The Hindu Business Line : ‘All-in-one’ show

Printer dynamics are changing in tune with consumer needs and players in the segment are wooing buyers with ‘one printer, many functions’ convenience. A wrap-up of what is on offer.

Home users are fast becoming the primary buyers for this product in India.

Preethi J

A few years ago, a printer sufficed for home needs. But with changing lifestyles and needs, more buyers are opting for the All-in-One (AiO). While an entry-level printer costs Rs 2,000, you can now buy an AiO for Rs 5,000. Besides the price factor, value-added services and offers are being introduced as competition has escalated. Read on for the low-down on all-in-ones and what you, as a consumer, need to know.

All-in-ones or multi-function devices (another alias is multi-function printer) are a little larger than your regular desktop printers but smaller than the floor standing copying machine you see in your office. A typical AiO incorporates three functions — scanning, printing and copying (Xeroxing, as it is known in India).

Home users are fast becoming the primary buyers for this product in India. An all-in-one offers convenience, space saving and reduction in clutter and wiring around the home.

“The number of power sources in a home is also limited and consolidation makes sense. The homebuyer is comfortable with an all-in-one,” says Samba Moorthy, Senior General Manager-Sales & Marketing at Epson India.

“AiOs are being adopted by home users primarily keeping in sync with their child’s education,” says Vibhor Bansal, Country Category Manager, Personal Printing Products, Imaging and Printing Group, Hewlett-Packard India Sales Pvt Ltd.

HP is targeting schools for its all-in-ones. Students use it to print their school projects, scan from an encyclopaedia and make multiple copies of class notes. The pilot has already been initiated in select schools in Delhi.

Jewellers, exporters, design agencies, photographers and self-employed professionals are also going for these devices, says Bansal.

PRICE DROP

So why are all-in-ones, which were previously on the buying list of CIOs, now on the home user’s mind? The drop in prices and the increasingly liberal spending behaviour of middle-class families have triggered this trend. In general, printer prices have dropped by 15 per cent over the last year in India.

HP’s AiOs start from Rs 5,000 and go up to Rs 16,000. The Deskjet F380costs Rs 5,000 and OfficeJet 4355 costs Rs 7,000. Other All-in-Ones by HP are the Photosmart C3188 for Rs 6,000, C4188 for Rs 8,000 and the C5188 for Rs 11,000. HP’s photo printer and all-in-one, the Photosmart C6188, offers Bluetooth printing (right from your camera phone!) for Rs 16,000.

Canon’s AiOs start from Rs 6,000 for the MP510, and go up to Rs 23,995. Epson’sStylus AiO X2800 starts from Rs 5,000. Epson’s Stylus AiO X2800 range starts from Rs 5,000.

CONSUMABLES, OFFERS

However, these prices don’t fool anybody. The clinching factor is the consumables. The decision to buy a printer or an all-in-one is influenced by the running costs — that of the consumables (the cartridge and toner). A basic all-in-one has a one-time cost of Rs 5,000 or so, but the cost of a cartridge that needs to be replaced constantly is Rs 1,000 and above.

Cartridge prices haven’t changed in cue with the printer price dip. “Ink is still costly. Electronics prices have dropped, and with the dollar-rupee variations and reduced duties, importing and retailing hardware is getting cheaper. But that sugar-cube-sized ink will continue to cost the same,” explains V Chockalingam of Vee Technologies, a Bangalore-based firm designing small hand-held printers. A black cartridge is priced at between Rs 250 and Rs 1,150, colour ones at Rs 1,000 and above. Canon’s original black cartridges are priced at Rs 1,100. HP’s cartridges retail at Rs 499, an ‘economical alternative for customers who have been using non-original cartridges/inks, offering the affordability without the potential problems’.

Vendors are now vying for the consumer’s attention with offers and discounts on cartridges. HP, Canon and Samsung have launched ‘satchet’ offers — smaller, cheaper cartridges. These not only draw the buyer into buying genuine cartridges from the printer maker, but also fight competition from what are called ‘compatibles’.

Compatibles are legal copies of cartridges. They differ from counterfeits in that they are retailed legally. However, their quality and life are suspect, claim the printer makers. Counterfeits and compatibles are usually 20 per cent cheaper than originals. Canon now offers new cartridges priced at Rs 695, the price of compatibles.

With the world going digital, the old-fashioned copiers have been given a face-lift. “Copiers are no longer those large machines placed in a dingy corner. Copiers have become intelligent, network-ready devices,” says Canon’s Alok Bharadwaj. Copier-based all-in-ones are known to be preferred by enterprise buyers due to their bulk, but Canon’s market watchers say there is now an increased uptake of their AiOs by home users.

QUALITY SERVICE

Now, home users are willing to spend more on buying original cartridges for the brand value. While piracy, black marketing and counterfeits was a huge issue a few years ago, it has now been reined in. Losses have dropped to the range of Rs 15-20 crore for Epson. “Awareness, lowered rates and more vigilance on the part of players have reduced piracy in India,” says Bharadwaj. Revenue from consumables forms as big a business for the printer manufacturer as printer sales. For Canon, consumables form 25 per cent of its total equipment’s business. For Epson, sales of consumables contribute to 16 per cent of turnover, approximately Rs 43 crore, says Moorthy.

According to experts, the Indian consumables’ market stands at Rs 1,000 crore. Now buyers expect longer lasting products and quality customer service.

Noticing this change in market dynamics, value-added services are being offered to entice consumers and tilt the buying decision in one’s favour. Dial-a-cartridge; e-mail alerts when the toner is exhausted that link to the Web site where you can buy new cartridges; booklets; online cartridge registration and even free home installation have been initiated. “A house call can set us back by Rs 150 per call, yet we find it worth it. We are eager to step into the consumer’s home as it offers an opportunity to cross-sell or up sell,” says Bharadwaj.

So the next time you head to the electronics store to buy a printer, look for an all-in-one, and the offers that accompany it. With the numerous flavours of AiOs — photoprinters, fax included, Bluetooth-enabled (for mobile printing) and even touchscreen ones, home buyers are sure spoilt for choice.

preethij@thehindu.co.in