Epson, a Japanese electronics and printing equipment manufacturer, made a rather unexpected statement, announcing that by 2026 it will stop producing and selling laser printers, preferring inkjet models. Inkjet printers are claimed to be more environmentally friendly.
Image Source: Epson
In many markets, Epson has already stopped selling laser printers, but they are still being offered to customers in Asia and Europe. In addition, even following the new equipment is no longer sold, Epson promises to supply existing customers with consumables and repair parts.
According to a company representative, inkjet printers use less energy and fewer consumables. While laser models melt toner with concomitant heat, Epson inkjet printers use mechanical spraying of ink onto paper. Back in 2019, a company blog post reported that inkjet models use 85% less power than lasers at comparable print speeds and generate 85% less carbon dioxide emissions. What’s more, inkjet printers, according to Epson, use up to 59% fewer replaceable parts—only ink and waste ink bottles.
Characteristically, recently Epson introduced inkjet printers and MFPs for businesses that can print 40-60 pages per minute. In other words, the manufacturer managed to cope with the main weak point of inkjet models and now they can confidently compete with laser options in terms of print speed.
Although the main reason for the complete transition to the release of inkjet printers at Epson is their greater environmental safety, relatively recently the company has been criticized for not particularly “green” behavior – it stopped working with the still working L360, L130, L220, L310 and L365 printers with a firmware update, in fact – under the far-fetched pretext of the end of their life cycle. According to The Register, users had two options – to service the printer at an authorized Epson service center or dispose of the old printer by purchasing a new one. Windows users might use a special utility that allowed the printer to work for some more time.
The company cited a desire to maintain print quality and machine performance to avoid ink spills and damage to owners’ property, and even potential short circuits. Users themselves complain that in modern conditions the printer is not actually bought, but is taken for use, in which the real owner can refuse in the pursuit of profit.
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