Price increases from HP and Lexmark due to global economic conditions

Hewlett Packard and Lexmark recently announced price increases effective January 1st, 2012.

Hewlett Packard:
HP will increase the price of toner cartridges by approximately 2%. In addition to the 2% increase, HP will increase list prices on twenty-seven (27) select HP legacy toner cartridges from 12-17%. This announced increase does not include ink. Additionally, HP is increasing the price on select parts, drums, and maintenance kits. According to HP, these price increases are in response to global economic conditions, including currency volatility.

Lexmark:
Lexmark is announcing an inkjet and laser supplies price increase of 3-7% across the majority of their product line. According to Lexmark, they experienced a higher than expected increase in supplies product costs, specifically materials and transportation.

Our suggestion - BUY REMANUFACTURED OR REFILL YOUR OWN CARTRIDGE! Save over 50% and help the environment. We sell the original cartridges too, but we like to save you money and we hope you do too.

Everyone uses Avery Labels - why overpay?

Everyone uses Avery labels for printing, whether you're printing bottle labels, name tags, or other size labels, Avery makes it easy with easy to use templates and good quality labels. But there's no reason to overspend. Avery branded labels are expensive, but compatible labels that are designed to work with Avery templates can save you more than 50%. Actually, more like 75% off. For $7.99 (or less if you buy in bulk) you get 50 sheets of compatible labels. Avery labels at a retail store like Staples or Office Depot would cost around $20 for the same amount of labels.

CYBER MONDAY 2011

CYBER MONDAY may be over, but this deal lasts for 1 more day!

This special won't last long. Use this coupon and get:
25 percent off refill kits
15 percent off compatible cartridges
10 percent off remanufactured cartridges

But only for a limited time - expires midnight Nov 30, 2011.
Order today at 123refills.net and take advantage of this amazing deal

123 REFILLS OPENS 2ND STORE IN LIMASSOL, CYPRUS

From 123 Refills Cyprus News:

123 Refills has opened its 4th store in Cyprus, and 2nd in the city of Limassol. The expansion of the ink and toner refill brand is on the Greek side of Cyprus (governmen controlled area) which has a population of around 800,000 people. Limassol was home to the 1st 123 Refills store for the country, and it is now home to the brand's 4th store for Cyprus. Limassol is the second-largest city in Cyprus, with a population of 228,000 (2008). It is the largest city in geographical size, and the biggest municipality on the island. The city is located on Akrotiri Bay, on the island's southern coast and it is the capital of Limassol District. The 2nd store for Limassol has opened on the very popular Omonoias Avenue in the center of the city.

123 Refills now has 4 ink refill stores in total in Cyprus, and a 5th is planned for the city of Paphos in 2012.

123 REFILLS GREECE EXPANDS TO OVER 200 DEALER LOCATIONS

123 Refills Greece has expanded to over 200 dealer locations since the brand's launch of a dealer program last year.

From 123 Refills Greece News:

In October 2010, 123 Refills launched an aggressive dealer program for existing stores to offer 123 Refills products (ready for sale off the shelf). This compact model, which allows an existing stationary or electronics store to add a 123 Refills section with products in their store has allowed the brand to expand rapidly throughout Greece. As of November 2011, just 1 year later, 123 Refills Greece has expanded to over 200 dealer locations.

In addition to the dealer program, 123 Refills has held strong with its traditional 123 Refills turnkey store model (which offers ink and toner cartridges as well as refill services). With the 8 new such stores having opened in the last 4 months, the total of these traditional 123 Refills stores now numbers 35 for the country. See store locations here: ink refill franchise

NEATO Products now available at 123 Refills

123 Refills is proud to now offer a wide selection of popular Neato labels and labeling related products. Neato is a Fellowes brand and a high quality manufacturer of CD / DVD labels, inserts, bottle labels and other great labeling and CD / DVD related products. You can check out the selection of CD / DVD labels (including sleeves, windows, flaps and other CD / DVD customizing materials) as well as bottle labels on the 123 Refills website.

New printer models released by Canon for use with Canon PGI-225 / CLI-226 ink cartridges

The following Canon Pixma printers have been released by Canon, and tested to work with our compatible canon ink cartridges for Canon PGI-225 / CLI-226:

PIXMA MG5120
PIXMA MG5320
PIXMA MG6120
PIXMA MG6220
PIXMA MG8120
PIXMA MG8120B
PIXMA MG8220
PIXMA MX882
PIXMA iP4820
PIXMA iP4920
PIXMA iX6520

Edible Inks launching at 123 Refills

123 Refills is launching the Inkedibles ™ brand edible ink cartridges this month (October 2011). Inkedibles ™ has a full line of edible inks for Canon and Epson inkjet printers, and offers its edible inks in 100ml ink refill bottles and in edible ink cartridges for Canon PGI-5 / CLI-8 / PGI-220 / CLI-221 / PGI-225 / CLI-226.

