Toronto real estate broker David Batori used direct mail to market his business but running a two-person operation resulted in a $2,000 month cost on outsourcing his printing needs. He decided to take two thirds of it in-house by printing his own material. By doing this, he saved $4,000 thanks to the acquisition of a color laser printer.

Many small and home businesses are doing likewise as new technology allows them to save on expenses. Batori was able to do this because of a dramatic drop in the price of laser printing technology in 2006. Both monochromatic and color laser printers went below the $1,000 mark. The price of cartridges also dropped to the $150-200 range.

Batori prints approximately 2,000 pieces a month in-house and so using a laser printer himself makes economical sense and allows him to customize his pieces for specific regions and clients. Some jobs run less than 800 pieces and were not cost effective to send out to a printer.

Epson South Africa has assigned Rectron, a leading information and communications technology distributor, to distribute a variety of Epson products with a focus on the country’s small to medium enterprises. They will distribute Epson projectors, scanners, dot-matrix printers, inkjet and photo inkjet printers, print consumables, and other supplies.

Research has revealed growth markets in the worldwide printer, copier, and MFP markets in South Africa. Research also revealed a shift from laser printing to inkjet printing. The partnership between Epson and Rectron works well for both because of the former’s strength in photo-printing that benefits the latter’s client base.

There is also a trend towards a paperless office environment and investing in document software with a growth in photo imaging. Epson’s strengths also lie in retailing with a strong point-of-sale and dot-matrix printing. Rectron stays competitive by investing in a company like Epson and their value-for-money products.