MARKHAM, Ontario. – Aug. 4, 2015 – Epson is transforming the $40 billion North American printing market1, addressing one of the biggest pain points for small businesses and consumers: running out of ink. Under its new EcoTank™ brand, Epson today unveiled five new all-in-one colour printers featuring large ink reservoirs – what Epson defines as the Supertank category – that come loaded and ready for up to two years of prints without replacing the ink2.
EcoTank colour printers combine the high-quality printers Epson is known for with dramatic in-box cost savings and ultralow ink replacement costs. In addition, EcoTank printers eliminate the common frustration of running out of ink at inevitably the most inopportune time. Less ink refills also means less waste. When comparing EcoTank to a traditional printer, the ink included with the EcoTank is equivalent to about 20 sets of ink cartridges3 or more, depending on the model.
“The introduction of EcoTank marks a fundamental shift in the way we think about using colour in business and in the home,” said Keith Kratzberg, Executive Vice President, Epson America. “Epson® EcoTank sets a new standard for colour printing, convenience and value. We believe that our new EcoTank printers are well-positioned to take a large bite out of the small business printer market.”
Unleashing Colour Printing
About 90 percent of the pages printed in North America are printed in black-and-white, not colour4. Two-thirds of those pages could be in colour. Previously, a major barrier to colour printing has been the cost of ink replacements. EcoTank printers are loaded and ready with up to two years of ink2 – and when replacement ink is needed, the cost will be as low as $15.49 per bottle, or $62 per set of bottles. For example, a standard home printer requires approximately 20 sets of cartridges to print the same number of pages included with the equivalent EcoTank printer3.
“Epson’s EcoTank launch represents a sea change in today’s printer market,” said Barbara Richards, senior consultant, InfoTrends. “Establishing a new printer category – Supertank – Epson is positioning itself for significant market expansion. The appeal of low-cost, hassle-free colour printing in business and in the home has potential to capture a significant share of the market.”
EcoTank printers are part of the Supertank category, and combine the latest in advanced MicroPiezo® printhead technology with a large ink reservoir to create an entirely new printing system. EcoTank is available in five models for the home and small-to-medium business, offer a two-year limited warranty with registration5, have built-in wireless for easy printing from tablets and smartphones6 across a range of operating systems, as well as through Epson Connect™ solutions.
“Best Buy is proud to carry Epson’s new SuperTank printers that offer consumers a new alternative to traditional printing,” said Sherry Zah, Director of Merchandising, Best Buy Canada. “This innovation is offering our customers the opportunity to maximize their printer use and minimize time spent replacing ink. This is a winning scenario for anyone who relies on a printer.
“We’re excited to be debuting a new technology category,” said Pete Gibel, SVP Merchandising, Staples Canada. “Epson’s EcoTank printers are giving consumers what they have been asking for: a hassle-free colour printing option. These new printers for business and consumers have tremendous potential.”
WorkForce® Pro WF-R4640 EcoTank All-in-One, powered by PrecisionCore® – for the small business, with an in-box ink yield of up to 20,000 black and 20,000 colour pages7 and print speeds of up to 20 ISO ppm (black) and 20 ISO ppm (colour) †. The WF-R4640 delivers Performance Beyond Laser™, producing print-shop quality prints with up to 70 percent lower total printing costs vs. colour laser8. It features a 580-sheet capacity, auto 2-sided printing, copying, scanning and faxing and a 4.3” colour LCD.
WorkForce ET-4550 EcoTank All-in-One, powered by PrecisionCore – for the home office, with an in-box ink yield of up to 11,000 black and 8,500 colour pages9, high-speed, laser-quality black text, and print speeds of up to 13 ISO ppm (black) and 7.3 ISO ppm (colour) †. The ET-4550 features a 2.2” LCD, auto 2-sided printing, a 30-page Auto Document Feeder, and a 150-sheet paper capacity.
WorkForce ET-4500 EcoTank All-in-One – for the home office, with an in-box ink yield of up to 4,000 black and 6,500 colour pages9 and print speeds of up to 9.2 ISO ppm (black) and 4.5 ISO ppm (colour) †. The ET-4500 features a 30-page Auto Document Feeder, a 100-sheet paper capacity and a 2.2" LCD. It also includes built-in Wi-Fi Direct®10, and easy printing from iPad®, iPhone®, tablets and smartphones6.
Expression® ET-2550 EcoTank All-in-One – for the home, with an in-box ink yield of up to 4,000 black and 6,500 colour pages9 and print speeds of up to 9.2 ISO ppm (black) and 4.5 ISO ppm (colour) †. The ET-2550 features a 1.44” colour LCD, PC-free photo printing with a built-in memory card slot11, and a 100-sheet paper capacity. It also includes built-in Wi-Fi Direct10, and easy printing from iPad, iPhone, tablets and smartphones6.
