15,76
15,31
14,24
15,00
Total
8,92
7,94
52,87
9,10
45,60
8,44
8,18
39,17 40,00
5,8
5,96 4,31
5,00 2,94
6,83
6,06
6,66
4,69
35,00
28,90 18,70
20,00
10,20
3,63
75,94
48,94
50,08
29,70
30,30
30,67
2008
2009
2010
45,27
25,51
26,10
6,87
80,38
71,11
60,00
10,65 10,00
78,64
Inkjet cartridge
80,00
17,87 13,07
2,86 0,00
0,00 2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2004
▲ Figure 3 Total Working Printers (in million units)
2005
2006
2007
▲ Figure 4 Total Cartridges Used (in million units)
The difficult economic times (2008-2009) did not influence the overall number of installed printers. The total number of used cartridges decreased slightly, but not significantly by 2010. (See Figure 3 & 4)
Table C: Russia’s Market of Laser Cartridge Refilling in 2004-2010.
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Installed laser printers - million units
1.3
1.76 (+35.4%)
2.36 (+34.1%)
2.51 (+6.3%)
1.82 (-27.4%)
0.637 (-65.0%)
0.811 (+27.3%)
Working laser printers - million units
2.6
3.82 (+46.9%)
5.05 (+32.2%)
6.6 (+30.7%)
6.8 (+3.0%)
6.54 (-3.8%)
5.18 (-20.8%)
Original cartridges - million units
4.6
5.5 (+19.6%)
6.68 (+21.5%)
8.0 (+19.8%)
6.97 (-12.9%)
5.48 (-21.3%)
4.48 (-18.2%)
Refilled cartridges - million units
9.5
13.9 (+46.3%)
18.4 (+32.3%)
24.0 (+30.4%)
25.44 (+6.0%)
25.12 (-1.26%)
17.2 (-31.5%)
Aftermarket Value in $ million
160170
200-220 (+27.3%)
280-300 (+38.1%)
400-420 (+41.4%)
400-410 (-1.2%)
340-350 (-14.8%)
234-250 (-31.1%)
Installed laser printers - million units
0.136
0.249 (+83.1%)
0.488 (+96.0%)
0.791 (+62.1%)
0.869 (+9.8%)
0.643 (-26%)
0.821 (+27.7%)
Working laser printers - million units
0.26
0.49 (+88.5%)
0.91 (+85.7%)
1.58 (+73.6%)
2.12 (+34.2%)
2.56 (+20.76%)
3.26 (+27.3%)
Original cartridges - million units
0.59
0.97 (+64.4%)
1.8 (+85.6%)
2.6 (+44.4%)
3.03 (+16.7%)
3.78 (+24.76%)
5.29 (+39.9%)
Refilled cartridges - million units
0.9
1.7 (+88.9%)
3.2 (+88.2%)
5.5 (+71.9%)
7.6 (+38.2%)
9.66 (+27%)
11.1 (+14.9%)
Aftermarket Value in $ million
28-30
53-55 (+86.2%)
103-105 (+92.6%)
195-200 (+89.4%)
213-220 (+9.4%)
233-250 (+9.0%)
262-280 (+12.4%)
Total Aftermarket Value in $ million
170200
250-275 (43.2%)
380-400 (+47.2%)
600-620 (+56.4%)
613-630 (+1.6%)
573-600 (-5.6%)
496-530 (-12%)
Below 20 ppm, A4
21-45 ppm, A4
The cartridge refilling market in Russia is slowly declining, although it is still very strong. Some of its share is eaten by remanufactured and compatible cartridges (See Table C).
November 2011 | www.recyclingtimes.com.cn
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Recycling Times Magazine
Market Data
Quantity in million units
Quantity in million , units
80%
40 Original cartridge
34,78
70%
33,04
Compatible cartridge Cartridge refilling
29,5
30
59,8% 50%
21,6
30% 10,6 8,5
10 5,2
3,1
9,3
Original cartridge Compatible cartridge Cartridge refilling
2005
4,9
2006
24,8%
24,3%
23,2%
20,4%
9,8
20%
6,5
4,0
2004
10,0
5,5
2007
5,9
2008
6,0
2009
7,2
2010
10% Year
16,6%
62,5%
64,7%
55,6%
27,8%
15,6 10,4
0
61,7%
40%
20
69,4%
67,5%
60% 28,3
18,6%
21,6%
15,9% 15,4%
14,0%
2005
2006
12,1%
12,0%
12,0%
0% 2004
▲ Figure 5 Russia’s Market of Supplies for Monochrome Laser Printers
2007
2008
2009
Year
2010
▲ Figure 6 Russia’s Market of Supplies for Monochrome Laser Printers in the Segment of Below 45 ppm
Table D: Growth of Original Cartridge Refillings (below 45 ppm, A4)
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
1. Total refillings (million units)
10.4
15.6
21.6
29.5
33.04
34.78
28.30
2. Total installed original cartridges (million units)
5.2
6.47
8.48
10.6
10.0
9.3
9.77
3. Total installed compatible cartridges (million units)
3.11
4.03
4.9
5.5
5.9
6.0
7.2
4. Total working printers (million units)
2.86
4.31
5.96
8.18
8.92
9.1
8.44
5. Total overall refillings (p1 / p2 + p3)
1.25
1.49
1.61
1.83
2.08
2.27
1.67
The market of printing supplies in the below 45 ppm segment has been going through a series of changes: there was a slump for original cartridges in 2009. In 2010 the segment of original cartridges was improving gradually. The market of refillings was down after its peak moment in 2009. Compatible cartridges continued securing its share of the market as well.
