The Hindu Business Line : On the laser track

With its recent launch of the Xerox Phaser 3428 (monochrome laser printer) and Xerox Phaser 6110 (colour laser printer), both a part of Xerox's flagship `Phaser' range of laser printers, the company is all set to lead the `conversion' from `inkjet' to `laser' printers, especially in the SMB and the home user categories, says Natesh Mani, Executive Director, New Office Group, Xerox India.

Excerpts from a chat with eWorld:

What kind of technology is used in laser printers?

A laser printer uses a laser light and the principles of static electricity to create an image on paper.

Powdered ink, called toner, forms the image on paper.

Laser printers rely on the technology used at first in photocopying machines. This process is known as electrophotography and was invented in 1938 and developed by Xerox in the later 1980s. The original laser printer, called EARS, was also developed by Xerox at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center beginning in 1969 and completed in November 1971.

Xerox Corporation took a strategic decision to play only in the laser printer business as the technology is core to our business and all our innovations, making it the biggest advantage for the company vis-à-vis players looking for market share in both inkjet and laser categories.

Which of the two technologies, would you say, is preferred and why?

IDC Research in 2006 said the monochrome and colour laser printer market in India is expected to grow to 3.7 lakh units in 2006. Also, the laser printer market is expected to grow by 11 per cent.

Xerox India's unit shipments for laser printers grew from 1,817 in Q1, 2005, to 9,052 in Q1, 2006.

Inkjets are said to be more suitable for the smaller workgroups or individuals in comparison to lasers that are geared towards larger workgroups with more diverse printing needs.

Many analysts believe that the two technologies will co-exist.

The year 2006 saw inkjet technology facing tough competition from the laser technology in the SMB, SOHO and the corporate segments. The inkjet is popular with home users for the colour lab quality photo prints.

Xerox is launching newer products in the laser printing category. Today, it has a product portfolio of 15 laser printers in the Indian market and including the MFD laser range Xerox has around 60 models on offer here.

Laser is emerging as the most sought after and mainstream printing device. Within four years of the first appearance of colour lasers in 1994, prices have approximately halved.

With the market continuing to be stimulated both by falling prices and improved technology, it looks inevitable that the laser or colour laser will soon become as commonplace and as indispensable as the photocopier.

What are the latest innovations in the laser printing industry?

Xerox scientists at Rochester developed the new MicroTextT Specialty Imaging Font in 2006. The font, which is just 1/100th of an inch high, is designed to help make valuable documents with personal information such as birth certificates, personal identification papers, and cheques even harder to forge.

The microscopic printing is so fine that when a 100-page book is converted to the MicroText font, it can be printed on a standard 8.5 in. by11 in. (216 mm by 279 mm) sheet of paper.

Xerox iGEN 3 Digital Production Press is today the printing industry's most advanced and cost-effective digital colour press.

Xerox's Emulsion Aggregation High Gloss toner technology significantly reduces the amount of toner needed because nearly 100 per cent of the toner transfers to the paper. That translates into real cost savings and reduced waste.

All three systems are Energy Star compliant (Energy Star is a government-backed programme helping businesses and individuals protect the environment through superior energy efficiency) and allow for duplex printing, which reduces the amount of paper needed for a print or copy job.

Xerox Glossmark technology is a `watermarking' technology that exhibits a special visual effect by creating different levels of gloss within an image.

Could you compare laser and inkjet with regard to business needs?

Colour communications are more effective than conventional documents that are printed in black and white.

Colour visuals increase the willingness to read by 80 per cent. Also, they enhance learning and improve retention by more than 75 per cent.

Colour printing is fast gaining popularity and colour laser printers are being used to output documents and graphic art applications across different industry sectors. Colour printing is now more affordable and the ratio for colour and B&W printing is 4:1 as opposed to 20:1 some years ago.

Colour lasers will become available to more businesses in the coming years. However, it's unfair to compare a colour laser print and an inkjet colour printer, the reason being the difference in their needs and functionalities along with their target audience.

The colour inkjet printers are more in demand from home users while the colour laser printers find an increasing demand in the office segment.

paromita@thehindu.co.in