Kyocera Celebrate 15th anniversary
Published January 16, 2008 at 1:38 pm · Filed under Printer / Copier
The world catches up with ECOSYS FS 1500
This year marks the 15th anniversary of Kyocera’s ECOSYS printing technology, which continues to provide an economical and environmentally responsible alternative to all-in-one cartridge-based laser printers.
The original Kyocera Ecosys
It is not unusual for laser printers to be referred to as commodity items, implying that they all do more or less the same thing, in roughly the same way, to the same standard. While this may be superficially true, it is a gross oversimplification that can only serve the interests of manufacturers that sell on purchase price alone.
Any buyer who falls into the trap of believing that there aren’t fundamental differences between various types of laser printer could end up paying a high price.
One company that offers a real alternative to the prevailing razor/razor blade model (i.e. low hardware prices and expensive consumables) is Kyocera, which this year is celebrating the 15th anniversary of the ECOSYS FS-1500, the first laser printer designed and built according to the company’s Economic and Ecological System (ECOSYS).
More of a concept than a specific technology, ECOSYS aims to reduce the cost and environmental impact of office printing through the use of long-life components and on-going improvements in energy efficiency and resource utilisation.
A defining characteristic of every ECOSYS printer launched since 1992 is the use of a hard-wearing amorphous silicon drum that is guaranteed to last for the lifetime of the machine (300,000 pages or three years).
The only consumables that the user needs to replace are the toner and the waste toner bottle.
In this respect, ECOSYS is radically different from most laser printers, which use all-in-one cartridges containing a drum and toner. While convenient for the user, such designs are inherently wasteful, as the whole cartridge must be replaced as soon as the toner runs out whether or not the other elements have been used up.
Kyocera’s hard wearing amorphous drum lies at the heart of Ecosys printing system
A number of companies have developed printers with separate toner and drum cartridges. The benefit of this arrangement is that the drum does not need to be replaced before necessary.
However, they are still a consumable item that must be changed (as often as every 10,000 pages in some cases).
Compared to these printing systems, Kyocera’s ECOSYS has two main benefits:
1) A Low Total Cost of Ownership
Because Kyocera cassettes only contain toner, ECOSYS mono and colour printers have far and away the lowest running costs of any laser printer, resulting in a TCO as much as 50% lower than the competition.
2) The environment.
The use of long-lasting components means that ECOSYS technology has a lower environmental impact and generates less waste than other laser printing systems.
A Kyocera toner cassette includes just five components made from two types of plastic, whereas a typical all-in-one cartridge contains as many as 60 components including an OPC drum, springs, metal pins, cogs and plastic toner reservoir. When you consider that a printer might get through 20 such cartridges in its lifetime, the environmental benefits of ECOSYS become obvious.
When Kyocera introduced the FS-1500 to the UK in 1993, it promoted ECOSYS printers as ‘green machines’. This approach was way ahead of its time for the UK - but not for more eco-aware Germany where by 2005 Kyocera had captured 20.2% of the printer market - and the company quickly changed tack to focus on the printers’ low running costs.
Today UK businesses are much more open to green arguments. Indeed, according to a recent survey by Grant Thornton, environmental and corporate social responsibility is now the number one investment priority for UK businesses, ahead of training and development, compliance and infrastructure and premises.
Yet corporate purchasers will not go green at any price. Recent research, including a survey by Kyocera itself (see Business Info Issue 84), indicates that business buyers will only purchase ‘green’ products if there is no price premium and no loss of quality or performance.
On this basis, Kyocera’s ECOSYS concept is more relevant today than at any time since its introduction 15 years ago. By combining the lowest running costs with a more sustainable printing system, ECOSYS printers enable businesses to reduce the environmental impact of office printing and save money, without any adverse effect on print quality or productivity.
For more info please call 0845 7103 104 or visit www.kyoceramita.co.uk