30%
25%
27,1%
28,1% 23,4%
The quality of non-original cartridges continued improving and peaked in 2010. This tells about all the efforts remanufacturers undertake to stay competitive with original cartridges in terms of print quality.
20% 21,4% 18,6%
15%
16,7% 13,1%
10%
5%
0% 2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
▲ Figure 7 Low Print Quality Index of Compatible Laser Cartridges
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www.recyclingtimes.com.cn | November 2011
Year
Recycling Times Magazine
Market Data
16%
14,6
Laser printing Inkjet printing
14%
Unfortunately, with the recession in, the market share of grey products (products from unknown sources) grew twice (compared to 2007) for laser printing. Being highly price-sensitive, the local market deploys all possible methods to bring prices down, even though the ways for doing so may be questionable.
12,1 12%
10,9
10,6
8%
10,2 9,5
10%
9,2
9,5
9,5
10,5 9,3
9,8
9,7
7,8 6% 2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Year
▲ Figure 8 “Grey” Market Share for Original Cartridges in 2004-2010
Conclusion Russia's printing market was impacted by the global economic crisis in some interesting ways: • Printing habits did not change as users continued using the same average number of cartridges per year; • The number of new printers sold decreased, but the overall printer fleet stayed stable, which prompts to the fact that users preferred repairs and additional maintenance more frequently instead of buying new printers; • Market share of new compatible cartridges continued growing;
• The number of refilling cartridges was on a decline, but it still represented a very significant market share; • Market of OEM cartridges recovered from the recession and started catching back up on the lost market share; • Quality of non-original cartridges continued improving; • Market share of "grey" cartridges was growing and did not stop with the end of the recession. The troubled 2008-2009 did pave the way for new trends and dynamics in the printing market in Russia. We will be keeping an eye on the developments and will be informing you through our events and magazine.
Exhibition Timetable January 28 to 31, 2012 Paperworld Frankfurt, Germany www.messefrenkfurt.com
March 22 to 24, 2012 ReIndia Expo Bombay, India www.rechargermag.com
2012 CIFEX|RemaxAsia Expo Zhuhai, China www.recyclingtimes.com.cn
February 19 to 22, 2012 D•PES Digital Printer & Engraver Expo Guangzhou, China www.chinasignexpo.com
March 6 to 8, 2012 Paperworld Middle East Dubai, UAE www.paperworldME.com
April 18 to 19 ITEX
May 23 to 25 RechargRussia Expo
Las Vegas, USA www.itexshow.com
Moscow, Russia www.rechargrussiaexpo.com
May 30 to June 1 ReciclaMais Expo Sao Paulo, Brazil www.reciclamais.com
November 2011 | www.recyclingtimes.com.cn
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Recycling Times Magazine
Tech Zone
Ricoh SP4100 toner cartridges By Mike Josiah and the Technical Staff at Uninet Imaging The Samsung Ricoh SP4100 series of printers are based on a Ricoh 3136ppm, 1200 x 600 dpi engine. All models have a first page out in less than 6.9 seconds. (Not 7 seconds… 6.9 seconds, how’s that for being specific!) These are not the easiest cartridges to do, but if care is taken they are not too bad and the profits are nice! Care must be taken not to disturb the doctor blade as it is very difficult to set back properly. The entire Db assemble can be removed though so it’s not a problem. These cartridges also us a chip that must be replaced each cycle. There is a HY and a LY cartridge and both have a different chip. To install the replacement chips you will need to unsolder the old chip and solder on the new one. The HY cartridges only work in the 4100N and 4110N, the LY only in the 4100NL. The models in this series are: Ricoh Aficio SP-4100N KP (Uses HY cartridge and chip only!) ▲ Front Ricoh Aficio SP-4100NL (Uses LY cartridge and chip only!) Ricoh Aficio SP-4110N KP (Uses HY cartridge and chip only!) The Ricoh Low cartridge (403073) is rated for 7,500 pages at 5% coverage and the High Yield cartridge (402809) is rated for 15,000 pages at 5%.
Clean the exterior of the cartridge.
2
step >
Place the cartridge with the handle facing you. On the left side, remove the three small screws and one large screw.
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3
On the right side, remove the 2 small screws and 1 large screw.
