Epson cuts ink cartridge price by half

Epson has slashed the price of its new set of individual color cartridges by
nearly 50 percent. Epson expects that the move will definitely encourage
customers to buy genuine Epson cartridges. According to company officials, only
35 percent of its customers use genuine cartridges. “Most users resorted to
using compatibles or refilling because they feel the cost of ink cartridges are
very high,” said SM Ramprasad, National Business Manager-Consumer Products,
Epson India. “By reducing the price from Rs 495 to Rs 250, we are sure the
number of genuine cartridge users will go up to 85 percent,” he added. If the
85 percent target is achieved, it will directly impact compatible manufacturers
and refillers.

According to N Sambamoorthy, GM-Business Product Group, Epson India, the
company has not compromised on the quality, while reducing the price by 50
percent. “It's the innovation of Epson's research and development that has
helped lower the cost. Beside, this will help us generate volumes and make up
for the reduced pricing,” said Sambamoorthy.

Meanwhile, the company also launched a series of printer, which included
three new inkjet all-in-ones (AIO)-CX2800, CX3900, CX5900 and two new
standalone inkjet printers-C58 and C79 targeted at the home, SOHO and
corporate users. C58 and CX2800 will support the newly launched low-cost
cartridges. The company also announced that all its models would from now on
have individual ink tanks for cyan, magenta, yellow and black colors, which was
earlier available only in select models.

With the introduction of new products and revision of cartridge pricing, the
company is expecting increase its marketshare to 30 percent in the inkjet
printer category.

DQW News Bureau