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Corporates can now outsource printing

Bipin Chandran

Leading printer manufacturers in India are coming out with innovative outsourcing schemes where companies will not have to invest in printers or consumables (like paper and toner) and can lease a printer for a nominal security deposit (Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000).

The printer companies will charge users depending on the number of pages printed.

Besides, if an organisation has higher printing requirements, the cost of ownership will be lower.

Wipro ePeripherals, which recently launched this service in Delhi, believes the new method of marketing will jack up the printer market.

"Depending on the printing needs of a customer, Wipro ePeripherals will suggest the type of printer that is required," said Ranbir Singh, general manager of Wipro ePeripherals.

According to Singh, a Wipro ePeripherals team of consultants will analyse the printing requirements of customers and work out the cost accordingly.

"Besides, the customer does not have to worry about obsolete technology because we will provide the latest technology printers. We will also take care of servicing," Singh said.

If a company employs 500 people and the printing requirements are heavy, it will require at least eight printers costing Rs 50,000 each.

Besides, the company will have to invest in consumables like paper and toner. But under the new model, companies will not have to make capital investments to buy printers, but deposit some security and pay on use.

"The biggest advantage will be the saving on capital investment. We expect big corporates to increasingly use the outsourcing model to cut costs," said Alan Grant, managing director, Canon India.

Hewlett-Packard, the leader in the printer market, has also come out with a similar offering. HP, however, is targeting companies with higher printing requirements.

"We have experience in this kind of a solution and it is good only for companies with large printing requirements. For a company with low printing requirement, it always makes sense to buy printers," said Nitin Hiranandani, country business manger, imaging and printing systems, HP India.

This innovative move comes in the wake a slowdown in demand for printers. According to a Manufacturers' Association of Information Technology and Indian Market Research Bureau survey of the Indian information technology market, printer sales dropped by 18 per cent in the first six months of the financial year 2001-02 compared to the first half of 2000-01.

According to the survey, sales of dot-matrix printers fell by 3 per cent; laser printers by 21 per cent and Inkjet printers by 32 per cent.

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