Recycling Times Magazine English Edition Issue 32

Recycling Times Magazine

RecyclingTimes The magazine by the industry, for the industry.

Publisher & Managing Director Tony Lee Directors David Gibbons Sabrina Lo Senior Consulting Editor Art Diamond Editorial Team Doris Huang Doris.Huang@iRecyclingTimes.com Ivana Lai, Jane Yu, Keon Huang, Wendy Lee Graphic Designers Miracle Wei, Kevin Deng Sales Team Anna Liang Anna.Liang@iRecyclingTimes.com Kevin Zhu, Sally He, Tobee Deng Marketing Team Jessica Yin Jessica.Yin@iRecyclingTimes.com Tracy Zhang Operations Team Charles Lee Charles.Lee@iRecyclingTimes.com Betty Lee, Joy He, Sunny Zhang Regional Offices 5F, Pacific Insurance Building, Jiuzhou Ave, Zhuhai 519000, China Tel: +86 (0)756 3220716 / 3919266 Fax: +86 (0)756 3220717 24 Ardley Ave Kellyville, NSW, Australia 530 West Ojai Ave., Suite 108 Ojai, CA 93023-2471, USA Email: info@iRecyclingTimes.com Website: www.iRecyclingTimes.com

Cover photo Tony Prolifrone is provided by Buyers Laboratory.

Tony Lee

editorial

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It’s the first time I’ve had difficulty writing an editorial. The extreme uncertainty of the market makes me feel unsure as to where to get started.

Someone asked me to comment on two related, yet separate, breaking news stories over patent disputes: Clover and an undisclosed German company both settling with Canon. I think the result is a good one, and those involved are probably pleased with the outcome. But when you consider the whole aftermarket, it may not be. The confidential agreement between Canon and the Clover Group, for example, does not give the aftermarket a clear picture of where it now stands. The industry has lost a “champion” opportunity to fight for the right to perform permissible repair. Canon successfully applied its strategy: “To catch the bandits, first catch the ringleader”. Now, who will be the next Canon? And who will be the next “German company”? Every single move has a great impact on the whole aftermarket. I believe the aftermarket will now develop from the model of “Locally-Recycled, Locally-Manufactured, LocallySold” to “Locally-Recycled, Externally- Manufactured, Locally-Sold”.

Someone asked me to comment on our 2012 Zhuhai Show. Despite the most glamorous looking show yet, the number of visitors this year was not as large as we expected. Our post-show analysis suggests many reasons: first of all, the weak economy in the US and Europe caused some to cancel their trips (but at the same time, I was also very pleased to see the increase of our influence— I personally met two clients from The Republic of Guatemala, which pleasantly surprised me). Secondly, the government-forced change of show dates earlier to September made it impossible for some to change their plans. The third reason was the negative impact of the road works causing lengthy delays. Many visitors said the frustrating delays due to road works meant they travelled less to the show. Fourth, someone with a bitter spirit took a cheap shot at us, sending false rumors by email that the show had been postponed due to antiJapanese parades in China. Better an open enemy than a false friend! I really don’t know what they were thinking? Such conduct, only harms others and the whole industry, and is spurned in the long run. In October 2013, with new, quick highways, and certain dates, we will be ready to take the show to another level.

Someone asked me to comment on the market trends for next year. The industry becomes more fragile when it has to face challenges over patents, prices and quality. The anxiety for instant profit and uncertainty of international trading environments also takes its toll. These all make it difficult to anticipate the market. Newly made aftermarket toner cartridges will not succeed in the US market. The traditionally popular European market and some emerging markets such as India, Russia and South America are becoming a major battlefield, which will also escalate competition.

Indeed, the current market has never been so complex and tricky that it reminds me of the lyrics of a famous Chinese song: “Please lend me a pair of smart eyes, so that I can see all this complexity truly, clearly and wisely.”

Columnists

RecyclingTimes

David Gibbons

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Art Diamond

Steve Weedon

November 2012

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Tony Lee Publisher & Managing Director

All rights reserved. © 2012 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

All About A Twisted Coupling

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Clover officially announced it has settled with Canon. The settlement marked an end to the longrun patent dispute between the two giants. Clover Settles, But Will There Be More?

Just a Minute

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Have You Taken the Time Yet?

MPS Impact on Supplies: Western Europe The report seeks to provide useful, actionable recommendations to take advantage of the MPS opportunity or to minimize the threats from MPS engagements.

Money From Home

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Prescription Drugs, Fine Wines & Ink 31

Keeping Up

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Directory of Color Toner Manufacturers Supplying the Aftermarket

Confusing Times: Call for Common Sense

Industry Updates

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Clover Announces Settlement with Canon

10 Print-Rite Announces "NoTwist Drum Gear" US Patent

This Directory represents the best information currently available to us regarding those non-OEM producers offering either mechanical or chemical color toners to aftermarket dealers, distributors and remanufacturers.

Granted

Directory

German Company Settles with Canon in Patent Dispute SCC Selects Exclusive Distributors

12 Diamond Dispersions Expands into Global Markets

Directory of Color Toner Manufacturers Supplying the

35 Aftermarket

Black Point Group Acquires SCOT Imaging’s Revenue Falls 83% in First Half of 2012 13 Jadi MSE Expands Color Production Capabilities

14 MMC Awarded Patent for Ink Level Detection Technology

Profiles

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Product Release

OEM News

SCC Rolls Out New Toner and Imaging Components

16 Faroudja Rolls Out Color Toner for Samsung CLP Cartridges

Kodak Cuts Inkjet Printers, Focuses on Consumables

44 India Printer Market Grew 6.8% in 2Q2012

InkCycle Remanufactures Inkjet Cartridges for HP Printers

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MSE Releases Intelligently Re-Engineered, SCS Cartridges for HP Printers Color Imaging Offers Compatible Color Toner Cartridges for Ricoh Printers UniNet Launches Color Toner for Popular Brother Printers

Epson Philippines Aims to Double Sales

46 China Printer Market Declines in 2012

OKI Launches First Digital LED White Toner Printers

47 Epson Values Taiwan Market for MFPs

Memjet in Full Gear for Attack on Printing Market

Features

Tech Zone

All About A Twisted Coupling

21 MPS Impact on Supplies: Western Europe 31

Buyers Laboratory: Imaging Industry’s Powerful Partner

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Remanufacturing Samsung ML-3712 Toner Cartridge

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Recycling Times Magazine

Just a Minute David Gibbons

Have You Taken the Time Yet? Are you taking time to witness the latest chapter in the history of printing? Have you checked it out yet?

We have come a long way since block printing.

Even laser printers were invented over 40 years ago, which is long time when you consider the rapid change in communications. Ten years ago we knew about mobile phones, but we did not know what a smart phone was. And just 2 years ago we had never heard of iPads and tablets.

Last month I wrote about the new LED printer invention which uses toner, but has very few moving parts and is very quick and lightweight when compared with today’s modern laser printers. I remember buying my first laser printer back in 1990. It was an Apple LaserWriter with a CX engine using the EP cartridge and it could only print in monochrome black. It weighed 35kgs—much heavier than the heaviest bag you are allowed to check in for an air flight!

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But LED printers are only about 10kgs, cost about US$200 and print in color with amazing clarity.

If you want a place to start comparing the differences between laser and LED printers, go and have a look at http://okidata.printermalls. com/led_versus_laser.php And just this month, another breakthrough in printing technology was seen first hand in Barcelona, Spain. OKI Europe launched the first LED toner printers which can quickly and cost effectively print solid white!

The new digital LED A4 and A3 white toner printers can print on colored paper, film and T-shirt transfers with no drying time required.

Small and medium business owners, and

graphic designers alike, are already saying they like OKI’s new white toner printers for their high-quality output, robustness and affordability.

And they use toner! Are you ready for this new wave happening in your own back yard?

Recycling Times Magazine

Money From Home Art Diamond

Prescription Drugs, Fine Wines & Ink You’ve probably heard this before, but what do prescription drugs, fine wines and ink jet inks have in common? That’s right! They all seem overpriced! How could a 1/8 inch diameter pill cost $5, $50, or even $100? There’s no gold, silver or platinum in it. It’s created from available starting materials, synthesized in a spotlessly clean laboratory and packaged either on an elaborate bubble pack/foil card, or in a dark colored bottle with a screw cap.

Well, if you stopped right there you’ve missed the entire point. What do you see on TV, over and over again, night and day, more than anything else? Drug commercials and drug promotions. Most of their names you couldn’t spell if your asthma depended on it. Believe me, that’s where your money is going. Those prime time ads are not cheap.

And that’s not the half of it. What about all of those medical detail guys and gals in fancy dress who always seem to get in to see your doctor first, while you’re sitting in the waiting room bored to death reading a fancy sport-fishing magazine the doc brought home from his last trip to Cabo San Lucas!

That still doesn’t explain where all the money goes. I’ve left out the three most expensive costs: 1) The R&D laboratory work spent on scientists who created the drug in the first place; 2) all of the testing that goes on to establish that

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it has (at least some) curative powers; and, 3) those company parties, award dinners, reward travel vacations, sales commissions and jaw dropping salaries paid to the top sales people and key pharma executives.

There you have it. The mystery is gone out of the mind blowing cost of drugs.

What about the fine wines? Oh, we could list the cost of planting, maintaining and harvesting those endless vineyards, the pressing, fermenting, and testing, all of the real estate dedicated to the acres of casks to contain these precious brews. Add the cost of advertising in print, online and on network media. Still, unless the prize bottle of vintage red or white is more than decades old, you can acquire some of the award winning booze for less than $25 a litre.

All of which brings us to ink jet inks, especially for home and office printers. These are primarily water based, or polyglycol based formulations that cannot be worth more than, say $15 per litre in dyes, pigments, alcohol, glycol, biocides and triple deionized and filtered water.

So you bought a refilled cartridge that holds, say, 40 millilitres (ml) of ink jet ink and you paid $40 for it. What you just did is pay $1.00 per ml, or

$1,000 per litre for that ink! I’ll say it again: $1,000 per litre!!

It gets worse. If you bought a brand new cartridge, you probably paid around $60 for the same amount (or, possibly less) of ink. That’s $1,500 per litre!

I realize that not all of the $985 (or $1,485) was profit. Of course, there were expenses in R&D, testing, quality control, packaging, advertising, etc., but give me a break! $1,000 to $1,500 per litre? Ooops! I said it again!

Kodak tried to bring down that industrywide price point, but the strategy hasn’t worked.

In fact, it’s possible to buy a brand new inkjet printer, with a fully charged cartridge, for less money than the cost of a new, OEM color cartridge! Unfortunately, following that plan will leave you with a room full of printers.

