Epson introduced a new consumable range called the Replaceable Ink Pack System (RIPS) that it says can provide enough ink for the lifetime of a printer or up to 75,000 A4 pages (or 150 standard reams).
That, a spokesperson says, is enough for "years of uninterrupted printing" in a business environment and stems from Epson's printing expertise in an industrial environment.
RIPS won't be available as a standalone product but as part of a MPS (managed printing services) solution for businesses and enterprises.
Physically, the ink supply unit takes the form of a sealed aluminium bag with a big handle at the top with a connector and a chip at the back.
A potential game changer
Connecting the bags to the printer is much simpler compared to traditional inkjet printer cartridges. Open a flap, align the connectors, press and hang the ink bag.
The CMY colours hold up to have a print capacity of 50,000 (one litre) while the black ink one has a capacity of 75,000 copies (1.5 litre).
Note that Epson printers that are RIPS compatible won't take any other type of printer cartridges. The new product is part of Epson's drive to solve some of the most pressing pain points businesses encounter when it comes to administrating IT.
A survey carried out by the company identified printer maintenance as being one of them with a potential saving of up to 150 working days per year.
