HP backs claim with original ink usage study

MANILA, Philippines - Findings from a recent study on cartridge yield and reliability commissioned by Hewlett-Packard Singapore revealed that original HP print cartridges produce 111.9 percent more or over twice as many pages than refilled cartridges.

Similarly, results on the cartridge reliability showed that 42.8 percent of refilled cartridge brands tested were either dead-on-arrival (DOA – found to have substantial leakage, 10 pages printed or less, color mix on 10 consecutive pages) or failed prematurely (page yield of less than 75 percent of the average page yield), while only 1.4 percent of original HP ink cartridges tested to have failed prematurely.

The study, which was conducted by TUV SUD PSB Pte Ltd. in September 2009, covered a page yield/reliability comparative study on original HP inkjet cartridges and refilled inkjet cartridges that are used in HP Deskjet 5650, HP Deskjet 2560, HP Deskjet 2568 and HP Deskjet 930C printers in China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Thailand, and the Philippines.

The testing organization carried out the refilling exercise, which consisted of refilling empty HP inkjet cartridges at both locally branded chain stores as well as non-branded outlets situated in the six countries mentioned.

A total of 72 original HP branded inkjet print cartridges and 566 refilled print cartridges were used for the study.

Aside from DOA and premature failure of refilled cartridges, HP said non-original ink cartridges also fail in delivering color accuracy, create printer errors and damage the printer parts, resulting in productivity losses due to downtime.

Gio Sabio, market development manager for the Supplies, Imaging and Printing Group of HP Philippines, said refills are also not an environmentally friendly option as many would like to think.

Sabio said that aside from the quality of ink that HP uses, the company’s green efforts also include the design of the cartridges up to their proper disposal, something that not being addressed by refillers.

“We don’t only think of our products’ environmental impact during the end-of-the life stage, but we also start from the development stage,” Sabio added.

HP Twice as Many Prints condo promo

To further entice customers to buy and use original HP ink, the company’s Imaging and Printing Group again launched a grand raffle campaign that will see two winners of brand new, fully furnished condominium units in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.

This promo comes on the heels of other previous HP ink grand raffle promos that gave away brand new cars with free gasoline, US trips, gadgets, and shopping sprees worth P2.4 million.

The entire studio-type condominium unit package is worth P3.5 million each. It can be won by anyone who buys original HP ink cartridges that are part of the promo and submits electronically the special unique codes printed on the cartridge box.

HP ink buyers can also win instant prizes such as mobile phone credits through the scratch card or accumulate points to claim reward items such as Sodexho gift certificates and HP printers and consummables.

The interior design of the condo units that will be raffled off will feature unique prints that will be produced using an HP Scitex FB6100 wide-format printer.

Architects and interior designers are now turning into this special kind of printing to customized tiles, doors, glass and other building materials with prints that can accentuate a house or condo unit. This special large-format printing service is being offered locally by a company called Arkigrafix.

“This year is all about giving back to loyal patrons of Original HP Ink cartridges and rewarding them with bigger and more impressive prizes,” said Sabio.

He said the Supplies, Imaging and Printing Group is now thinking hard how it can exceed this current promo with something even bigger next year.

Meanwhile, these promises of riches from using ink call to mind a quote from a famous American author and humorist, Mark Twain, who once said, “When you sell a man a book, you don’t sell him 12 ounces of paper and ink and glue – you sell him a whole new life.”

Clearly, HP unwittingly gave a modern spin to Twain’s words by offering the possibility of a new life to those who buy its ink.