Here’s a better solution: Buy Recycled!

Recycling Times Magazine

Keeping Up Steve Weedon

Confusing Times: Call for Common Sense A world of uncertainty has enveloped us all since the autumn of 2008 as we witnessed the worldwide collapse of the financial systems we were all so dependent upon. Four years on with little sign of any recovery, and now many believe there will not be a return to the “norm.” This then is the new norm. Uncertainty in everything, is the new norm, and I think we had better get used to it.

In the past, localized economic recessions proved good for cartridge remanufacturers.

“We are recession proof,” they cried as local companies scrambled to reduce costs and turn to good quality remanufactured cartridges to save money. Remanufacturers laughed all the way to the bank. But I don’t hear anyone laughing anymore!

Trouble is that “uncertainty” in everything creates a case for anything. Company attitudes have changed, because the survival instinct has kicked in. Nothing wrong of course in companies being aggressive for success, passionate about what they believe in, but when companies become devoid of using good common sense in its business practices they can become unjust, unfair, arrogant, dismissive, patronizing, misleading and their staff can forget why they are employed and who pays their salary every month.

Banks are the worse culprits. Creating mountains of glossy brochures claiming they can do everything. In practice they are so risk aversive, the only companies and individuals they will approve for a loan are those who don’t need to borrow money!

Common sense usually prevails in the end, but now it seems, no longer. Employees are keeping their heads down abiding by the policies set in place to the letter, and hoping they keep their job long enough to pay off their own mortgages and fulfill their kids’ plans for

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a college education. I just heard about a man who sold his company for $4 million dollars.

Nice! After leaving the company he founded, he wanted to refinance his lake house. The loan officer who tried to broker his $800,000 refinancing loan was told that because his client was now unemployed he was ineligible for any loan. The bank would not even entertain an application!

To be eligible, you must be employed, you must have assets and you must have a great credit score. Two out of three doesn’t work any more. He finally succeeded by moving all his assets to a new bank that listened and came up with a common sense solution.

Good managers use common sense, every day. Most of the daily decisions needed just require common sense and an understanding of what makes the company tick. Customers make the company tick, good customers, ones that require nurturing and hand holding occasionally.

Ones that come back for repeat business and pay their bills. Profitable customers that every business needs in order to survive. But today’s uncertain economic climate is breeding a dismissive arrogance from too many companies, even in our industry, where the internal staff, simply, just don’t care about customers. They are more consumed by their own “uncertainties”.

If you want to keep your customers you don’t fob them off dismissively and arrogantly; you listen to them, talk to them, understand their needs, create solutions, deliver on promises and think outside the box. Mitigate risk, of course, but don’t display a risk aversive attitude. Study the pros and the cons and take each opportunity on its own merits. Be prepared to take a little risk because nothing ventured, nothing gained.

A return to common sense allowing managers freedom to oil the cogs of the companies wheels every day with confidence and without fear

of getting their heads chopped off will have a dramatic effect at improving morale as well as customer care.

There is an old adage that says “it is sometimes easier to seek forgiveness than to ask permission.” The pendulum has swung too far in the wrong direction and the empowered decision makers are slowly suffocating the companies they work for.

Of course I don’t see anything changing fast. Banks are now so regulated internally a computer makes the decisions based on scores; and, no one questions it.

It seems to me that some common sense thinking on two important questions could help remanufacturers survive another day.

1. Does it make sense to continue to buy color toner in bottles that inflates the per kilo price, increases the shipping costs and adds to waste disposal costs?

Answer: No! Use your common sense, switch to bags, and cut your toner costs.

2. Blue Angel, Nordic Swan and LGA accreditations are changing and getting more expensive. Now, if these accreditations keep customers coming back, buying high quality remanufactured cartridges at premium prices makes a lot of sense.

But, these are the same customers that are changing to good quality, low-priced compatible cartridges at the end-user and retailer level. How can cartridges made to exacting standards ever compete with good quality, new built compatibles?

Answer: They can if the customer changes his or her view on standards and begins to worry about IP issues.

Lessons learned: Focus on the right issues and you will keep your customers.

Recycling Times Magazine

Industry Updates

Clover Announces Settlement with Canon Today, Clover announces that it has settled with Canon in the International Trade Commission and the federal district court in the Southern District of New York. The settlement will mark an end to the long running dispute between two giants on patent infringement lawsuit.

Clover gets dismissal from both lawsuits. The terms of the settlement are confidential.

According to the company's press release, Clover is pleased that they can continue offer products to its customers and the market, including the HP and Canon models involved

in the lawsuits. Clover remains committed to producing genuine remanufactured products that respect the intellectual property rights of others.

About Clover Technologies Group C l o v e r Te c h n o l o g i e s Group is the global leader in providing businesses with total environmental solutions, including the recycling and remanufacturing of imaging supplies.

Founded in 1996, Clover is one of the fastest growing, privately held companies in the United States. Clover is also the world's largest collector and recycler of cell phones, inkjet and laser cartridges.

Print-Rite Announces "NoTwist Drum Gear" US Patent Granted Print-Rite Technology Development Co., one of the subsidiaries of Print-Rite Holdings Limited, announced that its US patent application on NoTwist drum gear printer cartridge, developed and designed in PrintRite laboratories, has been granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office.

Print-Rite’s U.S. Patent No. 8,275,291 issued on September 25, 2012.

Print-Rite said, the NoTwist drum gear is a breakthrough for both OEM and nonOEM solutions.

According to Print-Rite, the NoTwist product does not have the “twisted projection” feature required by the Canon patents in the pending ITC case.

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Print-Rite has long recognized the importance of intellectual property rights worldwide and it is pleased that the US Patent Office has recognized the invention in PrintRite’s new product.

German Company Settles with Canon in Patent Dispute An undisclosed German company, involved in the infringement of Canon’s twisted prism coupling patent, recently reached an out-ofcourt resolution with the OEM. It has been a long running battle of Canon chasing after companies that infringed its patent EP 0 735 432 B1. According to the OEM, the illegal conducts were mainly seen in western European companies that sell certain aftermarket toner cartridges and drums for Canon or HP laser printers.

In July, Canon announced they were looking for an out-of-court settlement based on cost damage. Sources at the time said that the OEM was seeking over $2,459,340 payment, mainly targeting an undisclosed German company.

On October 4th, Canon announced that the settlement has been reached. The German company, according to the agreement, will stop offering, distributing, using, importing or possessing any toner cartridges or drums that infringe the patent. The accused company will also be liable to pay damages to Canon if they breach the agreement.

Other details of the agreement have not been disclosed. Recycling Times will follow the latest developments in these Canon cases and keep its readers informed.

Recycling Times Magazine

Industry Updates

SCC Selects Exclusive Distributors Static Control has appointed Lago Print, C.A. , Imaging Parts Now and Componentes de Ecuador S.A. as exclusive distributors of Static Control’s large line of imaging products in the Venezuelan, Philippine and Ecuadorian market, respectively.

“We are very excited about this new partnership with Lago Print C.A.,” said Ed

Swartz, Founder and CEO of Static Control.

“Cartridge remanufacturers in Venezuela now have a great opportunity to grow and to prosper because of the availability of local inventory, technical support, product information and all the unique products and value that only Static Control can offer.”

“The partnership with Imaging Parts Now will better serve cartridge remanufacturers in the Philippines and Ecuador through providing local inventory, technical support, product information and all the unique products and value that only Static Control can offer,” said Ed Swartz, Founder and CEO of Static Control. “We look forward to supporting and growing cartridge remanufacturing in the Philippines with this new partnership.”

Diamond Dispersions Expands into Global Markets Diamond Dispersions has teamed up with international sales consultant, Shaun Sagar, an expert with over 30 years of experience in international sales. The link is designed to help unlock sales potential. The UK-based ink supplier has strengthened its international sales team and expects to grow business in the Far East, USA, Europe and the UK. According to Shaun, “Diamond Dispersions is a very exciting business. It currently has a small share of a rapidly growing market and that’s what interests me—Diamond has masses of potential.”

“Shaun has worked with major international companies,” says Peter Callahan, Diamond’s Director, “and is highly skilled at developing

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business relationships with clients at high levels, exactly what we need. He also understands the demands of our customers and the scope of what we can achieve over the next five years.”

“Together we have developed a clear sales strategy that will open the doors to large multi-national print companies. These companies are in the process of developing new technologies for which they will require specialist inks—that’s where we come in.”

With growing interest in unique inks for the global market, Diamond now aims to capitalize on the huge opportunities and cultivate exponential growth in the Far East, USA, and European regions.

Black Point Group Acquires SCOT Black Point Group LLC (Portland, ME) recently announced the completion of its purchase of 100% shares in SCOT, a Polish distributor of printing consumables. SCOT is also a distributor of Uninet’s printer and copier aftermarket materials.

“This will allow the Black Point Group to effectively compete in the Polish market as well as the Central and Eastern European markets and bring an increase in the Company’s value to its shareholders.” Says Kamila Yamasaki, President of the Management Board of Black Point, Black Point’s competitiveness lies in the high quality of its own products and brand management. SCOT is known for its strong distribution and logistic competence, which will impact the trade dynamics of the whole Black Point Group. This takeover may change the structure of the compatible printing materials market, making the extended company a leader in the local market, says Black Point.

Upon completion of this acquisition, the two companies will be complementary. Black Point will be responsible for strategic management of the Group. SCOT will be in charge of creating and promoting business opportunities.

The merger is expected to make Black Point the industry leader in Portland and extends its leadership further into Eastern Europe. The acquired company SCOT has its own aftermarket brand Printé, which, according to IDC research, holds more than 19% of the domestic print supplies market together with Black Point.

“Due to the acquisition of SCOT, the Black Point Group enters the league of companies with greatest revenues among the entities from New Connect.” says Szczepan Czyczerski, Vice-President of the Management Board of PROFESCAPITAL, transaction advisor for the purchase of SCOT. New Connect is a freight transport broker headquartered in Inglewood, California.

Recycling Times Magazine

Industry Updates

Jadi Imaging’s Revenue Falls 83% in First Half of 2012 Jadi Imaging Technologies (Shah Alam, Malaysia), one of the world’s largest toner producers, reports an 83% decrease in first half earnings for 2012. The decline is due to a slump in the economy and weak demand, the company claims. The first half of 2012 has been a difficult time for printer OEMS, and the aftermarket is also feeling the pain.

Jadi’s lower-than-expected earnings led the company to cut its fiscal year outlook. It

now expects the market to remain lackluster.

