Selecting a Cost effective Inkjet Printer

Rivals Hijacked Trucks to Steal Technology ?

noreply@blogger.com (Keno) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:09:00 +0000

LiveJournal Tags: microjet,hp,hewlett packard,mipo,printheads,printer cartridge

Technorati Tags: microjet,hp,hewlett packard,mipo,printheads,printer cartridge

del.icio.us Tags: microjet,hp,hewlett packard,mipo,printheads,printer cartridge

SAN FRANCISCO (CN) – Well the latest rumour is Hewlett Packard claims Chinese and Taiwanese competitors stole patented printer cartridge components from HP's factory in Singapore and copied them to sell made-to-order counterfeit HP inkjet cartridges on Amazon.com. "Trucks carrying HP parts were apparently hijacked while en route from the manufacturing facility in Singapore to the assembly plant in Malaysia ... in direct response to the heightened security measures that had been implemented in HP production facilities," HP says.
     After stealing the technology, Hewlett Packard claims, Microjet Technology (of Taiwan) Mipo Technology (of Hong Kong and mainland China), and their U.S. affiliates, including SinoTime Technologies (of Florida) sold more than 300,000 of the inkjet cartridges in the United States. The defendants have the capability to make nearly 10 million counterfeit cartridges a year in Asia, Hewlett Packard says.
     The federal filing is the latest in a long line of complaints that China is making up its technology gap with the United States through industrial espionage, theft, and wholesale patent infringement.
     MicroJet "sells generic and/or made-to-order infringing ink cartridges to other companies, including defendants Mipo and PTC [PTC Holdings Ltd., of Hong Kong]," and sells them itself as well, Hewlett Packard says. HP claims the defendants violated six patents after stealing the HP components.
     Hewlett Packard says it discovered the scheme after seeing color ink cartridges for sale on Amazon.com and Craigslist, advertised as "HP compatible."
     HP bought some of the cartridges from Amazon.com, then used HP's internal tracking database to cross-reference ID numbers on components, and found that the cartridges had "a genuine HP printhead and a non-HP cartridge body that closely resembled a genuine HP cartridge body."
     And it found that the printheads came from HP lots from Malaysia that had never been assembled by HP - "i.e., were identified as production gaps." All of these stolen items "were packaged in a 'Mipo' labeled box and were individually wrapped in a clear plastic interior packaging that is clearly consistent with the standard packaging for products manufactured by defendant Microjet," according to the complaint.
HP demands an injunction and damages for patent infringement, unfair competition and conversion.

Metawatch Offers New Canon PGI-220 Series

noreply@blogger.com (Keno) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:03:00 +0000

Metawatch is pleased to announce the immediate availability of the PGI-220 & CLI-221 Series of Cartridges.

In keeping with Metawatch’s past history of breakthrough pricing to its customer base we are pleased to announce unit pricing of these cartridges at $6.95 e.a.

These cartridges will be listed shortly on Metawatch’s site under Canon Compatible Cartridges.

Thank you for shopping at Metawatch

Technorati Tags: cli-221,pg-220

Breakthrough Pricing for Epson T069 Series Cartridges

noreply@blogger.com (Keno) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:31:00 +0000

Once again Metawatch leads the pack when it comes to the lowest regular pricing for Epson's latest T069 series of Inkjet Cartridges.
(T069120, T069220, T069320, T069420)

Many suppliers have offered special sale prices to entice their clients to move from their existing suppliers, only to find they are offering older packaged supplies, or they are confronted with higher, more inflated prices upon their subsequent return.

Metawatches customers can rely on Metawatch to faithfully offer the lowest ongoing prices for their products without the fear of inflated prices down the road.

With over 30 years experience in the market, Metawatch can be relied on to be there when you need us.

Thank you for shopping at Metawatch.

Roomba Affiliate

noreply@blogger.com (Keno) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:25:00 +0000

We are officially an affiliate of Roomba products. By clicking the link(s) you will receive 10% off all Roomba products over the course of January 2010.

In addition you will also receive FREE Shipping for all order over $ 59.00
(All prices Quoted in U.S $)

Yes we are also very pleased of this new relationship with i-Robot and look forward to bringing you more 'Special" offers from i-Robot in the future.

Toaster looks, acts like printer

noreply@blogger.com (Keno) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:50:00 +0000

(Credit: Othmar Muehlebach)

Swiss designer Othmar Muehlebach conceived of a toaster that not only looks like an inkjet printer, but also toasts bread like one.

The toaster has an iMac like stand allowing you drop the bread on the tray at the top, which will then feed the slices into a slot where it'll be toasted. This design won a second-place Berner Design Award in Switzerland, but so far there's no sign of it going into production.

Just missing the butter cartridge..

2 Toast Per Min (TPM)

Canon Settles Patent Dispute (Buy your stock NOW !)

noreply@blogger.com (Keno) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:14:00 +0000

Canon has settled a dispute with five Japanese companies over patent infringement issues.

The businesses, Ohm Electric Inc., Color Creation Inc., Ninestar Japan Co., Futurewell Holding Ltd. and REV Corp, are all ink cartridge manufacturers as well.