How do edible inks work?
Edible inks are used by cake decorators to print edible images that can be placed onto cakes. Any image / photo can be printed onto edible paper with an inkjet printer using edible ink (also referred to as eatable ink or ink frosting). The edible ink runs through the ink cartridges (refillable, auto-resettable brand new compatible ink cartridges that hold edible ink), and onto the edible paper (frosting sheets). The frosting sheets with the printed edible image are then placed directly onto frosting covered cakes, and that's all there is to it! Your cakes look like they have personalized photos printed right onto them!

Popcorn - a good packing material for shipping toner cartridges?

Cushioning and protecting your products during shipping with Styrofoam packing peanut pieces and packing popcorn is common. There are even biodegradable packing peanut and popcorn that are easier on the environment and actually dissolve in water.

But at least 1 customer has taken the environmentally friendliest approach to returning their cartridge - by using, well, popcorn. Not the packing popcorn that you are thinking of, but real popcorn.

123 Refills offers 100% guarantee on defective inkjet cartridges and toner cartridges returned for exchange within the return time limits. Padding the returned product is a good idea to avoid damage in transit. Any padding material can be used, old newspaper, packing peanuts or padding popcorn. Padding your return with real popcorn as shown below (or real peanuts - we have not seen this yet) is not necessary, and although extremely environmentally friendly, we are a little concerned that it may tempt our warehouse employees :)

The new Canon CLI226 Resetter by Uni-Kit

Check out the new Canon CLI226 Resetter by Uni-Kit which resets Canon CLI-226 and PGI-225 inkjet chips.

The new Canon CLI221 Resetter by Uni-Kit

Check out the new Canon CLI221 Resetter by Uni-Kit, which resets Canon CLI221 and PGI-220 inkjet chips for both original and compatible cartridges.

The new Canon CLI8 Resetter by Uni-Kit

Check out the new Canon CLI8 resetter by Uni-Kit for resetting Canon CLI8 and Canon PGI5 inkjet chips (including OEM and compatible chips)

The new upgraded Epson Resetter Uni-Kit V5.0 is now available at 123 Refills

The much anticipated upgraded version of the Uni-Kit Epson Resetter (Version 5.0) is now available at 123 Refills. The upgraded model works with newer Epson printer models.

Canon CLI226 Resetter

The resetter for Canon CLI-226 / PGI-225 ink cartridges is available at 123 Refills: canon CLI226 resetter

HP 564 compatible chips to be released soon

123 Refills expects to release compatible chips for the HP 564 ink cartridges, which would be first or early to retail market with a complete refill solution for the HP 564 and HP 564xl inkjet cartridges, allowing users to successfully refill the cartridges and with a new chip, ensure that the printer recognizes them. Currently, end users need to ignore the "low ink" level when using refilled HP 564 ink cartridges, but with new HP 564 chips this will no longer be an issue.

New canon printers launched for PGI-225 / CLI-226 ink cartridges

Canon has launched new printers including the Canon IP4920, MG5320 - all of which have been tested with our compatible canon ink cartridges to work perfectly.

Try our 10 pack of Canon PGI-220 / CLI-221 compatible ink cartridges for only $44.99

Or buy our 5 pack for only $24.99: 5 pack ink cartridge bundle

Brother LC71 / LC75 compatible ink cartridges work in the latest Brother inkjet printers

Brother just released the following new printers in July 2011:
MFC-J280W
MFC-J430W
MFC-J625DW
MFC-J825DW

Our compatible LC75 ink cartridges work on all these Brother inkjet printers.

Possibly the most items and reseller has to offer for a given printer model

We're going to go out on a limb here... but we believe we offer more products for a given printer model than any competitor. Here's an example of such a printer model that we support with more product options than others... take the Canon Pixma MP620 printer, a very popular inkjet printer from Canon.

http://123refills.net/cic/eg/inkjetprinter.php?printer=Canon+PIXMA+MP620


We offer the following product categories for this printer:

Compatible Cartridges
Combo Packs
OEM Combo Packs
Refill Kits
Bulk Ink
Refill Accessories
Chips
Photo Paper

Excluding photo paper, we offer 27 items for this printer. And that does not include variations in sizes for bulk inks.

123 Refills prides itself on being able to offer our customers a wide variety of products for all types of customer needs. Need cartridges? We have remanufactured / compatible, and we have OEM. Need refills? We have those too. Need refill accessories like chips, resetters, and refill tools? Look no further.

HP Introduces Its Most Compact Color Laser Multifunction Printer

HP Introduces Its Most Compact Color Laser Multifunction Printer: "M175nw"

Did you know that you can refill your Samsung CLP300 toner cartridges for $6.99?