First half revenues fell RM700, 000 (about $230,000 USD), which is only 9.8% of its fullyear projection. According to Jadi, the decline is due to slippage in all major markets. Company management also blames the loss on “a 10% drop in sales and contraction in PBT (profit before taxes) margin”.

The weak economy is also causing difficulties for new products. Jadi’s new chemically-

prepared toners received a weak response in the market place due to their high price.

Moreover, the company’s Palmatone (palm oilbased) resin, set for trial in 3Q2012, is delayed for production due to problems in purchasing necessary plant equipment.

Given the poor situation, Jadi now cuts its outlook by 30% to 81% for fiscal year 2012-2013.

Its share price also plummeted from RM0.16 to RM0.11.

MSE Expands Color Production Capabilities MSE, a technological leader in the cartridge remanufacturing industry, is adding two more dedicated lines to expand color toner cartridge production. The two lines will be located in MSE’s facility in Van Nuys, California. MSE firmly believes that the 20-plus billion dollar global color laser printer market is the engine for this growth. MSE expects the aftermarket for this sector will expand, but only for those with the

quality products and sales tools to capture it.

MSE says its color sales have continued to increase. The company owes this to its ability to offer a consistently high-quality product, regarded by end users as an alternative to OEM products. “At a time when many are sending jobs offshore or downsizing, we are proud to increase our color production and add US manufacturing jobs,” says MSE President Yoel

Wazana. “This is a testament to our commitment to quality, and to providing consumers a good alternative to expensive OEM color toners.”

MSE has invested millions of dollars in technology, innovation, and marketing support to help achieve market growth with its customers. MSE’s sub-brand created to encapsulate this commitment is known as Advanced Color Technologies (ACT).

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Recycling Times Magazine

Industry Updates

MMC Awarded Patent for Ink Level Detection Technology After a three-year long approval process, MMC was awarded a patent for one of its advanced technologies. The new ink level technology (U.S. patent application 200910040671.X) is an optical sensing process being adopted in MMC’s replacement Brother 61 series ink cartridges.

MMC expects this patent will break through the technological patent barrier set up by the major OEMs. According to MMC, optical sensing technology has now been widely employed to detect ink level in inkjet printers but causes users a big headache.

Because, when this technology is applied, a light sensor is required for each inkjet cartridge. This complicates the structure and manufacturing process for cartridges. Moreover, instability of mechanical movement will decrease sensitivity of the light sensor and thus the accuracy of ink level detection. In this case, when the ink in a cartridge is used up, the printer may still be printing,

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causing irreversible damage to printers.

MMC claims that its patented technology can help prevent such issues and guarantee the accuracy of ink level detection. The residue amount of ink is expected to be reduced to less than 10% (the average residue amount of ink in the industry is between 20% and 30%). Further, the material used to produce an ink cartridge is aimed to be reduced 10%, thereby maximizing resources and energy usage.

About MMC MMC, short for “Much More Colorful”, is owned

by Zhuhai Gree Meida Technology Co., Ltd. Established in 1986 as a joint venture affiliated to Gree Group Company, Zhuhai Gree Meida Technology Co., Ltd. is one of the earliest and largest manufacturers of imaging supplies in China with a monthly output of 4,000,000 ink cartridges, 300,000 toner cartridges and 500,000 ribbon cartridges.

Recycling Times Magazine

Product Release

SCC Rolls Out New Toner and Imaging Components Static Control Components, Inc. (SCC) has launched a variety of new products for the cartridge remanufacturer:

New Color Toner for Brother Toner Cartridges SCC claims its new color toner for Brother HL-4570 cartridges provides print quality comparable to the OEM. The toner can be used in TN310/315/320/325/328/340/348/370/375/378 cartridges used in various regions worldwide. Printer models include HL4140/4150/4570, DCP-9055/9270 and MFC9460/9465/9560/9970.

SCC also offers a shipping protector as well as high yield and extra high yield flag gears to replace lost or damaged OEM flag gears.

Integrated Imaging Component Systems for HP Color Toner Cartridges SCC has released their first system of imaging components. Each system of components includes toner, Odyssey drum with patented ZeroTwist gear technology, wiper blade, chips, seal and more. They are

designed, engineered and manufactured to work together as a system, expected to provide optimum performance and consistency.

Systems are now available to be used to remanufacture toner cartridges in: • HP LaserJet Pro Color 300 M351/M375 and 400 M451/M475 printers and MFPs; and • HP Color LaserJet Enterprise CP4525/4025 printers and the CM4540 MFP. “The HP CP4525 printer and cartridge are important, high volume/high profit opportunities for our customers worldwide,” said Ed Swartz, Founder and CEO of Static Control. “We have spent approximately two years in the development of our imaging components, and we are now ready to release toner, drum, wiper blade and chips in this first phase. The developer roller, doctor blade, adder roller and PCR will be available soon to complete the system. It is our goal to make complete color imaging systems available as we believe this is the only way to assure consistent quality with every cartridge remanufactured.”

Faroudja Rolls Out Color Toner for Samsung CLP Cartridges Faroudja Toner has released color toner for the Samsung CLP 770 cartridge. The new product is available in bottles as well as 10 kilogram (22 pound) bags of cyan, magenta, yellow and black toner. These colors can be purchased individually or in multiple quantities.

“Faroudja is developing a Samsung niche.

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We have color toner for every Samsung engine out there,” claims Marketing Director Tim Farrell. “We’re also offering the Samsung CLP 770 toner in bulk if you want to save money.”

Samsung CLP 770 machines are the current focus of Faroudja; smartchips and OPC drums will soon be available for this color printer.

InkCycle Remanufactures Inkjet Cartridges for HP Printers Remanufactured inkjet cartridges are now available for HP printers from InkCycle Inc. (Lenexa, KS). HP 61 Black, HP 61 Color and HP 61 XL Black cartridges are designed for use in HP DeskJet 1000, 1050, 1055, 2050, 3000, 3050, 3050a, 3052a, and3054a printers. InkCycle claims that these remanufactured cartridges can endure a comprehensive quality control process including documented disassembly, cleaning, filling, component replacement and quality testing during operation. The remanufacturer is confident that the products’ optimum page count and print performance are excellent and expects great popularity among users.

InkCycler again emphasizes the advantages of remanufactured cartridges: “Millions of cartridges are discarded into local landfills every year, which is why using remanufactured cartridges is a great way to reduce your reliance on newly-manufactured cartridges. Moreover, our cartridges are remanufactured in the United States of America, and are a cost-effective option to replace your original printer cartridges.”

However, the remanufactured cartridges released do not include HP 61XL Color.

InkCycler said they lacked the empties for HP 61XL Color. Maybe it’s time for cartridge collectors to take action in sourcing these large capacity cartridges Part Numbers: 102019652——HP 61 CH561WN Remanufactured Black Ink PR 102019654——HP 61 CH562WN Remanufactured Color Ink PR 102019653——HP 61XL CH563WN Remanufactured Black Ink PR

Recycling Times Magazine

Product Release

MSE Releases Intelligently Re-Engineered, SCS Cartridges for HP Printers MSE announced the release of Intelligently Re-Engineered Replacement cartridges for the HP CP5525 color printer series. Released in November of 2010, the A3 (tabloid-sized) HP 5525 (CE270A- CE273A) color printer replaced the 10-year-old HP 5500.

Many considered the HP 5500 (C9730A; C9731A; C9732A; and C9733A) to be the most challenging cartridge in market history. Some of the troublesome issues associated with the cartridge included streaking, backgrounding, leaking, and fuser wrapping with full bleed prints. These problems have been eliminated

by MSE’s secondary cleaning solution (SCS).

MSE said with buildup in HP 5525 installations, the challenge for remanufacturing its cartridges is even more critical.

B u t M S E ’ s Advanced Color Technologies (ACT) not only solved the tricky problems associated with the HP 5500, but also cracked the HP 5525 issues.

MSE President Yoel Wazana says, “We have addressed fuser-wrapping problems with

custom, co-developed raw materials that allow for the borderless printing common in A3 applications. With the 5525, the challenge with buildup is even more critical because of the 13,000-page cartridge life. In any color application over 8,000 pages, SCS is a must. ” SCS is an additional critical component— not present in the original cartridge — and expected to keep the PCR clean and prevent excess toner from transferring onto the OPC at any time during the life of the cartridge. Since SCS is scalable to A3, the results are the same: consistently high-quality, remanufactured color cartridges, according to MSE. “The SCS is not just helpful in these new applications, we look at it as necessary,” added Wazana, “We have even seen toner additives build up in OEM benchmarking that improves after installing our SCS.” The MSE Intelligently ReEngineered replacement cartridges for HP CP55 25 Color Printer (CE270ACE273A) are available in either new brand or generic packaging.

Color Imaging Offers Compatible Color Toner Cartridges for Ricoh Printers Color Imaging Inc. (Norcross, GA) released compatible color toner cartridges for the Ricoh MP C300/400, Lanier LD130c/140c, and Savin C230/C240 printers. An OEM and aftermarket toner product manufacturer, Color Imaging is now expanding its physical plant and product offerings. With many companies facing great pressures on cost per page (CPP), Color Imaging claims that its products will provide solutions to help customers lower their CPP, especially those in the production color printing industry.

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According to Color Imaging, the toner used in this brand new, compatible color toner cartridge has been extensively tested to ensure OEM compatibility and comparable print quality, yield, component wear and toner adhesion. Color Imaging says it is dedicated to providing excellent after sale technical and customer support. Since the company and its R&D and manufacturing facilities are located in the USA, technical support resources are readily available.

UniNet Launches Color Toner for Popular Brother Printers UniNet (Los Angeles, California) introduced color toner for the new Brother HL-3045/3075 color series, which are said to be popular and cost-saving printers. UniNet has released XGeneration color toner and components for these color LED printers. The company expects the new product to be a best seller.

According to UniNet, the Brother HL3045/3075 printers are heating up in the color printer market. This printer series comprises the latest “improved” versions of the older HL-3040 color print engine. With printing speed rated at 19 ppm, these printers use the same supplies as the HL-3040 printers (TN210 cartridges).

UniNet says that these HL-3045 printers have proven to be popular and reliable. In addition, unlike most other color printers that are often associated with high price, the HL-3045/3075 series are proving to be cost-saving.

About UniNet UniNet is a worldwide quality manufacturer and solutions provider to OEMs and remanufacturers, as well as a distributor of printer toners, inks, smart chips, laser printer, MFP, copier and cartridge recycling components.

UniNet offers a wide range and complete selection of its brand name products consisting of XGeneration, Absolute COLOR and Absolute Black Toners, Unichips, ASiC, Smartchips, Unidrums and Unirollers. UniNet product lines also include wiper blades, PCRs, MAG rollers, and doctor blades among others.

