Epson admits defeat against ink refills and joins the party

Epson has today announced the launch of its first generation EcoTank printer, the L355. The printer comes with up to two years of ink included, eliminating the need of ink refills.

The company says they have 'revolutionised' household printing in New Zealand.

"This means no regular trips or orders to buy ink and the knowledge that, paper aside, most costs associated with printing are already paid for," the company says in a statement.    The company says the L355 is a 'new way of printing', without needing to change an ink cartridge. The current paradigm for ink and printer sales is to sell printers cheap and make money on the cartridges. Epson will have to charge more for the printer.

EcoTank printers come with enough ink in the box to print up to 4,000 pages in black and 6,500 pages in colour, which Epson says is around two years' worth of ink for most households.

Bruce Bealby, general manager sales and marketing, consumer division for Epson Australia New Zealand, says, "EcoTank printers and printing are all about convenience and practicality. The L355 is ideal for those households with basic printing requirements that don't want to continually order ink on a regular basis.

He says the technology is proven to be highly successful in other markets and now it's New Zealand's turn. "These EcoTank models are ideal for all your day to day printing needs… and with two years' worth of ink included, users know exactly where they stand from a cost point of view."    The L355 has print, copy and scanning functionality. There is also Wi-Fi connectivity for sharing and positioning around the home and Epson iPrint compatibility means users can print from smartphones and tablets.

The L355 is available in Harvey Norman stores across New Zealand and is priced at $449.   Epson says the range of EcoTank printers in New Zealand will be extended later this year with more models featuring additional functionality aimed at small businesses and offices.