My Startup World speaks to Andrew Hurt, the Regional Sales Manager at Epson, about their new WorkForce Enterprise printers

What sort of market does Epson command in the enterprise printers’ arena?
This is the first Epson product that addresses the high speed and high-productivity needs of new market segments, and is set to tap into an increasing market opportunity as IDC forecasts the overall business inkjet market to grow at a rate of 10.2% (CAGR) upto and including 2020.

The printers can print up to 100 ppm. How do the printers achieve this sort of a print speed?
With PrecisionCore Line Head Technology, only the paper moves – not the printhead, so you are able to achieve breakthrough print speeds and consistent colour quality from print to print.

Can these printers be used by copy / print shops and still maintain the quality for their customers?
Built with innovative PrecisionCore Line Head Technology, the WorkForce Enterprise Series delivers consistent colour from first print to last.  Nozzle Verification Technology helps to maintain print quality between cleaning cycles.  And, unlike laser printers, there’s no heat or direct paper contact involved in the printing process, which could degrade image quality.

Tell us about the USP of your WorkForce Enterprise printers?
PrecisionCore is the next generation of inkjet printing technology, delivering fast printing with superior-quality results. At the core of this proprietary technology is the PrecisionCore MicroTFP print chip, a digital chip that produces dots at the micron level — 1/100th the size of a human hair. It’s this extraordinary focus on accuracy and detail that enables PrecisionCore to deliver outstanding image quality, whatever the task at hand.

How are they different from similar products from your competitors?
The WorkForce Enterprise range with fewer moving parts than colour lasers, resulting in less time and effort, and fewer components required for standard maintenance.  Plus with no heat involved in the printing process the WorkForce Enterprise consumes less power than colour lasers, resulting in more efficient operation.

What sort of technological innovations does the printer accompany?
The inkjet linehead that delivers very high speeds and print quality is designed around scalable technology that Epson first used in industrial systems, such as large-scale label presses.  The remarkable new linehead design, measuring just 43mm wide and containing approximately 33,500 nozzles, offers outstanding misfire detection to eliminate banding.

How will this new printer help businesses achieve ecological benefits?
The ultra-fast 100 images per minute (ipm) departmental colour office A3 MFD delivers the ecological benefits that only inkjet technology can offer and will significantly cut the environmental impact of print by providing a low power solution with fewer supplies.  In addition the device has far fewer parts than an equivalent laser-based MFD which will ensure higher reliability and increased printer uptime.

What sort of target audience do you have in mind for these new printers?
The WorkForce Enterprise WF-C20590 100 images per minute (ipm) is joined by a 75 ipm version, the WF – C17590, both designed to meet the needs of departmental printing in Corporates and SME’s, especially those that have peaks of high-volume productivity.

What is the price point of these printers and addons? Does Epson offer financing options for SMEs?
Pricing for this region is currently not available, but the two models will be competitively priced against equivalent laser departmental MFD’s and financing will be available through the usual third party financing companies.

The unbelievable reaction of our partners at the launch confirmed the ground-breaking nature of this new range and that we have something special that is going to address an increasing market opportunity for customers looking to take advantage from the ecological benefits and improved Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of inkjet technology.