Recycling Times Magazine

Features

All About A Twisted Coupling Clover Settles, But Will There Be More?

In January, 2012, Japan-based Canon Inc. and its two American subsidiaries: Canon U.S.A., Inc. and Canon Virginia, Inc., filed complaints against 34 third-party supplies vendors with the US International Trade Commission (USITC). Canon alleged those companies infringed its patents regarding certain toner cartridges and components and it requested the USITC to conduct an investigation under Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930.

The patents involved are US No. 5,903,803, and 6,128,454, both entitled “Process cartridge, electrophotographic image forming apparatus, driving force transmission part, and electrophotographic photosensitive drum,” normally known as the twisted drum gear coupling patents.

In addition, Canon filed suit in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Few Challenge, Most Settle In March of 2012, Clover Group: including Clover Holdings, Clover Technologies, Clover Vietnam, Dataproducts USA, Dataproducts Imaging Solutions S.A., and CAU Acquisition Company—was the first to answer Canon’s ITC complaint.

It denied the patent infringement allegation. Clover said its remanufactured cartridges were under the protection of the doctrine of “permissible repair”. The group also asserted Canon’s patents were invalid because they were exhausted.

Apart from its own subsidiaries, Clover’s legal team also represented Dexxon Digital Storage, Discount Office Items, Deal Express LLC, GreenLine Paper Company, Myriad Greeyn, Office World, and OfficeWorld.com (collectively, the Clover Customers).

Other companies soon responded to the Canon complaint, but most began to work on settlement agreements with Canon.

On March 19, Atman became the first remanufacturers to “settle” with Canon in both USITC and the district court. The ITC investigation was therefore terminated for the company, but still bound to the Consent Order from the USITC, the Consent Judgment and the Permanent Injunction from the Southern District of New York, which stipulated that Atman is prohibited from making, using, selling or offering for sale in the US, and from importing into the US, these toner cartridges and their drum photoreceptors. If the company fails to fulfill www.iRecyclingTimes.com

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Features the stipulation, it will be fined $100,000 or “twice the value of the articles entered or sold”.

Since then, the industry has been seeing an increasing number of “settlements,” most of them in district court.

But Clover Group did not compromise. It continued to fight for itself and prove it had not engaged in any alleged patent infringement of Canon’s patent. In June, the Clover group of companies filed an emergency motion with USITC and asked to question 25 people in Japan who either were, or still are, Canon employees involved with the drum gear invention. The remanufacturing industry applauded Clover for its bravery in fighting when most respondents stepped back.

Green Project, a little known company, specialized in the repairing and manufacturing of inkjet and toner cartridges, is another organization with the courage to challenge Canon.

According to Actionable Intelligence, Green Project has consistently signaled a willingness to contest the matter in court.

All Cases Settled Except Green Project However, in early August, rumors had it that Clover was seeking a settlement with Canon. That rumor was later confirmed by Actionable Intelligence in its report on August 8, indicating Clover respondents and Canon filed a Joint Motion before the USITC to extend its deadline of response following an “agreement-in-principle” which will include a Joint Motion to terminate the investigation. The deadline was extended to August 30. The deadline was soon further extended to October 30, beacause the two parties could not work out their agreement in time.

Later on October 9th, Clover Group officially announced it has settled with Canon in the International Trade Commission and the federal district court in the Southern District of New York. The settlement marked an end to the long-run patent dispute between the two giants.

Clover was dismissed from both lawsuits. However, the terms of the settlement remain confidential.

According to the company's press release, Clover was pleased they can continue to

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offer products to its customers and the market, including the HP and Canon models involved in the lawsuits.

But in a press release on October 13th, Canon announced “Clover has stipulated to a Consent Order from the International Trade Commission and will stipulate to a Consent Judgment and Permanent Injunction from the Southern District of New York, which will prohibit Clover from making, using, selling or offering for sale in the U.S., and from importing into the U.S., the toner cartridges and their photosensitive drums which Canon accused of infringement.

Clover will also make to Canon a payment of an undisclosed sum in connection with the resolution”.

On USITC’s website, official legal documents indicate the Clover group and Clover Customers, 13 companies in total, have executed Consent Order Stipulation. Also, Canon and Clover have filed a Joint Motion for Termination of the Investigation as to Clover based upon a Consent Order.

According to USITC, Clover agrees that upon entry of the Consent Order by the Commission, it will not import into the United States, sell for importation into the United States or sell or offer for sale in the United States after importation, or knowingly aid, abet, encourage, participate in or induce the importation into the United States, the sale for importation into the United States, or the sale, offer for sale or use in the United States after importation, any Accused Products, except under consent or license from Canon, its successors or assignees.

Recycling Times tried to contact Clover to dig out more

Recycling Times Magazine

Features of the story behind the scene, but we heard no comment from the company by the time this article was scheduled for publication.

We suspect Clover might continue to sell “HP and Canon models involved in the lawsuits” in the American Market, because in any sense the American market is too big a pie for the company to withdraw from, but it might have its own solution for the “infringing” coupling. Time will tell.

By now, 16 companies have executed a Consent Order and their investigations have been terminated in the USITC. Another 16 companies were found in default because they didn’t “respond to the order to show cause or do anything to explain or cure their failure to answer the complaint and notice of investigation or respond to Canon’s discovery requests”. The case against Nukote Mexico has been withdrawn, because the company does not exist anymore.

So Green Project remains the only active respondent. As in district court, 23 companies have settled the matter. (See P26) For those defaulting companies, the USITC will issue exclusion orders to prohibit them from importing goods into the American market. According to Andrew Thomases, a law firm partner with Skadden Arps, “Given the consequences of defaulting, it is almost always wisest to respond to an ITC complaint. In fact, even if a company does not want to put up a vigorous defense, it should still respond to the complaint in order to preserve its rights. The impact of a default is too great, especially the risk of accelerating the time that exclusion order could issue.”

Now, it remains to be seen whether Green Project decides to take on the OEM all alone or if it will take the settlement path trod by most other companies named in the Canon suit, says Actionable Intelligence.

How Far Away is A GEO? Most experts in the industry expect the high possibility a General Exclusion Order will be issued by USITC. Intellectual property lawyer Helen Duan from INNOPAT Intellectual Property Co., Ltd. told Recycling Times, “After Clover’s settlement with Canon, the case will proceed as the judge originally planned. But it’s quite possible decision would arrive earlier. I think it’s likely that the General Exclusion Order will be issued to this case. If it’s issued, it would have a great impact on the industry, just like Epson ITC case, because all products that potentially infringe the patents will be prohibited from importing into United States. Every company in the industry should be well prepared for the order and have some alternative, non-infringing solutions. ”

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Voices in the Industry

Ed ’O Connor Chair of the Eclipse Group's Litigation Department

The issue of the validity of the Canon patent remains unsettled. In the first place, the patented element which is relevant to all of these cases, is not a gear. It is half of a coupling mechanism. The particular shape of that coupling mechanism either requires the shape of the patented coupling mechanism or some design around which will provide the same strength of coupling. The patent itself asserts that the value of the twisted triangle coupling mechanism is that it improves torque. There is no discussion in the patent itself as to why or how this particular shape improves torque, and I seriously doubt if it does so. If it does not, the patent could be invalidated on the basis that the twisted triangle coupling mechanism provides no new and useful improvement to the technology. Those wishing to challenge Canon on the basis of its patent would have a relatively easy attack on that patent, should they choose to do so. In my opinion, it would be relatively easy to obtain an opinion from any mechanical engineer as to whether or not the twisted triangle coupler actually provides any mechanical advantage.

Whether or not companies in this industry will choose to follow Clover will depend on what kind of business arrangement they can make with Canon. For those who choose to follow a different path, they challenge the Canon patent, and/or wait for a case decision from the United States Supreme Court in April, which is a possible legal impact on this issue looming in the near horizon.

The case before the United States Supreme Court involves the effect of the first sale doctrine as it applies to copyrights.

It is quite possible the Supreme Court will decide that all intellectual property rights are exhausted upon first sale, regardless of where that sale is made. Should the court

Recycling Times Magazine

Features make such a broad decision, that will, as a practical matter, overturn the patent cases which presently limit of the first sale exhaustion doctrine to sales made in the United States.

Those are the jazz photo cases, which form the basis for Canon’s assertion of its intellectual property rights against those who are selling refurbished Canon cartridges.

To the extent that any settlements with Canon include restrictions on the sale of refurbished cartridges first sold in the United States, it is possible those settlement agreements may be overturned. To the extent they are not overturned, those who have entered into them may wish they had not, depending upon the United States Supreme Court decision.

I expect that decision in April of next year.

John Shane Director of InfoTrends

Notably the Clover press release specifically speaks to remanufactured cartridges, which is Clover’s business.

There was no mention of clone cartridges. It's not a surprise as Clover is known to shy away from clones, focusing on reman. But the question remains whether there may be additional issues with Clones that may not be visible to an outside observer. We would not be shocked if Canon views clones as different from reman. If behind the scenes the gear issue has more power when attached to a clone, the Canon suit could end up being good news in the long term for remanufacturers and OEMs as it is clones that both have the most difficulty competing against.

Charles Brewer President of Actionable Intelligence

News of the Clover-Canon settlement in early October was not surprising. At the Actionable Intelligence website (www.

Action-Intell.com), we have been reporting since August that the two companies were in talks and were expected to reach an agreement. The case in general has already had an impact on the market for third-party Canon and HP toner cartridges.

Companies that have settled with Canon have found new suppliers or they have stopped selling their non-OEM versions of the cartridges in question altogether. I suspect that behind the scenes similar steps are being taken by other vendors in hopes of avoiding a Canon lawsuit.

Going forward, we will see more changes. Canon should be able to regain some of the share of the market for its cartridges. But, as we have reported at our website, Canon will not eliminate all third-party consumables for its machines. Print Rite and Static Control Components now have non-infringing gears based on their own patents and I understand more remanufacturers in the U.S. are collecting OEM gears from spent cartridges. These gears will allow remanufacturers to produce and market Canon and HP cartridges that don't infringe the OEM's gear patents. Every part of the remanufacturing industry in the U.S. will ultimately be affected by the Canon suit including offshore suppliers, empty cartridge vendors, part suppliers, remanufacturers and vendors.

Tom Zhang Secretary-General of Zhuhai Printing Consumable Industry Association & General Manager of Print-Rite Unicorn Image Products Co., Ltd.

Clover has now settled its disputes with Canon in the International Trade Commission and the federal district court. But this is just the beginning! With keen competition in the market and an economic downside, we can foresee that the conflict between OEM and aftermarket may increase.

