Ink-tanks hit 15m

Epson has announced that its high-capacity ink tank printers have achieved cumulative global sales of 15 million units.

Epson first launched the high-capacity ink tank printers in October 2010 in Indonesia. Since then, the high-capacity ink tank printers have been introduced into 150 countries and regions, highlighting the positive response to this new concept.

The printers have made a significant impression on the market, particularly in emerging markets where sales of the series have accounted for approximately 10% of total sales of laser and inkjet printers which totals approximately 45 million units. Epson predicts strong continued sales growth with global annual sales projected to account for nearly 40% of the total sales of Epson inkjet printers, compared to 30% and 35% in the preceding years.

In South Africa, Epson ITS printers are dominating the continuous ink market segment. “We have more than doubled our ITS sales in the past year,” says Anesca Botha, consumer product manager at Epson South Africa. “From FY14 to FY15, our revenue growth exceeded 150 percent, and our first quarter market share gains for 2016 have been significant. We have answered the consumer call for lower printing costs and are extending the range.”

Epson believes the success of the high-capacity ink tank printers is due to a number of factors. The high-capacity ink tanks are purpose-built and fully integrated, which means that they provide a mess-free and reliable solution. There’s also the convenience aspect, as the user can fill the high-capacity ink tanks and print thousands of pages without interruption (instead of repeatedly replenishing their printer with ink cartridges). Another important factor is cost-effectiveness: they offer an ultra-low-cost per print, as the high-capacity ink tank printers come bundled with high-yield ink bottles.

Koichi Kubota, Director, Managing Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer, Printer Operations Division of Seiko Epson Corporation, says: “With 15 million units sold, we’re proud to say that this new concept has proven a success. At Epson, we’ve always valued the importance of offering customers a wide range of choice so that they can find a product that suits their individual needs. We identified a unique market opportunity in customers looking for a purpose-built, reliable, cost-effective and high-volume printing solution. Our innovative high-capacity ink tank printers provide the answer, and the figures testify to that.”