Dell Launches Printer Sales in Japan

Jun. 3–TOKYO — Dell Japan Inc., the Japanese unit of U.S. computer maker Dell Inc., launched sales of two printer models in Japan on Thursday, marking the company’s entry into the Japanese printer market dominated by Seiko Epson Corp. and Canon Inc.

Of the two models, the Dell 922 Photo Printer, a color printer with copier and scanner functions, is priced at 13,800 yen, about 30 percent lower than similar products by its Japanese rivals.

For use at home and small offices, the machine can print up to 14 sheets in color and 19 in black and white per minute.

Dell Japan also introduced Dell Laser Printer 1700n mainly for corporate users, which retails for 29,800 yen. It can print a maximum of 25 sheets every minute in black and white.

Hiroshi Hamada, president of Dell Japan, said the merit of the two printers is the fact that they incorporate a system to order ink and toner online. “Users do not have to go shopping for expendable supplies,” he said, adding the ordered products can be delivered the following day.

At present, Seiko Epson and Canon have more than a 40 percent share each in the Japanese printer market. A Seiko official said its all-in-one printers priced at around 40,000 yen, which can develop images from digital cameras, have proved popular.

However, lower-priced printers have recently been introduced in the market. Hewlett-Packard Japan Ltd. sells an all-in-one printer for 15,000 yen.

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