The OEM may more actively enforce their patent rights to protect their business.

However, this may be a helpful signal for the aftermarket consumable industry. It encourages the whole industry to put more value on innovation and intellectual property. And it is more important than ever for the aftermarket companies to find an IP respective company as business partner.

Print-Rite has invested heavily in R&D. In 2012, Print-Rite applied for more than 150 patent registrations worldwide and the total number of Print-Rite patent registration is close to 2,000. Especially, we have exciting news that our NoTwist™ drum gear US patent application was granted in the US on Sept. 25. Print-Rite will keep on in this direction to supply more good quality and reliable products. www.iRecyclingTimes.com

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Features

Complainants Canon Inc. Canon U.S.A., Inc. Canon Virginia, Inc.

Respondents Statues

Company Name

ITC

District Court

United States-based respondents Acecom, Inc. - San Antonio d/b/a InkSell.com

Defaulting

Terminated

Atman, Inc., d/b/a pcRUSH.com

Terminated

Terminated

CAU, Inc., d/b/a Cartridges Are Us

Terminated

Terminated

Clover Holdings, Inc.

Terminated

Terminated

Clover Technologies Group, LLC, d/b/a Depot International, f/k/a Depot America, f/k/a Image1 Products

Terminated

Terminated

Dataproducts USA, LLC

Terminated

Terminated

Deal Express LLC d/b/a Discount Office Items

Terminated

Terminated

Dexxxon Digital Storage, Inc.

Terminated

Terminated

Discount Office Items, Inc.

Terminated

Terminated

Do It Wiser LLC d/b/a Image Toner

Defaulting

Terminated

E-Max Group, Inc., d/b/a Databazaar.com

Defaulting

Terminated

Green Project, Inc.

Active

Active

GreenLine Paper Company, Inc.

Terminated

Terminated

IJSS Inc., d/b/a TonerZone.com, d/b/a InkJetSuperstore.com

Defaulting

Terminated

Imaging Resources, LLC, of Chatsworth

Defaulting

Terminated

Ink Technologies Printer Supplies, LLC

Defaulting

Terminated

Myriad Greeyn LLC

Terminated

Terminated

Nukote, Inc.

Defaulting

Active

Office World, Inc.

Terminated

Terminated

OfficeWorld.com, Inc.

Terminated

Terminated

OnlineTechStores.com, Inc., d/b/a SuppliesOutlet.com

Terminated

Terminated

Printronic Corporation, d/b/a Printronic.com, d/b/a InkSmile.com

Defaulting

Active

Standard Image USA, Inc., d/b/a Imaging Standard Inc.

Defaulting

Active

SupplyBuy.com, Inc.

Defaulting

Terminated

Zinyaw LLC d/b/a TonerPirate.com

Defaulting

Active

Terminated

Terminated

Dataproducts Imaging Solutions S.A. de C.V.

Terminated

Terminated

Nukote Internacional de Mexico, S.A. de C.V.

Withdrawn

Withdrawn

Shanghai Orink Infotech International Co., Ltd.

Defaulting

Active

Orink Infotech International Co., Ltd.

Defaulting

Active

Standard Image Co., Ltd., a/k/a Shanghai Orink Co., Ltd.

Defaulting

Active

Zhuhai National Resources & Jingjie Imaging Products Co., Ltd., d/b/a Huebon Co., Limited, d/b/a Ink-Tank

Defaulting

Active

Zhuhai Rich Imaging Technology Co., Ltd.

Defaulting

Active

Canada-based respondents Virtual Imaging Products Inc. ITC:TERMINATED

Mexico-based respondents

China-Based respondents

Vietnam-based respondents Clover Vietnam Co., Ltd.

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Terminated

Terminated

Recycling Times Magazine

Features

Survey Recycling Times has conducted a survey among readers on "What do you think of the settlement between Clover and Canon?"

A. It's a surprise because I expected Canon to win because they are bigger and more powerful; B. It’s a surprise because I expected Clover to win because every industry has the right to repair used goods; C. It's a surprise because I was sure the fight would end up in court; D. It's a sensible decision because both should respect the rights of each other; E. It's what I expected because intellectual property rights should be respected and the industry now has many options to use non-infringing gears during remanufacture; F. It's a shocking result and I am more worried about the future of the remanufacturing industry.

The poll result is as followed: We constantly conduct surveys on the hottest industry issues.

Please don’t hesitate to let us know your opinions by clicking into our websites, Facebook, Weibo and Twitter. Or you can email to us at doris.huang@irecyclingtimes.com.

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Features

MPS Impact on Supplies: Western Europe John Shane, InfoTrends Inc. InfoTrends’ MPS Impact on Supplies: W. Europe multi-client study addressed the concern of managed print services (MPS) and its effects on the supplies industry within Western Europe (i.e., Germany, France, and the U.K.). Considering that a major aspect of most MPS engagements is the consolidation of production devices and the limitation of print, this reduction of paper printed upon and supplies used can have a great impact on the supplies market. The report seeks to provide useful, actionable recommendations to take advantage of the MPS opportunity or to minimize the threats from MPS engagements.

The Impact of MPS on Personal Inkjet Devices Within a MPS engagement, it is common for the provider to consolidate devices within the organization. This reduces the number of printers and multifunctional peripherals (MFPs) that require maintenance, as well as reduces the possibility that the organization will need to maintain a variety of printer supplies. In our multi-client study, respondents to our webbased survey who used MPS to enhance their business were asked if personal devices (many of which were inkjet) were removed from individual users’ desks. Across the board, most respondents (48%) replied that many of these devices were taken away due to the new direction the MPS engagement was taking the company’s print structure.

To get a better understanding of the effect of MPS’ impact on personal devices within an organization, we addressed several questions to the MPS providers as well as those that use MPS campaigns to improve their organizations. When we asked the providers the frequency in which individuals would be able to retain their personal desktop devices, there was a clear reduction in the amount of devices kept. Nevertheless, we can infer that there are instances where people are allowed to maintain their own devices outside of the office’s print centers from the Figure below. See Figure 1.

One-quarter of user respondents say that the personal inkjet printers were always removed. We expect that some additional inkjet devices were removed for respondents who note that inkjet is covered by the MPS plan. The responses also suggest that smaller companies are less likely to keep inkjets around than larger companies, with 32% of respondents in companies with 1-249 employees losing their inkjet devices compared to 28% of those who work for a company with over 1,000 employees.

The chart below suggests that, in most cases, a person would need some reason beyond personal desire to keep a personal inkjet device on one’s desk. It is interesting that, in the survey, MPS providers and the company decision makers largely agreed on some elements but not others. Generally, we see that user decision makers are harder on inkjet than the MPS providers. We speculate that MPS providers know www.iRecyclingTimes.com

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Features inkjet that would be eliminated under a MPS engagement. We reduced print volume for inkjet along with other devices by 15% (1-249 employees), 14% (250-999), and 15% (1,000+) according to company size, and reduced inkjet again by 45%, 35%, and 25% for small, medium, and large companies, respectively.

Reducing print volume and shifting pages, even using moderate shifting assumptions, reached most of the supplies cost reductions that users and providers indicate that MPS accomplishes.

Figure 1: Frequency that Individuals are Able to Keep Their Personal Inkjet Device

that users like to have their personal devices and may be more inclined to make exceptions. It is worth noting that MPS providers are more likely to make exceptions if the user simply wants to keep the device.

The only point where users are more likely willing to allow exceptions is with “very important people.” Apparently, user decision markets are less likely to be willing to riffle the feathers of “very important people” than the MPS providers.

See Figure 2.

Ultimately, we estimated the share of prints produced on

InfoTrends’ MPS Impact on Supplies: W.Europe Multi-client The objectives of InfoTrends’ MPS Impact on Supplies: W.Europe multi-client study are to understand how managed print services will impact the market for supplies in terms of the total MPS environment and the total market. A complementary objective is to provide useful, actionable recommendations to take advantage of the MPS opportunity or to minimize the threats from MPS engagements.

Figure 2: Circumstances that Allow Individual to Retain Personal Inkjet Device

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Recycling Times Magazine

Directory

Directory of Color Toner Manufacturers Supplying the Aftermarket This Directory, compiled by the staff of Recycling Times magazine, represents the best information currently available to us regarding those non-OEM producers offering either mechanical or chemical color toners to aftermarket dealers, distributors and remanufacturers.

We plan to review and update this list on an annual basis. Your comments, additions, deletions and suggestions are most welcome as they will enable us to update and certify the information presented. Please email edits to Mr. Keon Huang at: keon.huang@irecyclingtimes.com COLOR IMAGING, INC. Color Imaging, Inc. researches, develops, manufactures and distributes worldwide OEM and aftermarket toner products for use in color and monochrome MFPs, copiers and printers, including MICR. Color Imaging offers over 200 toner products for use in machines offered by Ricoh, Canon, Konica-Minolta, Oki Data, Xerox, Sharp, HP, Dell, and others. Other than a few remanufactured toner products, all of Color Imaging's compatible products are 100% new with either chemical, mechanically rounded or conventional toners to optimize performance and value

and have been thoroughly tested for image quality, density, yield and component wear. Color Imaging also offers OPCs, imaging unit chips and waste boxes for many popular copier machines.

Dr. Sueling Wang, Chief Executive Officer Address: 4350 Peachtree Ind. Blvd. Suite 100 Norcross, GA 30071 U.S.A. Phone: +1 770 840 1090 Email: sales@colorimaging.com Website: http://www.colorimaging.com/

EVERLIGHT CHEMICAL Everlight is a high-tech chemical company featuring high-purity complex molecular structures, and multi-step synthesis reactions.

Everlight specializes in reactions such as coupling, condensation, sulfonation, hydrogenation, and reduction.

The company is capable of large-scale unit operations such as crystallization, purification, drying and mixing. Everlight www.iRecyclingTimes.com

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Directory

has also established ultra-clean production environment, ultra-low temperature reaction technologies (-80 degrees C), and ultra-pure chemical processing capabilities (contamination under ppb level). It produces a wide range of high quality products throuh stringent monitoring and control of production processes.

John McVay, Director, Sales & Technical Service Address: 10507 Southern Loop Blvd .Pineville, NC 28134 Phone: +1 704 588 1004 Email: john.mcvay@everlightusa.com Website: http://www.ecic.com/index-e.htm

ICMI CHINA LTD. (Print-Rite) ICMI CHINA is a subsidiary of Print-Rite that produces professional toner for customers worldwide. The company owns one of the biggest toner production lines in the world, featuring advanced technology from ICMI US and automatic manufacturing equipments from China. With ecofriendly and quality management as its on-going concerns,

and other laser printers.