Expression ET-2500 EcoTank All-in-One – for the home, with an in-box ink yield of up to 4,000 black and 6,500 colour pages9 and print speeds of up to 9.2 ISO ppm (black) and 4.5 ISO ppm (colour) †. The ET-2500 comes offers easy one-touch copying to get high quality copies fast, and a 100-sheet paper capacity.
Pricing and Availability
The Epson Expression ET-2500 EcoTank ($459 MSRP), Expression ET-2550 EcoTank ($479 MSRP), WorkForce ET-4500 EcoTank ($529 MSRP), WorkForce ET-4550 EcoTank ($599 MSRP) powered by PrecisionCore, and the WorkForce Pro WF-R4640 EcoTank ($1,399 MSRP) powered by PrecisionCore will be available September 2015 through Staples, Best Buy and www.epsonstore.ca. For more information and availability, please visit www.epson.ca/ecotank.
About Epson
Epson is a global technology leader dedicated to driving innovations and exceeding customer expectations in printing, visual communications, quality of life and manufacturing. Epson’s lineup ranges from inkjet printers, printing systems and 3LCD projectors to industrial robots, smart glasses and sensing systems and is based on original compact, energy-saving, and high-precision technologies.
Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the Epson Group comprises nearly 70,000 employees in 94 companies around the world, and is proud of its contributions to the communities in which it operates and its ongoing efforts to reduce environmental burdens.
Epson America, Inc. based in Long Beach, Calif. is Epson’s regional headquarters for the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. To learn more about Epson Canada, please visit: www.epson.ca. You may also connect with Epson Canada on Twitter (http://twitter.com/EpsonCanada) and YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/EpsonCanada).
†Black and colour print speeds are measured in accordance with ISO/IEC 24734. Actual print times will vary based on system configuration, software, and page complexity. For more information, visit www.epson.com/printspeed
1. IDC WW HCP Tracker_FinalHistoricalPivot_2015Q1 and North America Ink Jet Cartridge Forecast July 2014
2. Based on average monthly print volumes of about 150 pages (ET-2500, ET-2550, ET-4500), 300 pages (ET-4550), and 800 pages (WF-R4640).
3. Cartridge sets estimate based on print yields of the included Black and colour ink bottles as compared to standard-capacity ink cartridge sets for similarly-featured cartridge printers as of March 2015.
4. InfoTrends, Inc. U.S. Page Printer and Copier Marking Materials Forecast 2012-2017
5. WF-R4640: 24 months of standard limited warranty. ET-2500, ET-2550, ET-4500. ET-4550: 12 months of standard limited warranty. For an additional 12 months (total of 24 months), register your product and use Epson genuine ink bottles.
6. Most features require an Internet connection to the printer, as well as an Internet- and/or email-enabled device. For a list of Epson Connect enabled printers and compatible devices and apps, visit www.epson.com/connect
7. Ink pack yields are estimated based on ISO/IEC 24711 test in Default Mode printing continuously. Ink pack yields vary considerably for reasons including printed images, print settings, temperature and humidity. Yields may be lower when printing infrequently or predominantly with one ink colour. All ink colours are used for printing and printer maintenance, and all colours have to be installed for printing. For print quality, part of the ink from the included ink packs is used for printer startup and a variable amount of ink remains in the ink pack after the "replace ink pack" signal. For details, see www.epson.com/cartridgeinfo
8. Total costs of printing with the ink included with the WF-R4640 printers and replacement ink compared with the costs of printing equivalent ISO pages with the best-selling similarly-featured colour laser printers (per NPD April 2015). Costs based on manufacturers’ ISO yields and online pricing. Actual savings will vary based on usage conditions.
9. Yields based on the ISO/IEC 24712 pattern with Epson’s methodology. Actual ink yields will vary considerably for reasons including images printed, print settings, temperature and humidity. Yields may be lower when printing infrequently or predominantly with one ink colour. All ink colours are used for printing and printer maintenance, and all colours must be available for printing. For more information, visit www.epson.com/cartridgeinfo.
10. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™; level of performance subject to the range of the router being used. Wi-Fi Direct may require printer software.
11. Adapter may be required.
Specifications and terms are subject to change without notice. EPSON, Expression, MicroPiezo, PrecisionCore and WorkForce are registered trademarks, EPSON Exceed Your Vision is a registered logomark and ECOTANK and Epson Connect are trademarks of Seiko Epson Corporation. Performance Beyond Laser is a trademark of Epson America, Inc. iPad and iPhone are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Wi-Fi Direct® is a registered trademark and Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ is a trademark of Wi-Fi Alliance®. All other product and brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these marks.
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