HP is attacking the aftermarket with new market research data

HP has announced the results of a report produced by Quality Logic Inc. (ordered again by HP), which revealed that, presumably, the use of remanufactured cartridges incur twice as much troubles for laser printers in total costs than if the printers are on original cartridges.

The independent testing laboratory Quality Logic Inc. lead a study in the Asia Pacific region to compare the total amount of costs necessary to properly use a laser cartridge. The tester presented the data coming from 2500 small businesses in the region, which includes all information about reliability and page quality.

According to the results of the testing company 1 in 4 of all remanufactured cartridges failed to produce good quality prints and only 1 in 3 pages printed on a remanufactured was acceptable for use.

According to an HP representative in Thailand, small and medium businesses can see immediate cut in expense with remanufactured cartridges, but in the long run the difference will be quickly eroded and customers will incur twice as much costs on maintenance and repairs.

Quality Logic Inc. tested the cartridge reliability and page quality distribution of HP LaserJet toner cartridges for the HP LaserJet 2300 and HP LaserJet 4350 printers. The final outcome of this study is:

> 9.7% of remanufactured cartridges failed prematurely.
> 15.3% had 50% or more pages of limited or no use.
> 25.3% of prints on remanufactured cartridges were of limited use : not for external distribution.
> 3.8% of prints on remanufactured cartridges were of limited use: not for use at all.

RechargEast: This first study in the region ordered and sponsored by HP revealed just exactly what the ordering company wanted to hear and deliver to the local markets. Unfortunately, the study does not give concrete details as to the criteria, print-environment conditions and the state of printing devices as well as all other important factors for a test. The study does not give any information about the brands of the used remanufactured cartridges. Neither is there any information whether remanufactured cartridges were just refilled or remanufactured ones. All these gaps can only prompt to the fact, that the study is a tool to be used in the harsh competition war on the market of imaging supplies, which HP is gradually losing in Asia to the aftermarket.

Probably, the economic crisis, falling demand and increased prices for OEm cartridges in the region made the US printer giant look for some other means to sway the local public's attention from cheaper aftermarket products.

Key words: HP, remanufactured, cartridges, aftermarket, Asia