Positioned itself as a toner expert, ICMI China has been serving business partners with high quality, reasonable price to a mutual benefit and development goal.

Chunhua Zhang, Market Supervisor Address: No.15, Pingbei No.1 Road Nanping Scientific Industry Park, Zhuhai

ICMI CHINA has built up ISO9001 Quality Management System and ISO14001 Environment Management System.

Their toners can be used for HP, Epson, Canon, Samsung

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Guangdong, China Phone: +86 (0)756 869 9868 Email: Chunhuazhang@icmichina.net.cn

IMEX AMERICA IMEX is one of the largest toner manufacturers in the industry. For over 30 years, it has continually contributed to the industry by supplying high quality, consistent and reliable toner products matching the requirements of the leading players and users.

The introduction of IMEX unique and advanced color technology is the latest contribution of IMEX towards making recycling color toner cartridges a viable option for recyclers and an affordable and environmentally friendly choice for end users.

IMEX is continually committed to meet the ever changing requirements of the recycling industry by bringing smart color technology as well as the highest quality monochrome toner to your door step.

Britt Sexton, Sales Representative Address: 3560 Fairview Industrial Drive SE, Salem Oregon 97302, USA Phone: +1 503 391 1500 E-mail: info@imex-global.com Website: www.imex-global.com

INDIAN TONERS & DEVELOPERS LTD. Indian Toners and Developers Limited (ITDL), an ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 14001:2004 Certified Company, was incorporated in 1990, as a Public Limited Company with more than 18000 shareholders. ITDL formed a subsidiary by the name of ITDL Imagetec Limited, which became operational since beginning 2009. While the manufacturing plant of the parent company i.e. ITDL is located in Rampur (U.P.), the manufacturing facility of its subsidiary, ITDL Imagetec, is located at Sitarganj (Uttarakhand). The company is a leading toner manufacturer manufacturing compatible toners for Photocopiers, Laser Printers, Digital Machines, Multi Function Printers , Chemically Produced Color Toner and has recently introduced toner for use in

Wide Format Printers and Copiers.

Having established itself as a pioneer toner manufacturer in the domestic market, ITDL exports Toners to more than 35 countries and has become the leading toner manufacturer and toner supplier across the globe. The Government of India has been awarding ITDL for its "Excellence in Export Performance" consecutively since the past several years. ITDL USA was incorporated in the year 2004 as a wholly owned subsidiary of ITDL India. The company also has sole distributors in U.A.E and Singapore.

Every department of ITDL consists of a team of highly experienced and dedicated professionals in order to maintain a privileged relationship with the large and ever growing family of valued and satisfied customers.

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Directory

Mr. Sushil Jain, Chairman & Managing Director Address: 5E, Gopala Tower, 25 - Rajendra Place New Delhi - 110 008, INDIA

Phone: +91 11 4501 7000 Email: export@indiantoners.com Website: www.indiantoners.com

JADI IMAGING TECHNOLOGIES Jadi Imaging Technologies Sdn Bhd ("Jadi") is an independent world-class toner manufacturer. Established in 1993 and headquartered in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the company is principally involved in developing, formulating and manufacture of toners for use in laser printers and photocopiers. Jadi offers a wide range of monochrome and color toners produced by conventional melt-pulverized process and chemically prepared process, which are exported to more than 50 countries.

An ISO 9001:2008 QMS certified company, Jadi is one of the leading pioneers in the industry for the development of environmentally-friendly conventional and chemical toners

based on its patented proprietary technology.

In addition to having three manufacturing facilities in Malaysia, the Group also operates a wholly-owned manufacturing subsidiary - Jadi Imaging Technologies (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., in Suzhou Industrial Park, Jiangsu, China.

Liew Choon, Assistant General Managerd Address: No. 1 Jalan Peguam U1/25A, Seksyen U1, Hicom-Glenmarie Industrial Park, 40150 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia.

Phone: +60 3 7804 0333 Email: sales@jadi.com.my Website: www.jadi.com.my

LG CHEMICAL LG Chem Ltd, often referred to as LG Chemical and also known as Lucky GoldStar Chemical, is the largest Korean chemical company and is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It has 8 domestic factories and direct marketing branches established around the world including the Americas (North and South), China, Russia, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, India, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore,

Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam, and Brazil. The company merged with LG Petrochemical Co. on 2 November 2007.

Address: LG Chem, Ltd. LG Twin Towers, 20, Yeouido-doing, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, KOREA (REP) 150-721 Phone: +82 570 675 113 Website: http://www.lgchem.com/

NAND, ipl (New Delhi, India) Navran Advanced NanoProduct Development International Pvt Ltd. (NAND ipl) is into development and commercialization of nano-products based on Nanotechnology. It has set up a new plant in Village Dhamandri, Distt. Una, Himachal Pradesh, for the manufacture and commercialization of nanotechnology based products in India.

NAND ipl has successfully manufactured and commercialized chemical color toners, Diesel Fuel Additives and other specialty chemicals. The product is now being exported to more than 18 countries worldwide.

All things small are termed Nano these days. However, nanotechnology is defined as the formation of and/or engineering with particles 100nm or lower in size. Smaller size leads to significant increase in the surface area per unit mass of the product. This leads to achieving the desired

performance with much lower quantities of material (e.g. NAND’s Eco-neev, where only 10 parts per million is required to achieve the effect and as a result can be added directly to the fuel) and/or an improvement in the desired performance (e.g. pigment color is enhanced the lower the particle size). Furthermore, NAND has also developed technology and know-how in the area of making structured particles using base nano-materials (e.g. Chemical color toner for printer, CPT). Although nanotechnology is utilized in many diverse fields, NAND is currently focused on utilizing nanotechnology in the specialty chemicals area.

Ms Priya Kumar, Admin/ HR Head Address: G-10/B, Park Centra, Sector-30, Gurgain, Haryana-12200, India Phone: +91 124 420 0657 Email: info@nandipl.com & priya.kumar@nandipl.com Website: www.nandipl.com

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Directory

TOKYO PRINTING INK Tokyo Printing Ink is a quality manufacturer of specialty chemicals including printing inks, color and additive concentrates and compounds.

Its products add color and performance to many things you see in everyday life such as newspapers, magazines, books, posters, brochures, packaging materials, automobiles, consumer electronics, boats, bath tubs, construction, civil engineering and agricultural materials.

Tokyo Printing Ink’s cutting edge material formulation techniques and process technologies offer customers the best solutions for making their products even better.

Address: 1-12-4 Oji, Kita-ku, Tokyo Japan Phone: +81 3 5902 7651 Email: tic-to1e@tokyoink.co.jp Website: http://www.tokyoink.co.jp/

TREND TONE IMAGING Trend Tone Imaging, Inc. (TTI ) was established in 1990 in Hsinchu Science Park as the first independent toner manufacturer in Taiwan. It focuses on the research, development, manufacture and market of toners for copiers and laser printers. TTI also leads in the most advanced manufacture equipment and produces high quality compatible toners for copiers and Laser printers. It’s is now

distinguished as one of the largest toner manufacturers in the world.

Address: No. 3, Gungyedung 1st Road, Hsinchu Science Park, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan Phone: +886 3 578 3620 Email: tti-sales@tti-toner.com Website: http://www.tti-toner.com.tw

We’ll publish the directory of blade manufactures in next month’s edition of Recycling Times. If you want to be on the list, feel free to send your company profile to Mr. Keon Huang at: keon.huang@irecyclingtimes.com.

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Recycling Times Magazine

Profiles

Buyers Laboratory: Imaging Industry’s Powerful Partner Art Diamond, Consulting Editor Ask any OEM about Buyers Laboratory LLC (BLI) and they will likely be well aware of the many testing services BLI offers, especially in the areas of printer, copier, fax and scanner performance as well as consumable page yield and print quality evaluation. Ask any remanufacturer about BLI and you will probably be met with a vacant stare.

Indeed, BLI has been a powerful partner to the document imaging industry since 1961 when it was established by Arthur Kallett, a co-founder of Consumer’s Union (CU) the publisher of Consumer Reports magazine (BLI is no longer affiliated with CU). “Kallett strongly believed the business community would benefit from the same type of independent testing services that CU provided to consumers,” explained Tony Polifrone, BLI’s Managing Director.

“BLI has grown to become the leading third-party test lab and business consumer advocate in the document imaging industry,” adds Polifrone, “While helping OEMs develop better products, BLI provides end users with the tools they need to ensure they recognize the best products and make an intelligent selection.”

At its temperature and humidity controlled laboratory in Hackensack, New Jersey BLI outputs millions of test prints in the course of assessing the performance of imaging devices, as well as the page yield, image quality and reliability of the toner and ink jet ink cartridges it evaluates for its many client companies worldwide.

BLI’s testing expertise is supported by a comprehensive database of imaging hardware—printers, copiers, MFPs, fax

machines, wide-format devices, scanners, etc.—installed in offices in the USA and around the world. This powerhouse of information is essential to the engineers and scientists responsible for the development of new imaging products and upgrading existing ones. However, for the strategic sales and marketing manager, it can also prove a valuable tool.

BLI’s Facilities & Services BLI’s Hackensack facility occupies 10,000 square feet of floor space, more than half of which is devoted to laboratory operations. Its subsidiary in Wokingham, England comprises

A Sutherland 2000 Rub Tester is used to evaluate the resistance of a fused image to abrasive action.

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Recycling Times Magazine

Profiles another 43,000 ft2 of testing area. BLI also maintains a sales office in Hong Kong to serve its Asia Pacific clients. Counting all facilities, the company employs a total of about 50 workers.

“BLI provides test reports and editorial content on a multitude of office imaging systems, software solutions and consumable supplies,” says Ms. Daria Hoffman, BLI’s Managing Editor. “Originally, we covered office maintenance materials as well, including facilities cleaning compounds and waxes, but later dropped these products to focus on office equipment and supplies. First it was furniture, pens, typewriters and calculators; then it was copiers, printers, fax machines and MFPs. Today, it is exclusively document imaging systems and solutions, including printers, copiers, MFPs, fax machines, wide-format devices, scanners and related consumables.”

Searching Techniques Ms. Jane Lyons, BLI’s Customer Support and Training Representative, says “In addition to our many test services, BLI’s core business offering is bliQ, a comprehensive database accessible to our subscribers. This valuable information includes specifications and pricing on thousands of products, along with hard-to-obtain information gleaned from BLI’s exhaustive product evaluations extensive research and detailed Lab Reports. It was designed to save our clients time with all the competitive information in one place and improve their bottom line by combining software, hardware and consumables in their proposals..”

