Xerox justifies ColourQube price tag

Now may not seem like the ideal time to release a high-end product aimed at the business world, but that is just what Xerox decided to do when it unveiled its new ColourQube solid-ink multifunction printer series in May, says CNN Money.

Xerox is betting that businesses will be willing to pay a hefty price tag up front (the machines cost $23 500 to $29 000) for more affordable colour printouts that are about 62% cheaper than current rates.

According to Xerox, companies that use colour printers shell out around eight cents per colour page, regardless of the amount of colour ink used. With Xerox's new printer customers essentially pay only for the colour they use, and a simpler "infrastructure" that results in a lower average cost per page for colour printouts.

Lexmark aims to help users decrease the environmental impact of their printing through the consumer release of its eco-simulator, says Middle East Events.

The Lexmark eco-simulator, a tool originally developed to show businesses how to print more responsibly, is now available to home and small business users on a specially created Web site page.

While the energy consumption of the information technologies continues to attract headlines, Lexmark's life cycle analysis found that most of a printer's carbon footprint actually comes from paper use - compared with around 10% in terms of energy.

Japan's Konica Minolta aims to shave fixed costs by 33 billion yen (R2.8 billion) for the fiscal year through March 2010 by spending less in such areas as personnel and research and development, reports Reuters.

Konica Minolta plans to reduce costs by about 8 billion yen (R668 million) in its optics business, and shed more than 5 000 temporary and contract workers, mainly overseas.

In addition, four domestic factories will be subject to restructuring.