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Product category: Inkjet, Laser, Digital, Thermal, Graphics, Wide Format Printing Systems
News Release from: Konica Minolta Business Solutions UK | Subject: Laser printers
Edited by the Printingtalk Editorial Team on 11 July 2006

No Recycling And Laser-Inkjet
Differences Unknown

A new survey conducted on behalf of Konica Minolta has found that printer users are still not recycling their cartridges.

A new survey conducted on behalf of Konica Minolta has found that printer users are still not recycling their cartridges They are also frequently unaware of the differences between inkjet and laser printers

The survey, conducted in central London, discovered that almost half of respondents (47 per cent) admitted that they do not recycle their ink cartridges.

When asked whether an inkjet or laser printer was more expensive to print documents, a mere 20 per cent of respondents answered correctly.

On average, it costs around eight times more to print a colour document with an inkjet compared to a laser printer.

Bearing in mind the enormous impact this disparity would have on the bottom line of any size of business, it is even more astonishing that one-in-ten people questioned had no idea whether their printers were lasers or an inkjets, said Konica Minolta.

Respondents were also unaware that laser printers offer faster printing times than inkjets.

Only 11 per cent correctly guessed that 10 copies of a full-colour A4 photo image could be printed off in less than 60 seconds on a laser device, with nearly half incorrectly guessing that it would between three and seven minutes.

According to Konica Minolta, surprisingly few people understood the benefits of printing various documents in colour.

Just nine per cent said they would consider printing an invoice in colour, despite clear evidence that colour invoices regularly attract faster payments.

Equally, only half said they would print brochures in colour and less than 40 per cent said they would use colour for presentation handouts.

According to a recent study carried out by the University of Loyola in Maryland (USA) use of colour can increase brand recognition by up to 80 per cent and numerous studies have shown that use of colour in printed documents increases the likelihood of them getting read and greatly improves information retention in readers.

Oscar Rook, UK marketing director of Konica Minolta, commented: "It's astonishing that so many still people don't realise just how much money they could save by using a cost-effective colour laser instead of an inkjet.

It's also surprising that businesses aren't aware of the real financial benefits that could be achieved through printing things like brochures and invoices in colour.

This is a real wake-up call to the industry.

We all have to do a better job of letting printer users know that colour matters." He added: "What was shocking in this survey however, was the low number of people that recycle their cartridges.

In next quarter's survey we plan to ask this again and find out why people don't recycle.

We have an industry-leading recycling programme for our customers, providing them with a facility to return used cartridges free of charge for recycling, to save them from creating additional landfill. Request a free brochure from Konica Minolta Business Solutions UK ...

Other vendors offer similar schemes and I can't understand why people wouldn't just take advantage of them.".

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