Sustainability target prompts focus on inkjet technology.

 

Epson has confirmed it will withdraw from the laser printer hardware market in order to focus on inkjet technologies.

 

Last year, when it presented its Epson 25 Renewed corporate vision, the Japan-based firm put sustainability at the heart of its strategy. It promised to spend ¥100 billion (US$720 million) over ten years in environment-related investments, including focusing resources on the development of products and services that cause less harm to the planet.

 

“Inkjet produces less waste and consumes lower power compared to other printing technologies,” the company said.

 

Now, Epson has reaffirmed what it calls a “significant commitment” to heat-free inkjet technology, which it claims uses just a quarter of the energy of comparable laser products. At the same time, it has announced it will end the sale and distribution of laser printer hardware in its remaining Asian and European markets by 2026, although it will continue to support customers by supplying consumables and spare parts after that.

 

Koichi Kubota, general administrative manager of Epson’s sales & marketing division, commented: “We’ve long been committed to sustainable inkjet technology and have now decided to phase out sales of laser printer hardware. As a company, we’re totally committed to sustainable innovation and action, and inkjets simply use less energy and fewer consumable parts.

 

“While laser printers work by heating and fusing toner to a page, heat-free inkjet technology consumes less electricity by using mechanical energy to fire ink onto the page. From now on, our printing business will put the focus on inkjet, leveraging our proprietary technology to deliver efficient, sustainable print solutions for our partners and end users.”

 

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