Refill kits for Samsung CLP300 (CLP-300) are available from Uni-Kit and for sale through 123refills.net for only $6.99. At these prices you're saving around 80% compared to buying a new cartridge from Staples. Quality? You won't be disappointed.

New Toner Refill Instructions Added

New toner refill instructions have been added for Uni-Kit toner refills for:

• Kyocera TK 360, 362, 364
• Kyocera FS-C5200DN/C5300DN (TK-552)
• Epson C2600
• Xerox F2121

To download the latest Uni-Kit toner refill instructions manual, go to www.uni-kit.com/support.htm

Coming soon... ink you can eat!

Coming soon... inks you can eat, or also referred to as edible inks.  Why on earth would you want to eat your inks?  Well, for printing digital images onto your cakes! For example, you will be able to print that photo of your son or daughter to put onto their birthday cake.  Personalize cakes, cupcakes, or other baked goodies by simply printing your desired image onto a sheet of edible paper (yes, you can eat the paper too which are also known as frosting sheets), and apply the printed frosting sheet to your cake.  All this, on a simple sub $100 inkjet printer!

We have been working long and hard to test and bring to market a comprehensive solution for edible inks and edible paper (frosting sheets) and will be releasing it soon.

You will be able to print your cakes and eat them too!

Questions? Comments? Please post and we will be happy to respond.

Glossy Optimizer Inks available in easy to use sizes

There aren't too many printers that use glossy inks (or glossy optimizer inks as they are also referred to), but for those that do their own printer ink refills and have a hard time finding the glossy optimizer inks, there is now an easy to use solution from 123 Refills.  You can now buy Uni-Kit Durafirm Technology brand glossy optimizer inks from 123 Refills in 3 convenient sizes:

• 60ml
• 240ml
• 1 liter

Glossy optimizer inks are used in select printer cartridges, such as cartridges for Epson R800 / R1800 / R1900 and Kodak #10 cartridges.

Poll favors Lexmark as the "least friendly for refills" printer

123 Refills has been conducting a casual poll on its blog asking 2 versions of essentially the same question:

1) What is the most refill friendly printer? and
2) What is the least refill friendly printer?

With around 100 votes in so far, there is an interesting picture that is being painted by voters.

Lexmark is clearly in the lead as the "least refill friendly" printer, with 35% of respondents choosing that brand over any other.  This is not surprising given the high failure rate of Lexmark original ink cartridges (most in the aftermarket industry would agree that the quality of Lexmark cartridges is inferior to other brands - the print heads clog frequently, they wear out faster than other brands among other technical problems).  The voting is also not surprising given 2 other well publicized tactics by Lexmark:

1. The Lexmark prebate program (forcing customers to return cartridges to Lexmark that were offered for sale at a discount - essentially removing them from the pool of refillable cartridges), and
2. The Lexmark firmware / chip encoding issue (according to SCC and other industry giants, Lexmark is purposely causing their printers to not recognize refilled cartridges through firmware updates)

So its not surprising that Lexmark is being selected as the "least refill friendly printer".  Dell cartridges are made by Lexmark, and Dell is the 3rd least popular for refills in the same poll.  What is interesting though, is that HP is currently in 2nd place as the least refill friendly printer, yet, it is also currently in 2nd place as the "most" refill friendly printer.  Lets analyze this for a moment... how can a printer brand be both highly popular for refills, and highly unpopular at the same time?

Our take on this is that HP has flip-flopped over the years, putting out refill friendly printer cartridges, and refill unfriendly cartridges as well.  So customers who have bought the refill friendly cartridges, are happy with HP, and customers who bought the unfriendly for refills cartridges, are obviously unhappy with HP.  Some HP cartridges are easy to fill.  For example, the HP 94, HP 95, and other HP 90 series.  But other HP cartridges like the HP 940, HP 920 and HP 564, are not as friendly because they have chips!  A customer who bought an HP 94, would probably consider HP a refill friendly brand.  But a customer who bought the HP 920, would consider it refill unfriendly.  It would server HP well to continue down the path of being refill friendly.  Yes, they will lose some market share to the aftermarket, but the aftermarket will promote their brand and HP will benefit as well.

That's our short analysis on the poll results so far.  Please vote and let us know what you think! The poll is open to anyone and is visible to the right of the page.

93% of voters say that OEM cartridges are overpriced

123 Refills has been conducting a poll of casual internet users to see what they think of OEM (original brand) cartridges - are they overpriced? Or do they offer value for money?

With the various marketing spins out there, one would think that consumers opinion could be easily affected.  HP has invested a good sum to promote its "ink amnesty" marketing campaign, for example, whereby it claims that 3rd party ink suppliers offer inferior products.  They have also commissioned a "study" to prove that OEM HP ink and toner is better value than remanufactured ink or toner supplies. Lexmark commissioned a similar study a couple of years ago incidentally, which (probably embarrassingly to Lexmark) found that original Lexmark inks fail a significant percent of the time!

