| The printer manufacturing market seems to be a | | | | 20.2 deep. With the model also comes a CD |
| booming one. Manufacturers are no doubt eyeing | | | | consisting of the user guide and the printer |
| expansion and coming up with newer products to | | | | software, a power cable, a paper exit extension |
| capture the burgeoning market. The | | | | tray, set up sheet and toner cartridges for cyan, |
| manufacturers are interested in the colour -printer | | | | yellow, magenta and black. The product has a |
| sector for purely reasons of expansion. There is | | | | one-year warranty period for on site repair. |
| stiff competition between the makers as all are | | | | It goes without saying that that outsourcing of IT |
| concentrating to keep the prices low to capture | | | | and consumer electronic products lower |
| the market. It must be said here that while in the | | | | manufacturing costs of the product, which helps |
| monochrome department Hewlett-Packard co. are | | | | lower the prices of the produced good. The |
| the market leaders, the reigning company in the | | | | question is how low must the producers keep |
| colour segment still remains undecided. | | | | their profit margins in order to stay in the race in |
| However the future of the colour printer market | | | | today's colour printing market? |
| is purported to be a bright one according to those | | | | The current analysis lab examined the c524n at a |
| investing in these companies. The investors are | | | | product volume of 1,20,000 units under the |
| much optimistic, as these printers, using four | | | | assumption that the model was produced in china. |
| times the toner cyan, magenta, yellow, and black | | | | An analysis was made of the procurement costs |
| of a monochrome printer, will produce pictures of | | | | of commodity components, manufacturing costs |
| a much higher quality. The market, currently a | | | | of fabricated components and location labour |
| billion dollar industry, will increase manifold. | | | | rates. The production cost was estimated to be |
| Adding on to its product range, printing giant | | | | around £265 / unit. The cost distribution showed |
| Lexmark introduced its c52x series, which included | | | | the cost of the printer mechanism and its |
| the c524n last June. Earlier there was a huge gap | | | | assembly to be about £51. The electronics and |
| in its colour line up-there was simply the low- end | | | | assembly account for £60. Other costs included |
| c510 with a capacity of printing about 8 colour | | | | laser power supply, consumables assembly, fuser |
| and 30 monochrome pictures in a single minute | | | | assembly, paper assembly, control panel assembly |
| which wasn't all that fast. There also existed, | | | | electronics assembly, final arrangements, etc. |
| side-by-side, the high-end c762 which, though | | | | At the time of launching the product, the product |
| having a higher speed, was much more | | | | was supposed to be priced at £390. However, |
| expensive, thereby difficult to afford for the | | | | Lexmark priced the product at almost half of the |
| smaller offices and home users. As there was no | | | | originally intended price at some places. To |
| other product catering to the demands of the | | | | maximize its revenue, the company in a clever |
| users the competitors of Lexmark had an edge | | | | move, outfitted the toner with different toner |
| over it. | | | | cartridges. The toner content was increased or |
| The introduction of Lexmark's c524n however | | | | decreased according to the budget of the |
| changed things. | | | | customer. The more expensive models containing |
| They introduced this product with a very low | | | | more toner catered to the demands of the |
| price range, thereby making it affordable. Offering | | | | enterprise segment while the lower priced models |
| a dpi resolution of 1200*1200, this network ready | | | | with low yield cartridges were ideal for small |
| colour laser printer has an outstanding colour | | | | offices and also home users. |
| output and can print up to twenty pages per | | | | The product, being suitably priced, was a great |
| minute. The very first page may be printed in as | | | | success, perfectly fitted to meet the needs of |
| little as 13seconds. The model has a monthly | | | | the buyers and the manufacturers and compete |
| maximum duty cycle of 65000 pages, which is | | | | with its competitors in the lucrative colour printer |
| quite impressive. The new c524 also reduces the | | | | market. Lexmark claimed the print quality was |
| time taken by print jobs considerably as it has a | | | | Photorealistic. On account of its chemically |
| 437.5MHz processor and 128Mbytes of memory. | | | | processed, spherical toner delivering a 1200*1200 |
| The memory can be expanded up to 576, which | | | | dpi resolution and also because the new print head |
| decreases the waiting time taken for print jobs. | | | | four lasers in one unit with a mirror. The machine |
| Moreover, colour care technology and Lexmark | | | | enabled Lexmark to take on the enterprise |
| coverage estimator help in managing the cost | | | | market as well as their competitors, especially |
| involved in using colour toner. The model, weighing | | | | Hewlett-Packard. |
| 57 pounds, is 17.3 inches wide, 19 inches high and | | | | |