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8/14/2019 OKI Lifts Lid on 5 Colour LED Printer
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/oki-lifts-lid-on-5-colour-led-printer 1/3
OKI lifts lid on new 5 colour LED printer Louella Fernandes, Associate Director, Print Services and Solutions
Quocirca Viewpoint
OKI li fts li d on new 5 colour LED
printer
http: //www.quocirca.com © 2013 Quocir ca L td
On 6th November 2013, OKI addressed European media and analysts on its vision for the futureof printing. Whilst in the SMB office space, OKI is still essentially developing its solutions and
services offering, its new 5 colour graphic arts LED printer, showcased at Viscom in
Düsseldorf, promises to help it to access the lucrative and growing graphic arts market.
LEDs (light emitting diodes) have drawn increasing attention for their potential to help save energy and
money. They have become more familiar in recent years in applications ranging from lighting to TVs. Printers based on LEDs are a viable alternative to those laser-based technology, particularly for smallerbusinesses.
OKI launched its first generation digital LED-based printers in 1989 and has continued to refine andimprove the technology over the past two decades. Conventional LED and laser printers both functionbased on the same principles of electro-photography the difference lies in the image writing process. LED
print uses a print head consisting of an array of solid state LEDs which flashes light across the entirewidth of the drum, creating an entire line of dots at the same time.
In contrast laser printing uses a single light beam to scan and create an image. The light beam is directed
across the drum, using a complex combination of rotating mirrors and lenses, creating each line of dots,one dot at a time. Recent advancements in LED printing technology have seen significant improvementsin print quality, making it a practical alternative to laser printing. The short optical path for the LED print
head allows LED printers to be compact in size and with simple mechanical parts, LED printers can bemore reliable with low noise levels, compared to complex rotating mirrors and lenses used in laserprinters.
As the technology has developed, more manufacturers have released LED based printers, for exampleBrother and Xerox. OKI plans to sustain its SMB presence through a broader managed print service
(MPS) offering – an area where it has lacked a strong presence. Its three pronged approach range
include Smart Managed Page Services, an entry-level basic MPS; Smart Managed Print Services, anoptimisation and management service and Smart Managed Document Services a customised documentworkflow service. With OKI relying on the channel to deliver these services, it will need to work hard to
transition its partners from a traditional hardware-centric focus.
Although OKI is in the office SMB services and solutions space, it is the lucrative and growing graphicsarts market where OKI hopes to make a big impression. In Europe alone, the market is estimated to be
worth €25bn (source: LightWords Imaging)
Following the launch of its white toner product range last year, OKI is touting its new 5 colour, A3 digital
LED printer, the ES9541 as a real “game-changer” . The ES9541 offers spot colour in white or clear glossand the ability to print on an extensive range of media, at speeds of up to 50 pages per minute. Whitetoner can be used when printing on coloured paper, and transfer printing can be used for non-papermedia for example fabrics (t-shirts), hard surface example or wax (candles). The use of clear toner for
instance, enables the application of diverse gloss effects on various types of paper. OKI is initially
8/14/2019 OKI Lifts Lid on 5 Colour LED Printer
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/oki-lifts-lid-on-5-colour-led-printer 2/3
OKI li fts li d on new 5 colour LED
printer
http: //www.quocirca.com © 2013Quocir ca L td
introducing white or clear printing as a fifth colour, but in the future there may be opportunities forspecial spot colours such as UV, for instance.
The ES9541 is said to be the industry’s first five colour LED wide-format device
Up to now, 5 colour printing has been the preserve of the high production printer manufacturers, withcapital costs often reaching in excess of £100,000. With entry level costs for the ES9541 at £17,000 (RRP
in the UK), OKI hopes to make graphic arts printing more accessible to smaller creative businesses andreprographics studios with short run printing needs such as packaging and proofs, brochures, stationeryand business cards.
OKI is wisely looking beyond the relatively flat office printing market to further opportunities. Toestablish itself as a credible player in the graphic arts market, OKI will need to significantly push it’s
messaging around the price and performance of its LED technology for 5 spot colour which is clearly acritical differentiator for the digital small-scale production segment of market.
8/14/2019 OKI Lifts Lid on 5 Colour LED Printer
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/oki-lifts-lid-on-5-colour-led-printer 3/3
OKI li fts li d on new 5 colour LED
printer
http: //www.quocirca.com © 2013 Quocir ca L td
About Quocirca Quocirca is a primary research and analysis company specialising in the business impact of information technology
and communications (ITC). With world-wide, native language reach, Quocirca provides in-depth insights into theviews of buyers and influencers in large, mid-sized and small organisations. Its analyst team is made up of real-world practitioners with first-hand experience of ITC delivery who continuously research and track the industry
and its real usage in the markets.
Through researching perceptions, Quocirca uncovers the real hurdles to technology adoption – the personal and political aspects of an organisation’s environment and the pressures of the need for demonstrable business value inany implementation. This capability to uncover and report back on the end-user perceptions in the market enables
Quocirca to advise on the realities of technology adoption, not the promises.
Quocirca research is always pragmatic, business orientated and conducted in the context of the bigger picture. ITC
has the ability to transform businesses and the processes that drive them, but often fails to do so. Quocirca’smission is to help organisations improve their success rate in process enablement through better levels of
understanding and the adoption of the correct technologies at the correct time.
Quocirca has a pro-active primary research programme, regularly surveying users, purchasers and resellers of ITC products and services on emerging, evolving and maturing technologies. Over time, Quocirca has built a picture of
long term investment trends, providing invaluable information for the whole of the ITC community.
Quocirca works with global and local providers of ITC products and services to help them deliver on the promise
that ITC holds for business. Quocirca’s clients include Oracle, IBM, CA, O2, T-Mobile, HP, Xerox, Ricoh and
Symantec, along with other large and medium sized vendors, service providers and more specialist firms.
Full access to all of Quocirca’s public output (reports, articles, presentations, blogs
and videos) can be made at http://www.quocirca.com