Without digressing too much, lets zero in on what consumers really think. Now, agreed, our study is not a scientific one, and could be skewed by the visitors that land on our blog site (including our customers), and the number of voters is around 60 currently (which allows for a higher margin of error), however the results are trending quite clearly... over 90% of respondents are saying that OEM cartridges are overpriced.  It is also important to note that our website offers OEM cartridges for sale alongside remanufactured cartridges, and we do sell a lot of OEM cartridges, so our users are not necessarily biased towards "only" remanufactured cartridges.

What do you think? Vote to the right of the page and let everyone know what you think... are OEM cartridges overpriced? Or do they offer value for money?

New printer finding tool - select by printer series

Ever had a hard time finding supplies for your printer model? Printer nomenclature can be confusing, there are literally tens of thousands of printer and / or cartridge models on the market, and identifying the specific model for your printer may not be as simple as many people think.  Take HP for example, with its hundreds (or thousands) of different models. Is it enough to know that you have an HP 5740 (for instance)? Not exactly, as it turns out there is an HP Deskjet 5740 and an HP OfficeJet J5740.  There is also an HP Deskjet 5740xi, but that one takes the same ink supplies as the HP Deskjet 5740 which is as follows:

Remanufactured Cartridges

Remanufactured HP C8765WN Black inkjet cartridge (HP 94)
Item #: 150-397-01





Remanufactured HP C8766WN Tri-Color inkjet cartridge (HP 95)
Item #: 150-398-01







The HP OfficeJet J5740 on the other hand takes a different set of inks, as follows:

Remanufactured Cartridges

Remanufactured HP CB335WN Black inkjet cartridge (HP 74)
Item #: 150-675-01

Remanufactured HP CB336WN (Extra Large) Black inkjet cartridge (HP 74XL)

Item #: 150-755-01



Remanufactured HP CB337WN Tri-Color inkjet cartridge (HP 75)
Item #: 150-676-01



Remanufactured HP CB338WN (Extra Large) Tri-Color inkjet cartridge (HP 75XL)
Item #: 150-756-01

123 Refills has now made it easier to find the ink or toner supplies you need by introducing filters by printer series.  Simply select your printer model from the left menu (like HP) and you will be brought to a landing page which offers all printer and cartridge models for HP, specifically: http://123refills.net/cic/eg/printers.php?printer=HP.  On this page you will notice the filter for "Printer Series", allowing you to specifically navigate by printer series such as:


HP OfficeJet Series
HP OfficeJet D Series
HP OfficeJet G Series
HP OfficeJet J Series
etc...


Thereby allowing you to hone in to the subset of printer models that will help you find exactly what you need quickly and accurately.


Need further assistance? Don't hesitate to call our friendly customer service staff from 6am to 5pm PST, Monday through Friday. CALL 866-465-5888

How to refill your Canon PGI220 / CLI221 cartridges for around 50 cents per cartridge

If you own a Canon printer that uses the PGI220 or CLI221 ink cartridges (PGI-220 / CLI-221 series), you know that the cost of new replacement inks is over $15 per cartridge if you buy original brand ink cartridges from an office supply store such as Office Depot.  Refilling them is smart and easy to do with Uni-Kit inkjet refill kits.

Here's how you can get approximately 56 refills for the price of only $39.99 (hint, sign up for our monthly newsletter and get additional discounts).  A resetter (sold for $19.99) or replacement chips (sold for $1.99) are also required.  The resetter is reusable and will yield hundreds of resets.

1. Buy the Uni-Kit inkjet refill kit for 56 refills on Canon CLI221 / PGI220 (click here for details)
2. Follow the step by step instructions for how to refill the Canon CLI221 / PGI220 series cartridges from the included instruction guide (currently on page 14 and 15 of the Uni-Kit instruction manual, which can also be downloaded at the official Uni-Kit website) * instructions also shown below *
3. You will need to either reset the chips on the cartridge, or replace the chips.  The resetter is a cheaper (in the long term) and more environmentally friendly way to go, since you are re-using the original chips. The Uni-Kit resetter for Canon PGI220 / CLI221 is battery operated, and re-usable for hundreds of resets. This Canon CLI221 resetter is available from 123 Refills as well. The one time cost for this resetter is easily recoverable over just a few refills.

And that's it!

Now for a closer look at the instructions, we've included them here for you courtesy (and with intellectual property credit to Uni-Kit).  Note there are 2 methods, choose whichever one sounds easier to you:

METHOD 1:

1. Using a manual drill or the small drill provided with your refill kit, drill through the plastic casing on the side of the cartridge (see image for location). Drill enough to break through the plastic. Do not drill into the sponge area beyond the inner plastic casing.