Ms. Lyons points out that “bliQ is available online for subscribers to search our database in many ways. A search by Product Type enables them to find a particular copier/MFP, fax, printer or scanner. They can also search by Production Status. For example, they may want to eliminate discontinued models from a search or view only the most recent models.

“They can sort the items found by an alphabetical listing of product name, speed (ascending or descending), price, and launch date. There’s a lot more they can do with the service.

For example, to create a side-by-side comparison, they can simply click on the products they wish to compare and then select the Compare function.”

“Clicking on the Lab Notes page gives them a detailed summary of BLI’s extensive Lab Reports. It is easy to toggle back and forth between Solutions Center and the hardware data in bliQ. In addition, there’s a Proposal generator that gives them all the accessories available, and a Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) generator. These are highly efficient tools for anyone preparing an MPS Proposal.”

Consumables Testing One of the fastest growing areas of testing for BLI is OEM and third-party toner and ink cartridges. In fact, BLI tests thousands of cartridges per year for standalone performance certification and in comparative face-off tests, in which a client’s brand is evaluated and ranked against competing brands. BLI’s cartridge testing typically involves an assessment of page yield, image quality and reliability, and is based on either BLI’s proprietary methods or ISO 19752, 19798 and 24711 standards.

In commenting further on BLI consumables testing, Peter Hanley, BLI’s Business Development Manager, observed “In addition to yield, print quality and reliability testing of cartridges, BLI also conducts image permanence tests to determine if there are problems with toner and ink adhesion.

These tests include the Sutherland Rub test and ASTM hard creasing and water fastness tests, among others. We also provide QA testing in which we periodically test cartridge samples throughout a year to monitor consistency of

Peter Emory, Manager of Laboratory Testing, examines a color print in a Graphiclite D5000 Standard Viewer.

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Recycling Times Magazine

Profiles

Lab Technician Ms. Samia Ghattas monitors a bank of Konica Minolta bizhub color multifuntional devices.

performance and check for lot-to-lot variation, which is very critical. In addition to cartridge testing, BLI also tests such consumables as fuser assemblies, rollers, photoconductors and media.”

Growth & Development “In large part, we attribute BLI’s growth and success to the quality of the products and services we deliver to our customers and to the industry,” noted Tony Polifrone. “This is mainly based upon the expertise of our highly experienced staff, many of whom have either been with the company or in the industry for at least 20 years. It is also the result of our expansion into new product areas, such as, wide format printers, software solutions and scanners. In addition, environmental concerns have prompted us to offer new studies and services. For example, comparisons of energy consumption, Energy Star TEC/OM testing/certification and recycled media performance testing.”

Polifrone added, “In addition to increasing the number of products we cover, we are adding functionality—that is, new services—to those products. Perhaps the best examples are our two online searchable competitive information resources: bliQ and Solutions Center. These tools serve as a powerful resource for research and development and provide strategic, competitive information for the sales force as well as business consumers. bliQ is now available in mobile platforms enabling clients to access information and test reports anytime anywhere.

Using Solutions Center, subscribers can compare competitive software, identify hardware that is compatible with it and then link to bliQ to learn more about the device. “BLI’s Solutions Center is the most comprehensive competitive intelligence tool available for software solutions in the office imaging industry,” claims Ms. Hoffman.”

Increasing Market Share In the words of Ms. Hoffman, “The reman company that

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submits a cartridge to BLI for competitive evaluation is one that invests in its products and takes pride in their quality.

After many years of comparative product evaluation, BLI has developed a keen eye for the differences that boost a reman cartridge to a superior product.”

Perhaps the bottom line, as Polifrone claims, is: “OEMs and AM players can increase their share of the imaging supplies market by engaging BLI to test and validate consumables performance. Validation by a world-recognized, independent laboratory, will differentiate high-quality remanufacturers from the competition and raise confidence in their products among existing and potential customers.”

Looking Ahead Looking to the future, Peter Hanley sees an increase in scanning, document management and MPS. “Among positive directions is a trend toward selling solutions rather than just selling boxes” he asserts. “There is also a migration from selling to Purchasing to selling to IT managers and a growing dependence upon mobile computers and hand-held printers.

This last shift is driving a reduction in print volume that will negatively affect the demand for ink, toner and paper.”

“Another negative trend we see,” added Hanley “is higher failure rates of OEM and AM products, both equipment and consumables.”

Looking at the bright side, this trend spells opportunity for high-quality remanufacturers to increase share of the market, and BLI’s test services can assist in achieving that goal.

Recycling Times Magazine

OEM News

Kodak Cuts Inkjet Printers, Focuses on Consumables A month after Lexmark shut down its inkjet printer business, the industry saw another notable manufacturer exit that market sector.

Inkjet printing, commercial printing, package printing and printer workflow software, have been the four most important segments for Kodak in recent years. But the imaging giant, in an effort to avoid bankruptcy, has decided to cut its inkjet printer business in 2013. Instead, Kodak will focus on selling consumables, especially ink, to the printers it has sold.

The move continues to show the narrowing

profits in the Inkjet business, as Recycling Times reported last month on Lexmark’s exit.

But Kodak will still sell ink, which is the most profitable part of the business. The company believes it “will significantly improve cash flow in the U.S. beginning in the first half of 2013”.

Since filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January of this year, Kodak has made a number of huge changes to raise money and cut costs. It has shut down its digital camera business and sold its online Kodak Gallery operations. Other product lines , including document scanners and still camera film, are lined up to be sold.

Kodak also announced it will lay off another 200 workers worldwide, bringing the total jobs lost to 3,900.

India Printer Market Grew 6.8% in 2Q2012 Gartner , Inc. says shipments of printers, copiers and multifunction printers totaled 715,202 units in the second quarter of 2012, a 6.8 % increase, year over year, from the second quarter of 2011.

HP remained the leader in the Indian market (see Table 1), with 51.4% market share, followed

by Canon with 23 %, then Epson and Samsung with roughly 8% each.

The A4 MFP segment grew 54.1 %.The top three providers are HP (48.2%), Samsung (22.7 %), and Canon (13.7%). The A3 MFP segment increased 31.7%. Canon led the market with 28.9% market share, followed by Konica Minolta

with 19.7 %, and Ricoh 12.8%.

The page printer market was fairly stagnant, with just a slight 2.1% increase. HP dominated the market with 48.8%, followed by Canon 34.7%, and Samsung 10.1 %. Still color printer grew 4.1% thanks to the home market, and monochrome printers increased 2% thanks to SMB sales.

The inkjet printer market declined 7.2 %. HP accounted for only 50.8% market after a 23.6% shipment decline. Epson lost 8.8% market, dropping to 30 %. Canon grew a surprising 136% to 18.8% market share.

Gartner Research Analyst Amrita Choudhury

further reported, “MFP growth in India has been driven by the Banking, Financial Services and Insurance, Education and Government sectors. Print vendors introduced various new models in the market, especially in the 11-20 ppm, 21-30 ppm, and 31-40 ppm segment. Serial inkjet and page technology for both color and monochrome printers and MFPs were wellreceived. The market also gained some traction in the high speed segment, often used by large publishing houses or organizations to print their outbound communications, e.g. brochures, marketing collaterals, etc.”

Table1: India Printer, Copier and MFP Unit Shipment Estimates, 2Q12 (Thousands of Units) Vendors

2Q12 Shipments 2Q12 Market Share (%)

2Q11 Shipments

2Q11 Market Share (%) 2Q12-2Q11 Growth (%)

HP

367.5

51.4

354.2

52.9

3.8

Canon

164.2

23.0

152.9

2.8

7.4

Samsung

59.2

8.3

56.9

8.5

4.0

Epson

57.7

8.1

54.3

8.1

6.4

Others

66.4

9.3

51.5

7.7

22.6

Total

715.2

100.0

669.7

100

6.8

Note: Totals may not add up to 100 percent due to rounding Source: Gartner

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Recycling Times Magazine

OEM News

Epson Philippines Aims to Double Sales With the new Manager’s arrival in July, Epson Philippines is promoting new printers and aiming to double sales. Mr. Toshimitsu Tanaka was appointed as the new Chief of Epson Philippines in July. Prior to that, Tanaka was the General Manager of Imaging Products Sales and Marketing Support Department at Seiko Epson Corporation (SEC) in Japan. With more than 30 years experience in the industry, Tanaka is expected to bring new success to the region.

Early this week, Epson held a special “meetand greet” event to introduce Tanaka. The new Manager says he will work to strengthen the Epson brand and create new business models to meet local requirements and thereby double sales. “We will continue strengthening customer engagement processes to facilitate better customer satisfaction,” Tanaka stressed, “We also hope to continue the double-digit growth in both our printer and projector businesses

that made the Philippines a strong contributor to Epson business goals in the region”.

As part of the strategy, Epson has launched its new L-series ink tank system printers for the country. “I’m glad that one of my first projects as the new Country Manager of EPC is the introduction of the new and improved L-series printers for Filipino customers”, says Tanaka.

The company believes L-series has the potential to become a best seller in the Philippines market.

China Printer Market Declines in 2012 According to a recent report by Research in China, the China printer market dropped 6.5% to 38.55 million units shipped for the first 7 months of 2012. Research in China, a Chinese business intelligence provider, reported on the printer market in the months from January through July. The report found continued weakness in the market since its resilience in 2010.

With declining total shipment, OEMs are facing tougher competition against each other as China’s domestic printers from Lenovo, Pantum and Aetas are gearing up to have their effect.

HP merged its printer and PC departments but failed to halt the revenue free fall which dropped 3%. Lexmark cut off its inkjet

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business after company revenue declined 4.9%. The Research in China report also highlights Canon’s efforts to expand products in China.

H o w e v e r, C h i n e s e l o c a l p r i n t e r manufacturers are growing their business, featuring Lenovo, Great Wall Computer and Pantum laser printers. Lenovo earned RMB288 million (46 million dollars) in the first half of 2012 and expects to ship 500,000 units in 2013. The Pantum printer, China’s first laser printer with proprietary intellectual property rights, has entered Australia, the Middle East and Russian markets. Pantum expects to open in Western European and North American markets in the second half of 2012.

OKI Launches First Digital LED White Toner Printers OKI Europe has launched the world’s first digital LED white toner printers, the first ever solution to printing solid white quickly and costeffectively. The digital LED A4 and A3 white toner printers (C711WT and C920WT) appeared recently at OKI Europe’s Smart Business Conference in Barcelona.

These new white toner models turn out to be OKI’s secret weapon to expand into the small and medium size business (SMB) market. The company boasts high-quality output, robustness and affordability, suitable from T-shirt transfers and film printing to innovative, in-store, pointof-sale applications.

