Canon
has introduced a new range of single-use integrated black
and tri-color inkjet cartridges with integrated print
head.
Canon says the adoption
of ink cartridges with integrated print heads is fundamental
to its goal of becoming the No.1 ink jet printer and all-in-one
printer/scanner/copier manufacturer. This is welcome news for remanufacturers. These
5 new cartridges look very similar to the newer cartridges
from HP and Lexmark. Canon has designed these cartridges to
outperform the competition and feature a wider printhead (faster
printing) with more nozzles (better photo printing). The Pixma
iP printers which use these cartridges are priced very aggressively.
Canon is serious about getting into this market and has priced
these printers very low. The low-end Pixma iP1600 was priced
at $49.00 at Office Depot. The extra set of set of cartridges
I purchased (PG-40, CL-41) cost almost as much- about $45.00
for both. These cartridges are low-capacity units containing
16ml for black cartridge, and 4ml per color for the tricolor
cartridge. The higher-end Pixma iP models and All-In-One Pixma
iP printers use the high-capacity black cartridge (PG-50),
the high-capacity tri-color cartridge (CL-51), and the high-capacity
photo cartridge (CL-52). The high and low capacity cartridges
are not interchangeable, although they are physically identical
in size and shape. This is the same strategy employed by HP
and the new low-capacity cartridges (HP 21 / HP22). Each black
and tri-color cartridge use the same type of ink, which is
a benefit to remanufacturers. The internal sponges in all
the Canon cartridges are the same size. This means that the
low-capacity cartridges can be remanufactured with the full amount
of ink. This will appeal to consumers and
should be reflected in the cost of the remanufactured product.
Close examination of the actual cartridges revealed a very
high quality housing, and solid construction. These cartridges
will stand up to many cycles of re-use. They are made in Japan,
and are higher quality than HP or Lexmark.
The printer itself was another
pleasant surprise. Canon’s quality is evident here as
well: it looks and feels better than a $49.00 printer should.
It had excellent print quality and impressive speed. When compared
to Dell’s printers, which are built cheaply (made in China) and
do not stand up to normal use, Canon will no doubt carve out
a sizeable piece of the market. Lexmark in particular could be
taken out of the market with this new competition, especially
when Dell begins manufacturing their own cartridges (2006?) instead
of using Lexmark as a supplier. Here in Colorado Springs, Office
Depot no longer carries Lexmark inkjet printers. Office Max carries
only one model; Z816. Staples offers 3 Lexmark inkjet printers.
Perhaps Lexmark’s declining market share is tied to the
difficulty in recycling their inkjet cartridges.
This
is all very good news for inkjet remanufacturers. These 5 new
integrated inkjet cartridges on the market will mean a 10 to
15% increase in one’s product line. R-Jet Tek will have a full
line of supplies, OCP inks and processes for these cartridges
very soon. Canon has introduced a new range of single-use integrated
black and tri-color inkjet cartridges with integrated print head. |