2. Once the hole has been created, use the syringe to penetrate through the sponge, and guide the needle into the ink chamber  as shown in the illustration to the left. Slowly inject the ink into the chamber until 1/2 of it has been filled. Do not fill to the chamber more than the recommended amount.  Doing so will cause more ink to flow into the sponge area, forcing ink to exit through the nozzle port (Area where the ink flows out of the cartridge).

3. Once the cartridge has been filled, carefully pull the needle out of the cartridge. It is recommended that you use hot glue to seal the hole created, however, you can use silicon to cover the hole, and help complete the seal with some type of instant glue. Be sure to allow the cartridge seal to dry before inserting it into the printer.  Placing the cartridge into the printer to early may break the seal and cause the cartridge to leak. 

Note: Make sure to seal the hole completely and not leave any cracks that would cause leaking

METHOD 2:

1. Use electrical or duct tape to seal the Air Vent found on the top of the cartridge. 

Note: Make sure tape is completely covering the vent.

2. Remove the label partially, only to expose the ball bearing underneath. Then use a screwdriver or an L tool to push the ball bearing into the cartridge. This will give access to the 

filling hole.

3. Connect the needle to the syringe and fill with ink.

4. Use your finger as a plug by covering the outlet port.  Keep your finger on the outlet port 

until you have finished refilling and the refill hole is plugged.  If you let go any time earlier, ink may and can spill out of that outlet.

5. Inject about 10 ml. of ink into the filling hole or until the ink chamber is full. Be sure to 

leave enough room in the ink chamber for the silicon plug, it will create pressure when                         

inserted.

6. Put a silicone plug in the refill hole to seal it, make sure it is air tight.  If extra silicone 

from the plug is sticking out, you may trim it down to a practical size.  Be sure to leave 

enough to make it easy for you to remove the next time you wish to refill the cartridge. 

7. Remove your finger from the outlet (small drops may leak out, but once the cartridge pressure stabilizes itself, it will stop) and remove the tape from earlier off the vent.  

8. Rinse the syringe with water and dry for future use, or use with a different color ink.

9. Reinsert the cartridge and run a priming cycle as per printer instructions.

Note: If the cartridge continuously leaks, place the cartridge on its side until the dripping 

stops. Also, check the seal on the cartridge to make sure it is airtight

Do OEM printer cartridges offer value for money?

A few weeks ago, we posted a poll titled 'What do you think of original brand cartridges'? Do they offer value for money, or are they overpriced?

Well, lets put our bias aside for a moment - yes we believe they are overpriced. But we did not influence the votes, and voters have shown about a 92% preference for the vote that original printer ink cartridges are overpriced.

Many say that the printer ink cartridge market is like the razor / razor-blade market. That is, the printer manufacturers follow the business model of selling cheap printers (analogous to cheap shaving razors) and then charging a huge premium for the consumables - that is, the printer ink cartridges (analogous to the replacement razor blades for your razor).

Others have done comparisons proving  that the price of ink makes it the most expensive liquid on the planet. More than the cost of champagne, much more than the cost of oil, and even more than the cost of human blood (OK thats a little dramatic, but it is true!)

To make things worse, printer ink prices have been going up in recent months if you factor in the fact that many printer ink cartridge manufacturers are now making their cartridges with less ink.

So, of course we're biased towards ink refills (or toner refills for laser toner printers), but they obviously make sense! Saving money and doing good for the environment never hurt anyone (except for maybe the original manufacturers bottom line).

Dell Series 21 vs Series 22 and Series 24 ink cartridges

So many ink cartridges for the same style printers... this is probably an attempt by Dell to keep the aftermarket playing catchup to supply compatible remanufactured ink cartridges for newer Dell printer ink printers.


The Dell Series 21 ink cartridges are standard capacity for Dell printers including:

• Dell P513w
• Dell P713w
• Dell V313
• Dell V313w
• Dell V515w
• Dell V715w

Now the higher capacity inkjet cartridges are the Dell Series 22 and Dell Series 24.  Why do we need Series 22 and Series 24? Well, no good reason most likely other than what was mentioned above.  Series 22 will only work in a few of the printers:

• Dell P513w
• Dell V313
• Dell V313w

And the Dell Series 24 will work in others:

• Dell P713w
• Dell V715w

• 
  

Free shipping on all orders for Earth Week

123 Refills is offering free shipping on all orders during earth week (April 18 - 22, 2011). All orders for shipping to contiguous US States qualify, including orders for ink refills, toner refills, ink cartridges and toner cartridges.