Paul Ingram, OKI Europe’s Product Marketing Manager, explained that in the past, products have been based on inkjet, dye sublimation or transfer film-ready technologies. They target niche applications, typically expensive both to purchase and maintain and the production time is lengthy. “But the new OKI white toner-based products by contrast are versatile, easy to use and, as there is no drying time required, enable much faster and more cost-effective printing,” Ingram added.

According to Terry Laidlaw, OKI Europe’s Managing Director, technology innovation as well as user experience have always been the focus of OKI. “With our new white toner products we have once again created a major opportunity for end-customers to improve their competitiveness, by making the most of their ability to print a broader range of high-quality materials in-house.”

Epson Values Taiwan Market for MFPs Seiko Epson aims to sell 30,000 inkjet MFPs (multi-function printers) with continuous ink supply system (CISS) cartridges in the Taiwan market this year. According to Epson Taiwan Technology and Trading, only 6,000 Epson inkjet MFPs featuring continuous ink supply cartridges were sold in the Taiwan market last year.

Epson Taiwan estimated the demand to reach 90,000 units in 2012 and 95,000 units in 2013.

This year, the OEM expects to sell 30,000 units of such MFPs representing a 33.3% market share. By now, Epson has launched 6 inkjet MFP models with a low average monochrome printing cost of NT$0.01 per sheet and a printing resolution of 5760 by 1440 dpi.

Some industrial experts say such inkjet MFPs with CISS represent

the OEM’s effort to prevent customers from using less expensive non-OEM ink, but compared to users in China, Indonesia and other emerging markets, Taiwanese are more likely to use OEM ink.

Maybe that’s just one among many other reasons Epson sees a great MFP market here in Taiwan.

Memjet in Full Gear for Attack on Printing Market Backed by its high-tech Sydney R&D hub, Memjet has grand ambitions for its inkjet printhead technology to span the digital printing landscape. It is moving ahead in full gear to attack digital printing applications, including the production printing space.

Jeff Bean, Memjet’s Vice-President of Brand and Communications, expects his company to be seen as a “third way for printing” in the office space. “First there was inkjet. Then laser was invented. Finally there is Memjet, an entirely new category of super-fast, affordable color that neither traditional inkjet nor laser can deliver.”

M e m j e t , r e g a r d e d b y t h e m a r ke t a s competitive against market-leading digital presses such as the Xerox iGen4 and HP Indigo, is also marching into production digital

printing, “We have partners today that are aimed squarely at those markets and those competing machines. Both Colordyne and SuperWeb have ‘production digital’ solutions that deliver lower hardware costs and attractive running costs,” said Bean.

As the sole supplier of inks for its devices through its US facility, Memjet earned good money to support its further R&D. But next year, Canon-Oce and Fuji Xerox will bring new wide-format machines to the market. How will Memjet react to that? Who will be the market champion? Keep your eyes open and Recycling Times will keep you updated in a timely manner.

Recycling Times Magazine

Tech Zone

Remanufacturing Samsung ML-3712 Toner Cartridge Mike Josiah and the Technical Staff at Uninet Imaging First released in September 2011 the Samsung ML-3712 series of printers are based on a 33-37 ppm engine with a maximum resolution of 1200 x 1200 dpi. The first page out is stated to be under 6.5 seconds. Depending on the model number, other options/specs are available including MFP versions (SCX).

The MLT-D205E/L/S cartridges do not have a drum cover, and come new with a piece of heavy paper with a thin sheet of foam on the inside taped around the cartridge.

These cartridges while look similar to other Samsung Cartridges have taken a dramatic change in that there are no screws in the outside of the cartridge at all. There are plastic rivets that need to be cut off, holes drilled and screws installed to hold them back on. It’s not a hard process and it’s covered completely in the instructions. See Figure’s 1 & 2

Figure1

and it has to be replaced each cycle. The OEM chips are regional so be sure to get the proper chip for your region. Most of the machines in this series when new ship with a 5,000 page starter cartridge.

The MLT-D205S has a list price of $62.49, the MLT-D205L has a list price of $116.06, and the MLT-D205E lists for $173.40* *Pricing as of November 2011 There are quite a few machines both MFP and laser only that use these cartridges so far: • ML-3310ND • ML-3312ND • ML-3710ND • ML-3712ND • ML-3712DW • SCX-4833FD • SCX-4835FR • SCX-5637FR • SCX-5639FR • SCX-5737FR • SCX-5739FW Cartridge troubleshooting will be listed at the end of these instructions Required Tools • Toner approved vacuum.

• A small Common screw driver • A Phillips head screwdriver • Needle nose pliers

Figure2

The standard cartridge (Samsung Part # MLT-D205S) is rated for 2,000 pages. The HY cartridge (Samsung Part # MLT-D205L) is rated for 5000 pages and the Extra High Yield cartridge (Samsung Part # MLT-D205E) is rated for 10,000 pages.

As with pretty much all cartridges these days the cartridge has a chip

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Required Supplies • v ML3712 Toner • New ML-3712 replacement chip (Check for the proper region) • New OPC drum (Optional) • New developer roller (Optional) • New PCR (Optional) • New wiper blade (Optional) • New doctor Blade (Optional) • Conductive Grease • 99% Isopropyl alcohol • Drum lubricating powder • Small tube of Silicone caulk

Recycling Times Magazine

Tech Zone

step >

On the contact side of the cartridge, slice off the slice off the heads of the 3 plastic rivets with a chisel blade knife. If your knife is too wide, you may find it necessary to drill out the upper recessed rivets on both sides.

Leave the end cap on for now.

1

While still on the same side, locate the two tabs. Press in on each tab, and remove the end cap. The drum axle arm will come off with the end cap. step >

step >

On the opposite side end cap take the chisel blade knife and slice off the heads of the 3 plastic rivets. See above step for recessed rivets. Leave the end cap on for now.

2

4

Remove the drum drive gear.

step >

step >

step >

step >

The drum axle arms on both sides of the cartridge stay with the end cap.

There is no need to remove them.

3

5

7

Separate the two halves slightly and lift off the middle top cover.

6

On the right side end cap, Press in on the three tabs and remove the

end cap.

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Recycling Times Magazine

Tech Zone

step >

15

Pry up the chip cover.

step >

16

Lift up on the tab as shown, and press the chip out through the opening.

step >

17

Replace the chip.

step >

step >

Clean the PCR with your normal PCR cleaner.

WARNING: Do not clean the OEM PCR with alcohol, as this will remove the conductive coating from the roller. If the PCR is an aftermarket, follow the cleaning methods recommended by the manufacturer. If the PCR is an OEM, we recommend it be cleaned with your standard PCR cleaner.

11

18

Replace the chip cover.

step >

Remove the two screws from the wiper blade, remove the blade.

It’s easy to remove if you slide it out from under the PCR holders.

12

9

10

50

13

Clean out all the waste toner from the hopper. Make sure the seals are clean.

Remove the drum.

Remove the PCR from the assembly.

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Carefully remove the wiper blade seal from the right (chip) side. Peel the seal back around 3�. step >

step >

step >

step >

step >

Gently pry up on the tabs on both sides of the cartridge and remove the waste hopper. Be careful to hold the drum so it does not become damaged.

Remove the drum/waste assy.

8

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Recycling Times Magazine

step >

Tech Zone

step > step >

step >

Re-install the wiper blade seal. Use 100% silicon if the seal tore to prevent any leaks. Just like the OEM did, be careful not to use any silicon on the chip cover area. (Otherwise it will be very difficult to replace the chip on the next cycle.

19

27

24

Remove the 2 screws from the doctor blade, remove the blade.

28

Clean out all the remaining toner from the hopper.

Pry off the gear plate, remove the gears.

step >

Install the new wiper blade and two screws. It is easier to install if you slide it in under the PCR holders.

20

step >

Make sure the doctor blade sealing foam and the developer rollers seals are clean and intact.

29

Remove the developer roller bushings from both sides.

30

31

23

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step >

step >

On the supply hopper, carefully pry out the fill plug and dump out any remaining toner. The fill plug can be difficult to remove as it is recessed. Take a small common screwdriver and work it around the edge lifting slightly until it comes loose.

25

Clean the Dr. Blade edge so there is no evidence of build up along the edge. If any buildup exists, the cartridge will streak. No chemicals should be used. We have found using a clean ice cream type wooden stick works great for scraping the blade clean without damaging it. step >

step >

step >

Install the drum with the large gear to the gear or non-chip side of the drum into the waste hopper.

22

step >

step >

Place a small amount of conductive grease in the holders, and install the PCR. The long shaft side to the gear or non-chip side.

21

26

Remove the developer roller.

Install the seal when available through the developer roller opening.

Recycling Times Magazine

step >

Tech Zone

36

Fill the hopper with ML-2525 toner, replace the fill plug and check for

32

step >

step >

leaks.

Pull the tail of the seal through the seal port.

40

Fit both sides of the waste hopper tabs into the toner

step >

step >

hopper.

33

37

Replace the bushings on both side of the developer roller.

Install the doctor blade and two screws.

38

Install the gears in the order as shown.

Slide the cleaned middle top cover/PCR cleaner assembly into place. Make sure the center tab fits under the edge of the doctor blade.

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roller.

Clean and replace the conductive grease on the short shaft side of the

step >

step >

step >

step >

step >

Clean the developer roller with a dedicated DVR cleaner, and replace into the hopper. Place the long shaft side to the gear side of the cartridge. It should snap in place if installed correctly.

34

39

Install the gear axle plate.

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Recycling Times Magazine

step >

Tech Zone

44

Clean the hubs on the gear or right side end cap. Snap the end cap into

place.

step >

46

Install the drum drive gear.

Repetitive defect chart: Upper heat roller

77.5mm

OPC drum

75.6mm

Lower pressure roller

75.4mm

Supply Roller

49.0mm

Transfer roller

47.0mm

PCR

37.5mm

Developer roller

35.0mm

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43

The drum separators are fixed to the end caps. They should be set as shown.

These arms keep the drum and developer rollers separated until the cartridge is installed in the printer.

47

Drill 3 small holes that correspond to the screw size you’re using.

Install the three screws into the end cap. step >

step >

Drill 3 small holes that correspond to the screw size you’re using.

Install the three screws into the end cap.

step >

step >

Clean the contacts on the left side end cap, and replace the conductive grease. Snap the end cap into place.

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Printing test pages Depending on the model machine you have, there are different control panel configurations.

To have test prints run on the laser printers, press the Menu button and scroll to the INFORMATION menu. From there you can select the Menu map, configuration, supplies info, demo, fonts etc pages.

Samsung ML-3712 MLT-D205