Office printing technology has evolved over the past forty years as businesses have demanded sharper image quality, faster output and more vibrant color options. In recent years, another requirement has become top of mind: energy usage.
Increasing worries about climate change and material waste have prompted businesses to think about the environmental impact of their activities. Printing is no exception. That’s why Epson has spent years innovating to offer a technology designed with the future in mind — an efficient, compact and precise innovation to help reduce our environmental footprint and shape the future of printing.
In the 1980s, business printing moved from traditional daisy wheel and dot matrix printing to laser printers. While this brought new levels of speed and print quality to offices, laser printers use toner delivered in plastic cartridges that were often discarded afterward. Vendors eventually began offering recycling options in response to customers’ environmental concerns, but this still left another issue: energy consumption.
Laser printing’s heat usage
Laser printing uses a complex eight-step process to produce its images. A laser “draws” an image by positively charging particles on a drum. These particles attract toner, which the printer then rolls onto a sheet of paper. The paper passes over a fusing element that uses heat to bond the toner in place.
Two of the eight steps involve applying heat to the fusing element, which adds to laser printing’s energy use. This is partly why Epson has already switched completely from laser printers to inkjet printing in the U.S.
Refining inkjet printing with heat-free technology
Thermal inkjet models apply a thermal current that warms the ink enough to pass it through the print head. Epson PrecisionCore Heat-Free® technology takes inkjet printing further by using no heat at all in the ink ejection process, to get printer ink on the page. Instead of using heat to warm ink before forcing it through a print head’s nozzle, it takes an entirely new approach.
Epson proprietary MEMs (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) technology integrates the functional elements of the printer, replacing complex parts with an all-in-one simple chip design.
The chip’s piezo-electric element does not require heat to distribute ink. Instead, a small electrical current flexes the piezo element backwards and forwards, firing up to 40 million precise drops per second onto the paper. Every chip includes microtubes for fast ink delivery, and up to 800 nozzles for incredible accuracy. The result is a simple printing process capable of self-detecting errors, helping prevent problems and requiring fewer parts to service.
These remarkable chips are designed to function on their own or can be combined in many configurations.
PrecisionCore: Simple, smart, clean
PrecisionCore represents a new era of entirely heat-free printing that can help expand printing choices for organizations that are looking for more innovative ways to be efficient and help achieve lower energy consumption business goals. It represents a simple, smart, clean approach to printing.
Designed for efficiency
PrecisionCore’s innovative heat-free technology not only enables efficient ink usage, but also low power consumption.. Epson’s AM-C4000 office printer uses up to 45% less power than color laser printers1, while the AM-C5000 uses up to 55% less2 and the AM-C6000 uses up to 65% less.3 These energy savings have earned the WorkForce Enterprise AM Series printers qualification under the Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR® program.
Efficient printing calls for efficient use of consumables. The dot control in Epson PrecisionCore technology enables ink distribution onto the page with precision, that can lead to more efficient ink usage.
Designed to reduce
Because heat-free printing mechanisms are simpler than traditional laser printing, PrecisionCore inkjet printers have fewer maintenance parts which can result in fewer replacements.4 PrecisionCore print heads can contain all the functional elements of a four-color printer and are designed to last for the life of the printer, help minimize material waste, and help reduce energy consumption in the office.
Fast performance
An investment in energy savings doesn’t mean sacrificing performance. In fact, heat-free technology comes with a key speed advantage. Whereas laser printers require time to pre-heat the fusing element, PrecisionCore devices have no fuser unit to heat and practically no warm-up time so they can begin printing almost immediately.
Designed with the future in mind
The WorkForce Enterprise AM Series printers that use Epson PrecisionCore technology are designed with product longevity and operational efficiency in mind. Their efficient design eliminates the use of bulky toner cartridges, minimizes the need for maintenance parts, can increase product longevity and conserves energy, helping to earn them an EPEAT Silver rating.
More choices than ever
Businesses have been using printers for decades, but that doesn’t mean innovation is slowing down. Epson is committed to constantly improving printing technology, making it more efficient than ever without sacrificing image quality. Organizations can choose a product designed with specific environmental benefits in mind that can help support their efficiency and environmental goals now and in the future.
1 For AM-C4000, compared to similarly featured A3 color laser printers and copiers at 31–40 ppm based on manufacturers’ specifications and industry available data as of March 2022. Actual power savings will vary by product model and usage.
2 For AM-C5000, compared to similarly featured A3 color laser printers and copiers at 41–50 ppm based on manufacturers’ specifications and industry available data as of March 2022. Actual power savings will vary by product model and usage.
3 For AM-C6000, compared to similarly featured A3 color laser printers and copiers at 51–60 ppm based on manufacturers’ specifications and industry available data as of March 2022. Actual power savings will vary by product model and usage.
4 IDC, “Epson Showcases New WorkForce Enterprise Products at Ink Boldly Dealer Event,” https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=US50413923