Visit: www.123refills.net

123Refills Affiliate Program now offers 30% commission on sales

Earn up to 30% commission through 123 Refills - an online leader in ink / toner cartridges and refills. 123 Refills is a worldwide brand with millions of cartridges and refills sold through its network. Customers trust the brand, and the website offers over 2,000 products - from popular models to niche models as well. 123 Refills is the ONLY website to offer not only ink/toner cartridges, but DIY ink/toner refills and refill services as well, making the cross-sell of items very successful. Commission is structured at 25% for 1st tier and 5% for 2nd tier. OEM cartridges (original brand cartridges) do not qualify for commissions.

123 REFILLS has teamed up with ShareASale to offer a simple affiliate signup process, so that you can begin earning commission payments from your website as soon as possible.

To sign up as a 123Refills Affiliate go to: 123 Refills Affiliate Program

IDC: Ink And Toner Cartridges Boosted By Strong Printer Sales

The worldwide hardcopy peripherals market witnessed record high shipments of more than 36.5 million units in the fourth quarter of 2010 (4Q10) and posting 7% year over year growth.

According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), this is the highest quarterly shipments since the fourth quarter of 2007. Overall, the worldwide hardcopy market continues to aggressively transition away from single function into the multifunction space. In 4Q10, the total share of multifunction printers (MFP) was 67%, up four points from the previous quarter.

Sales of ink cartridges and toner cartridges have been boosted by the highest increase in growth for the printer and copier market since the recession.

Data from market research firm IDC shows that during the last three months of 2010 the market grew by seven per cent in comparison to 2009 and the highest since 2007, the Inquirer reported.

In particular, multifunction printers, which use ink cartridges, increased their market share to 67 per cent and inkjet printers remained the industry leader, with 24.5 million units being shipped in the last three months of 2010.

"After experiencing one of the most difficult economic periods in recent memory, the worst is over. It's time for the market to return to normal. For 2011, we anticipate that the recovery will continue at a slow and steady pace. The return to growth will not be uniform across all countries and segments; developed regions are expected to show gradual or steadier activity, while developing regions are projected to show faster and higher growth levels," said Phunog Hang the IDC program manager.

The top three vendors – HP, Canon, and Epson – captured more than 75% share of the total market in 4Q10. With 15.5 million units shipped, HP exhibited the highest year-over-year growth of 10%, followed by Canon's 5% and Epson's 2%. With the exception of Western Europe, HP enjoyed positive year-over-year growth across all regions.

Technology Highlights

• Inkjet remains the dominant technology in the overall hardcopy peripherals market with close to 24.5 million units shipped, representing 67% share. The fourth quarter saw year-over-year inkjet declines in the Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) (APeJ), Middle East & Africa (MEA), and Western Europe markets. The highest year-over year-growth was observed in Latin America at 16%.
• This quarter marks the highest laser shipments with close to 11 million units shipped. All regions recorded year-over-year growth in this space, with Latin America leading the way with 35% growth, and Central & Eastern Europe (CEE) at 25%.
• Monochrome laser accounted for 83% of the laser market with 9 million units shipped in 4Q10. Although the transition to MFP has been observed, monochrome laser printers remain the most prolific type of laser in the office with close to 5.6 million units.
• Color laser grew 10% year over year to over 1.8 million units, resulting in 17% share in the total laser market in 4Q10. Color laser MFP continues to show signs of expansion and has increased its share in the color laser space to by over two points to 48% when compared to share seen in the previous quarter.

Regional Highlights

• United States – With only 120K fewer shipments than Western Europe, the region came in 2nd overall with 22% market share and 5% year-over-year growth. Unlike the double-digit growth experienced in the last two quarters, Q410 saw a modest year-over-year trend of 5% growth in laser technology. The inkjet market also recorded a 5% year-over-year gain with more than 6.6 million units shipped during the quarter.
• Western Europe – After losing out to APeJ during the past two quarters, Western Europe regained its status as the number 1 region for total HCP shipments in Q410 with more than 8 million units shipped. The region grew 2 points to 23% share in the worldwide hardcopy peripherals market compared to the previous quarter. This positive trend was driven by the stronger year-over-year growth in laser technology – 10% versus -1% for inkjet.
• Central Eastern Europe & Middle East and Africa (CEMA) – The region accounted for 14% share of the worldwide market with close to 5 million units, and exhibiting 8% year-over-year growth. Double-digit growth in Central & Eastern Europe (CEE) fueled the high growth in the region. Despite year-over-year growth of -2%, inkjet technology regained the top spot in the region after losing out to monochrome laser during 3Q10 with close to 2.5 million units shipped and posting over 50% market share. The laser segment increased 22% year over year to more than 2.3 million units shipped in the quarter.
• Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) (APeJ) – For the first time in 2010, APeJ lost its top spot to become the number 3 region in the world in terms of HCP shipments. Despite posting 11% year-over-year growth in Q410, the region lost 4 points to 22% share in the worldwide market. APeJ continues to be the top ranked region in the worldwide laser market with 30% of total shipments, while its inkjet shipments ranked 3rd with 15% in the total inkjet market. For the first time ever, Canon inched past HP and achieved the number 1 ranking in the APeJ inkjet market.
• Japan – Japan moved up one spot to become the number 6 region in the last quarter of 2010. Japan accounts for 8% share of the worldwide market with close to 2.8 million units shipped, and posting 5% year-over-year growth. The inkjet segment grew 3% year over year to close to 2.4 million units shipped in 4Q10. The last quarter of the year is consistently the highest volume quarter for inkjet shipments as consumers purchase devices to print and send New Year's cards to family and friends. Driven by high demand in the Small and Medium business segment, 4Q10 came in with strong results in the laser space, resulting in more than 380,000 units shipped and 17% year-over-year growth.