4
Remove the gear side end cap, 2 gears may stay on the end cap when removed. step >
1
Required Supplies 1) Ricoh SP-4100 toner LY or HY load 2) Ricoh SP-4100 Developer same for both LY & HY 3) Developer sealing strip 4) Toner hopper sealing strip 5) LY or HY replacement chip 6) Drum padding powder 7) PCR cleaner 8) Conductive grease
step >
step >
Required Tools 1) Toner approved vacuum. 2) A small common screw driver 3) #1 Phillips head screwdriver 4) Needle nose pliers 5) Soldering iron and associated tools/supplies
Recycling Times Magazine
9
Remove the PCR.
step >
Remove the drum.
step >
10
Remove the PCR holders.
11
Remove the wiper blade shield. Slide it over from the bent side.
step >
7
Separate the two halves.
12
Remove the 2 wiper blade screws and wiper blade.
13
On the top of the waste chamber sides, pull out on the tabs and remove the waste hopper. Clean out all remaining waste from the hopper.
step >
step >
8
6
On the opposite side, carefully pry off the end cap. Leave the contact plate alone. It looks like it must be removed, but it does not.
step >
step >
Remove the four loose gears.
step >
5
step >
step >
Tech Zone
14
Clean out all the waste toner from the cleaning roller and lower waste
section.
November 2011 | www.recyclingtimes.com.cn
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Recycling Times Magazine
Tech Zone
21
15
Install the upper waste hopper. It should snap in place.
16
Coat the wiper blade with your preferred lubricant and install the blade. Install the 2 screws.
step >
step >
18
Install the PCR holders and Cleaned PCR. If they do not fit easily, they are on the wrong side. The side of the PCR with the pointed shaft should go to the black holder. step >
step >
step >
It is best not to remove the doctor blade as it is very difficult to get back in the right place. The entire mag roller section will be removed in the next few steps so it is possible to clean all the old toner/developer out.
22
Lift up plastic bar next to all three tabs, remove the developer
step >
19
step >
hopper.
20
Install the drum and place the waste chamber aside. Put the large gear to the gear side of the cartridge.
17
toner.
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Remove the fill plug from the toner hopper. Dump out any remaining
23
Remove the metal bar from the large white gear. Press in on the locking tabs and remove the gear. step >
step >
Install the wiper blade shield left (Bent) side first through the hole on the side of the cartridge. Slide the flat side out the slot, making sure the spring is engaged. Make sure the blade slides back and forth on the spring when done. The plastic tab in the center should fit into the rectangular slot of the shield.
Recycling Times Magazine
Tech Zone
November 2011 | www.recyclingtimes.com.cn
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Recycling Times Magazine
hopper.
27
step >
Fill the developer section with the new developer. Make sure you keep all chambers evenly filled!
step >
Vacuum/blow out all remaining toner/ developer from both sides of the
29
step >
26
30
Install the seal on the toner section as shown. Make sure the tail is over the non gear side of the hopper.
step >
Remove the sealing tape from the bottom of the hopper.
31
step >
24
step >
step >
Tech Zone
32
Snap the magnetic roller section in place.
Replace the bottom tape seal. If it does not stick, activate the glue with alcohol or use black electrical tape. It’s best to use the better rubber kind, not vinyl tape.
Install the seal on the developer hopper as shown, Make sure the tail is over the non gear side. To snap the hopper in place, line up the top 3 tabs and press the hopper down to lock in place. step >
25
step >
Pry up the tabs on both sides of the cartridge to remove the upper magnetic roller section.
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28
Fill the hopper with Ricoh Sp-4100 toner. Replace the fill plug.
Recycling Times Magazine
37
Install the chip assembly, back holder and two screws on the gear side end
step >
Replace the large white gear and the metal insert.
39
step >
33
step >
step >
Tech Zone
40
Install the gear side end cap. Rotate the drum a little so that all the gears mesh properly.
Install the gears as shown.
35
step >
step >
Remove the two screws on the gear end cap. Remove the back holder and remove the chip assembly from the end cap.
36
Install the 3 small screws and one large screw as shown.
38
Place the two halves together. Fit the waste chamber tab over the post on the toner hopper.
Unsolder the old chip from the holder and solder the new chip in place. Be careful not to use too much heat!
step >
34
step >
step >
cap.
41
Install the contact end cap and 3 screws, 2 small and one large.
November 2011 | www.recyclingtimes.com.cn
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Recycling Times Magazine
Tech Zone Repetitive Defect chart Upper Fuser Roller
105mm
Lower Pressure roller
100mm
OPC Drum
94mm
Transfer roller
50mm
Error Codes The error codes used in this series are all in plain English so there is no need to list them here.
Mike Josiah Mike Josiah is the East Coast Technical Director at Uninet Imaging. A global distributor of toner, OPC drums, wiper blades and other supplies. An industry veteran since 1987, Mike is a member of ASTM committee F.05, the STMC Technician Certification Committee as well as an STMC trainer. He regularly contributes articles and teaches seminars at association meetings and trade shows.
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www.recyclingtimes.com.cn | November 2011