Kodak Claim Biggest Ink Savings With ESP Office 6150

Kodak recently released the ESP Office 6150 AiO inkjet printer – the latest printer featuring the company's patented pigmented ink technology. This technology enables Kodak ink cartridges to sell at a fraction of the cost of other producers: for example, colour cartridges for the Office 6150 cost only £10.99, while costing £25.99 for the comparable Canon PIXMA MP640. Kodak in fact claims consumers can save £50 annually by switching to Kodak printers!

Before rushing out to take advantage of Kodak's discounts though, potential buyers ought consider the other features of the Office 6150, as well as the printer's weaknesses. Targeted at the crowded home office market, critics agree Kodak's printer fares badly against other models available. Chief weaknesses include an inflated purchase price and mediocre image quality. We've listed below the best reviewer comments as well as the Office 6150's features – look through and decide for yourself if Kodak's savings claims hold water!

Features
• Integrated printer, scanner copier and fax machine – perfect for the small or home office.
• Automatic document feeder (holding 30 sheets) – for effortless copying.
• Duplex printing w/ 200 sheet paper tray – for eco-friendly printing that also saves you money.
• 2.4 inch LCD colour display.
• 802.11n WiFi connectivity – meaning you can print both from notebooks and also iPhones and BlackBerries.
• In-built memory storing 100 fax messages.

Reviewers' Comments

TrustedReviews.com's Simon Fuller notes several problems with the ESP Office 6150. Chief among these is the printer's slow speed: in testing the 6150 produced around 3.5 ppm, when Kodak claim the printer can generate around 30 ppm. Moreover this is slower than Kodak's previous releases, including the Kodak EasyShare 5500. Fuller also notes that printing wirelessly slows the ESP Office 6150 even more, causing the printhead to glitch repeatedly.

Printing speed aside, Fuller comments that the ESP Office 6150's colour cartridges are not individual. This means the entire cartridge must be replaced each time one colour empties, and potentially adds to ink cartridge costs. He also notes that the LCD display is not touchscreen – a common feature in SOHO printers today.

PCPro.co.uk's Mike Jennings meanwhile finds greatest fault with the ESP Office 6150's printout quality. He notes that colours are grainy, and that this is highly disappointing given the Kodak printer's £170 retail price. Moreover Jennings notes the ESP Office 6150's ink cartridge savings are offset by the need to buy expensive paper for the printer to perform well.

Finally Jennings notes the Canon PIXMA MP640 offers comparable functions and higher quality printing at a lower retail price. The ESP Office 6150 simply doesn't compare.

Summary

The Kodak ESP Office 6150 might offer the industry's cheapest printing, but other printers offer faster and better quality images at a lower retail price.

Sources
Chris Bennan, Kodak ESP Office 6150 AiO Printer Review,' Pocket-Lint.com, 19 May 2010.
Mike Jennings, 'Kodak ESP Office 6150 Review,' PCPro.co.uk, 20 April 2010.
Sean Doherty, 'Kodak ESP Office 6150 Aio Claims Lowest Ink Cost In Industry,' Blog.Databazaar.com, 14 June 2010.
Simon Williams, 'Kodak ESP Office 6150 – Inkjet All-In-One Review,' TrustedReviews.com, 14 May 2010.

Firms Save 30% with Managed Print Solutions

Print News: Firms Save 30% with Managed Print Solutions


Report by Market research Firm InfoTrends shows consultancies lead to reduced office expenses.

The market research firm InfoTrends has released a report stating that ‘prime markets’ including schools and legal firms stand to save up to 30% on printing processes with managed services. The survey, which involved 500 respondents, documents the rise in managed service solutions and potential growth for the sector. For those that don’t know, firms turn to managed service providers to optimize their office environment – and where documents are concerned, their printing processes. The InfoTrends results are based on criteria including: printing habits, hardware investments, managed service investments, and economic impact.

Though independent consultancies offer managed services, it is also possible to acquire these from your hardware provider. In the print industry, famous brands including Hewlett Packard, Canon and Lexmark each offer ‘complete enterprise solutions.’ For example, back in November Kodak announced an agreement with US distribution firm D&H to help firms ‘reduce their paper workflows and increase digital capabilities.’ This week, Pitney Bowes has signed with Kilburn Office Automation, a supplier of postage technologies and a distributor of copiers and printers, to help the transition to digital ‘post and stamp solutions’ across India.

The report by InfoTrends will give much-needed impetus to firms looking to make savings through efficient office management. Just last week, Japanese printing brand Ricoh released a report critical of the sluggish manner in which European offices are adopting document management. In spite of agreement of the potential benefits, most companies have not implemented even half the available process refinements. The new report by InfoTrends, which showcases the demonstrable benefits of managed print solutions, may encourage firms to put their printing processes into outside hands. They will find many consultancies wait with open palms.