Vendor Highlights

• HP dominated the market with over 15.5 million units shipped in 4Q10, the highest quarterly shipment since the last quarter of 2007. The vendor grew 10% year over year, the highest year-over-year trend among the top 5, and gained 2 points to 42.5% share in the total worldwide market in 4Q10. With the exception of the Western European inkjet market, HP showed year-over-year gains across all regions in both inkjet and laser segments during the last quarter of the year. The vendor closed out the year on a high note, posting 15.6% year-over-year growth for the full year and outperforming the market average by nearly 4 points.
• Despite having the highest shipments ever, Canon finished a distant second overall with close to 6.9 million units and 18.8% share in the total hardcopy peripherals market in the fourth quarter. During 4Q10, the vendor grew its shipments 5% year over year, gained 2 points in market share sequentially and remained unchanged from a year ago. This quarter marked the first time ever where Canon inched past HP and achieved the number 1 ranking in the APeJ inkjet market. While achieving stellar results in Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) with 1.4 million units, the vendor's inkjet segment only grew 1% year over year. Laser technology, on the other hand, enjoyed double-digit growth across most regions and resulted in 24% year-over-year increase. Canon finished the full year 2010 with 7.5% year over year growth in total shipments, nearly 5 points below the market average of 12% growth.
• Epson held the number three position overall in 4Q10 with more than 5.5 million units shipped and 2% year-over-year growth. While showing an increase year over year, the vendor declined 1 point from a year ago to 15.2% market share. Canada and the U.S. were Epson's best performing regions, with 46% and 30% year-over-year growth, respectively. The vendor completed finished 2010 with 9.7% year-over-year growth. Once again, Canada and the U.S. were among the top 3 regions in 2010 with 41% and 14%, respectively. Latin America was Epson's best performing region for the full year with 45% year-over-year growth.
• Brother moved up one spot from last quarter, and in 4Q10 was the fourth-ranked vendor in the worldwide hardcopy market with 5.1% share and close to 2 million units shipped. The vendor's shipments grew 8% year over year in 4Q10 due to stronger gains in the laser segment; 16% vs. 1% for inkjet. Latin America was Brother's best performing region in 4Q10 for laser shipments with 94% year-over-year growth, followed by 57% in Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) and 46% in Middle East & Africa. Despite posting significant growth in laser, the vendor's 5.5% year-over-year increase for the full year 2010 was below the market average of 12%.
• While having its highest shipments ever, Samsung dropped one spot from last quarter to the number 5 position in the total hardcopy peripherals market. The vendor grew 3% year over year during the last quarter of 2010, resulting in more than 1.7 million units shipped and 4.8% market share. Samsung's 4Q10 performance was aided by positive growth in Western Europe and Latin America, which grew 22% and 28%, respectively. The U.S. was Samsung's worst performing region in 4Q10 with a -34% year-over-year trend. Samsung outperformed the market by posting 28.2% year-over-year growth for full year 2010.

Worldwide Hardcopy Peripherals Market Share and Year-Over-Year Growth, Fourth Quarter 2010

Vendors	4Q10 Unit Shipments	4Q10 Market Share	4Q09 Unit Shipments	4Q09 Market Share	4Q10/4Q09 Growth
1. HP	15,531,340	42.5%	14,099,688	41.4%	10%
2. Canon	6,869,425	18.8%	6,563,098	19.3%	5%
3. Epson	5,535,657	15.2%	5,428,887	16.0%	2%
4. Brother	1,845,213	5.1%	1,708,693	5.0%	8%
5. Samsung	1,749,353	4.8%	1,700,184	5.0%	3%
Others	5,006,691	13.7%	4,518,895	13.3%	11%
Total	36,537,679	100.0%	34,019,445	100.0%	7%

Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker, March 9, 2011

Worldwide Hardcopy Peripherals Market Share and Year-Over-Year Growth, 2010

Vendors	2010 Unit Shipments	2010 Market Share	2009 Unit Shipments	2009 Market Share	2010/2009 Growth
1. HP	52,740,770	42.1%	45,634,488	40.8%	15.6%
2. Canon	22,653,082	18.1%	21,077,887	18.9%	7.5%
3. Epson	18,269,836	14.6%	16,657,618	14.9%	9.7%
4. Samsung	6,891,155	5.5%	5,373,732	4.8%	28.2%
5. Brother	6,714,144	5.4%	6,366,899	5.7%	5.5%
Others	17,950,746	14.3%	16,621,517	14.9%	8.0%
Total	125,219,733	100.0%	111,732,141	100.0%	12.1%

Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker, March 9, 2011

U.S. Hardcopy Peripherals Market Share and Year-Over-Year Growth, Fourth Quarter 2010

Vendors	4Q10 Unit Shipments	4Q10 Market Share	4Q09 Unit Shipments	4Q09 Market Share	4Q10/4Q09 Growth
1. HP	4,796,220	58.6%	4,505,926	58.1%	6.4%
2. Canon	933,374	11.4%	952,873	12.3%	-2.0%
3. Epson	682,672	8.3%	469,061	6.0%	45.5%
4. Kodak	413,319	5.1%	201,785	2.6%	104.8%
5. Brother	386,220	4.7%	373,800	4.8%	3.3%
Others	970,354	11.9%	1,254,389	16.2%	-22.6%
Total	8,182,159	100.0%	7,757,834	100.0%	5.5%

Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker, March 9, 2011

U.S. Hardcopy Peripherals Market Share and Year-Over-Year Growth, 2010

Vendors	2010 Unit Shipments	2010 Market Share	2009 Unit Shipments	2009 Market Share	2010/2009 Growth
1. HP Group	15,333,145	54.9%	13,766,671	52.7%	11.4%
2. Canon	3,539,140	12.7%	3,490,371	13.4%	1.4%
3. Epson	2,208,621	7.9%	1,937,003	7.4%	14.0%
4. Lexmark	1,745,022	6.3%	2,152,179	8.2%	-18.9%
5. Brother	1,476,457	5.3%	1,421,105	5.4%	3.9%
Others	3,615,624	13.0%	3,336,044	12.8%	8.4%
Total	27,918,009	100.0%	26,103,373	100.0%	7.0%

Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker, March 9, 2011

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FLAT RATE SHIPPING only $4.99 (approx R40) on orders under R800
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Since most of our products are manufactured in the USA for quality control purposes, your order will be shipped from our Irwindale, CA warehouse.

What this means for South African customers:

• Better quality products
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• We do NOT charge taxes at checkout. SAPO however may collect local taxes/duties at delivery (usually only on larger orders).*
  * We ship all orders under R2000 through USPS / South Africa Post Office (delivery takes around 4-10 business days). Orders over R2000 are shipped by UPS. SAPO will sometimes collect local taxes/duties at delivery. In our experience, this is exercised by SAPO selectively, and usually not on small orders. We can not predict when and if SAPO will collect these taxes. UPS usually always collects these taxes.

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FLAT RATE SHIPPING only €4.99 on orders under €100
LOW SHIPPING from only €9.99 on orders over €100

Since most of our products are manufactured in the USA for quality control purposes, your order will be shipped from our Irwindale, CA warehouse.

What this means for European customers:

• Better quality products
• 4-10 Business days estimated delivery
• We do NOT charge taxes at checkout. Your local postal service however may collect local taxes/duties at delivery (usually only on larger orders).*
  * We ship all orders under €250 through USPS / European Post Offices (delivery takes around 4-10 business days). Orders over €250 are shipped by UPS. The European Post Offices will sometimes collect local taxes/duties at delivery. In our experience, this is exercised by the Postal Service selectively, and usually not on small orders. We can not predict when and if the European Postal Service will collect these taxes. UPS usually always collects these taxes.

Buy from 123 Refills in the UK

Did you know that 123 Refills has a country specific website for the UK? Buying ink and toner online is now easier, cheaper and faster for United Kingdom residents.  Simply visit www.123refills.co.uk, shop in British Pounds and enjoy the benefits of being a UK resident! 



FLAT RATE SHIPPING only £4.99 on orders under £100
LOW SHIPPING from only £9.99 on orders over £100

Since most of our products are manufactured in the USA for quality control purposes, your order will be shipped from our Irwindale, CA warehouse.

What this means for UK customers:

• Better quality products
• 4-10 Business days estimated delivery
• We do NOT charge taxes at checkout. Royal Mail however may collect local taxes/duties at delivery (usually only on larger orders).*
  * We ship all orders under £250 through USPS / Royal Mail (delivery takes around 4-10 business days). Orders over £250 are shipped by UPS. Royal Mail will sometimes collect local taxes/duties at delivery. In our experience, this is exercised by Royal Mail selectively, and usually not on small orders. We can not predict when and if Royal Mail will collect these taxes. UPS usually always collects these taxes.