Kodak printers finally hit the Canadian market
New printers enter a crowded market, and the pioneering photo firm is banking on low-cost ink to gain marketshare .
10,2007
With the release this fall of its first printers lineup, Kodak is
encouraging people to start printing more. A lot more.The company is
targeting the home office and consumer-level market space with promises
of print savings of up to 50 per cent. Included in the EasyShare
All-In-One printer portfolio are the 5500, 5300 and the 5100
models.Steve Billow, writing systems development manager of Kodak’s
inkjet system division, said the company outlined its value proposition
four years ago, and now it’s following through.“We started with
customer needs and when we talked to customers and did surveys, we were
consistently told the same thing,” he said.Customers are concerned
about the cost of printing, image and print quality, the set up of the
printer and are interested in an all-in-one device.Barbara Pierce, a
spokesperson for Kodak’s inkjet system division, said the company’s
strategy will be based on lowering total acquisition costs.“We’re
offering a fair price for our hardware and ink,” Pierce said. “This is
for the consumer who prints a lot and because they’re saving money,
they’re going to come out ahead. We also want to initiate a
relationship to work with Canadian retailers and their customers to
teach them how to be smart about their printer purchase.”
Kodak
is providing training to Canadian retail staff through a dedicated team
of education experts and promises to provide full support on both the
retail and customer ends.Based on testing conducted by QualityLogic
Inc. , it was determined that Kodak’s all-in-one printers, combined
with its low-cost ink products, can save customers up to 50 per cent on
total printing costs.“Kodak is revolutionizing the consumer inkjet
printing industry with a bold new model – premium ink for half the
cost,” Pierce said.“This gives people the freedom to print high quality
photos and documents without concern for replacement ink costs.We know
people will respond to the opportunity to print more for less.