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INNOVATION
In the last issue of
PrintIT
, we gave
the Toshiba TEC e-STUDIO4508LP
hybrid MFP series an Editor’s
Choice award for its environmental
innovation and for the way in
which Toshiba has developed and
improved its erasable toner MFP
since the first model was launched
in 2013.
Notable enhancements on the
three new models include the ability
to print permanent and erasable
documents on the same device and
a built-in eraser, which removes
the need for customers to buy and
install a separate unit – though, as
we explain below, there are good
reasons why you might want to do
that.
Since receiving the
PrintIT
award,
the e-STUDIO4508LP series has
received other accolades, including
a Better Buys Q3 2017 Editor’s
Choice Award.
Toshiba launched its new models
just as the last issue was going
to press, so we were only able to
describe a few of the product’s
main features. Below, with insight
from Toshiba TEC UK marketing
director Jeremy Spencer, we look
in more detail at the rationale for
hybrid MFPs and how Toshiba is
making the devices more suitable
for busy offices.
Changing habits
Print volumes, as everyone knows,
are falling. However, the decline is
not as steep as many predicted,
largely because people still like
to use paper as a medium for
creating, developing, checking and,
in certain contexts, sharing content.
So, if printing is still being done,
where has all the paper gone? In
many offices today, there just aren’t
the banks of filing cabinets there
used to be, nor the large piles of
paper on every flat surface. What
you do see more of are recycling
bins. Today, this is where most
prints end up.
Jeremy Spencer, marketing
director of Toshiba TEC UK, cites
a study by Keypoint Intelligence/
Infotrends, which shows that only
25% of office workers print for
permanent record/retention, with
most retaining prints for just a
few hours – 51% print because
they prefer to edit on paper, 28%
print for temporary reference and
12% print and then scan to email/
workflow/cloud, after adding a
signature for example.
“We conducted some research
that revealed 45% of all printed
documents end up in the bin on the
day of creation,” he said.
The original Toshiba Eco Copier,
the e-STUDIO 306LP, reduced the
environmental impact of all these
temporary documents by printing
in blue, heat-sensitive toner that
could be wiped clean in a separate
unit. Because each sheet of paper
could be printed, erased and re-
used as many as eight times, the
Eco Copier enabled organisations
to reduce their paper consumption
and carbon emissions associated
with paper production, distribution
and disposal.
This innovative device was an
interesting talking point and a
great way for an organisation to
demonstrate its environmental
awareness. It was also a luxury and
an expense very few could justify,
partly because it was an additional
piece of hardware – two pieces
of hardware when you include the
separate eraser unit – rather than
a replacement device. Customers
would still need a traditional black
toner device to print documents
that needed to be kept or shared
with others.
Hybrid print system
With the new e-STUDIO4508LP
series, Toshiba has overcome this
drawback by developing a hybrid
printing system that offers both
erasable printing (35ppm) and
conventional black toner printing
(35/45/50ppm) in a single device,
with all the functionality and
finishing capabilities you would
expect from an A3 MFP. It has
also added an erase function that
removes the need for users to buy
a separate eraser unit.
“The e-STUDIO5008LP series
behaves exactly like our current
mid-range mono MFPs,” explained
Spencer. “But it also features the
erasable technology unit. What
this means is that users can print
in both black and erasable blue,
and the MFP itself is capable of
erasing the toner. You simply place
the used paper (A4 and A3) into
the designated paper cassette
and start the process. The blue
toner will be erased and you can
then reuse the paper multiple
times providing financial and
environmental benefits.”
Optional erasing unit
Toshiba still offers an
optional unit for erasing,
sorting and scanning up
to 100 sheets at a time.
This incorporates a
Toshiba TEC’s new e-STUDIO4508LP hybrid MFP series addresses
the shortcomings of the company’s first generation Eco Copier
Black,
blue & green
Jeremy Spencer
