Dot matrix system still in wide use in RP

Most Filipinos continue to use the old "dot matrix" system of printing documents from the computer while other countries are already shifting to more advanced printing technologies.

This was the observation made by Jocelyn Escutin, Epson Philippines Corp. product management senior executive, who noted that until now, more than 50 percent of the Philippine market continues to patronize the slow and noisy although highly-reliable dot matrix printers.

In a dot matrix printer, each character is represented by a pattern of dots forced forward to press an ink ribbon against the paper.

New printers such as laser and inkjet, on the other hand, print without striking the paper, and are quieter and faster due the lack of moving parts in the print head.

However, Escutin said that such disadvantages of dox matrix printers are being overlooked since they are still cheaper than the new ones.

According to her, local users are very "price sensitive" and would rather stick to low-priced products over quality.

Epson currently has a 40 percent printer market share but remains the dominant vendor insofar as dot matrix is concerned.

Escutin said that of their overall printer shipments last year in the Philippines, 60 percent were dot matrix, 35 percent were inkjet, and five percent laser.

However, she predicted that in three-to-five years, the scenario will change, especially with the growing popularity of the Internet and the emergence of electronic business transactions.

"Change is inevitable. With these new technologies, people would eventually recognize the power of digital printers," she added.

Epson, she pointed out, is already making its products more affordable in an attempt to slowly migrate computer printer users in the country to more advanced printing technologies.

Right now, Escutin said that Epson is doing a marketing campaign to educate the people about the advantages of inkjet and laser printing, particularly for photographs.

At the same time, she said that the company is trying to bring down the price not only of the units but also the consumer peripherals such as ink cartridges while at the same time, retaining the old price for dot matrix printers. --