Canon filed an injunction at Tokyo's District Courts last January, claiming that the inkjet cartridges sold by the firms violated Canon's patent on units featuring LED lights.

Following a recommendation from the courts to settle the dispute amicably, the five companies in question agreed to no longer import, sell, deliver or display for sales purposes the products in question.

Accordingly, Canon decided to drop the charges against them.

Under the terms of the settlement, the printing giant has granted the companies a grace period for existing stock and on-order products until the end of February 2010, with the said period for certain inkjet cartridge models extended to March.

This is a note to users of Canon printers to stock up on inventory (if you use third party products) well in advance of the Feb deadline. Future stock of these products will no longer be available from these suppliers.

Inkjet Cartridges and Canadian Winters

noreply@blogger.com (Keno) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:49:00 +0000

Well now as we approach the coldest months of the year it is time to review the Best Practices for handling inkjet cartridges in the Cold Canadian Winter months.

First and foremost it must be mentioned that inkjet cartridge ink is not designed to be frozen. This doesn't mean that they will not function properly, but special care and handling should be taken into account when buying cartridges and having them shipped in winter months.

Firstly, always make sure your inkjet cartridges are allowed to stabilize indoors at room temperature before using.

Secondly, certain cartridge(s) namely black are most often comprised of pigments used for coloration, and they can "separate" from solution when frozen.It is critical to shake the ink cartridge before opening after it has temperature stabilized. This will aid in allowing the pigments to be more uniformly distributed in the ink before using.(Failure to perform this operation may result in excess pigment separating out of solution and clogging print head assemblies)

By following these steps you will be ensured of extending the life of your printer and maintaining optimal operating characteristics for your ink cartridges.

Happy Printing !

Sale Canon BCI-21

noreply@blogger.com (Keno) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:39:00 +0000

Metawatch is pleased to announce a pre-christmas sale for its flagship Canon Products.

On Special while quanties last (No Rainchecks)

BCI-21 Bk $1.85 e.a.

BCI-21 Color $ 2.65 e.a.

Sale T060, T048,T026, T027 Series

noreply@blogger.com (Keno) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:18:00 +0000

Metawatch is pleased to announce a pre-christmas sale for is flagship Epson products.

On Special while quantities last (No Rainchecks)

T026 $ 2.50 e.a.

T027 $2.75 e.a.

T048 Series $3.25 e.a.

T060 Series $3.95 e.a.

Ad.Ly Ads on Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (Keno) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:52:00 +0000

As part of Metawatch's ongoing expansion we are pleased to announce the addition of Ad.ly to our twitter account. These funds will contribute to the expansion of Metawatch's ongoing Social Networking activities as well as contribute to lowering product pricing accordingly.

We encourage you to follow our Twitter activities as a means to contribute to these efforts as well as to keep informed about Metawatch's ongoing activities.

Lowest Cost In Canada T069 Cartridges

noreply@blogger.com (Keno) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:24:00 +0000

We have searched high and low to find the best deals across Canada for the purchase of OEM Compatible cartridges for your T069 series cartridges.

Lowest Cost

We are pleased to announce that Metawatch has not found anyone with a lower cost per unit for New compatible T069 series cartridges.

Best Overall

Check for yourself, and be confident in shopping at Metawatch that we strive to provide the Best overall cost effective solutions for Compatible Ink cartrides on the market.

Regular Prices

This is not a sale, but our regular prices for the T069 series of cartridges.

Compatible with all latest Models

Our T069 series cartridges are compatible with the latest series of Epson printers released including the NX115 NX415 and NX515 as well as Epsons NX100, NX 200, NX300 and NX400 released earlier. These cartridsges are also compatible with Epsons Workforce 500 Series also announced earlier.

Buy Now

T069 Series

T069120 Black
T069220 Cyan
T069320 Magenta
T069420 Yellow

low cost inkjet printable solar panels

noreply@blogger.com (Keno) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:43:00 +0000

Well it looks like we are about to enter a new age of energy supply..

Between the capablity of printing your own solar cells to produce energy and new storage methodologies like EESTORs Capacitor Batteries a new energy revolution is underway.

Although printing your own solar cells is still a few years off, the road ahead is bright.

In 2007 a lab in the New Jersey Institute of Technology came up with a process developed by Lead researcher Somenath Mitra and his team using organic compounds composed of Fullerenes (buckyballs) combined with single wall Carbon Nanotubes.
These nano tubes are 50,000 times smaller than a human hair and notably better conductors than conventional wires or copper. Flullerenes (buckyballs) are added to the nano tubes through a reaction in a microwave and form a bridge that allows electrons to flow into the tubes.

When added to special polymers they can be made into solar cell.

Basically how it works is the sunlight hits the polymers on the solar cell which excites them to produce electrons, the (buckyballs) snatch up the electrons and pass them to the nano tubes. The current then flows through the tubes to wires connected to the cell and out in the form of electricity.

Eventually we will be able to paint these nanotubes or inkjet print them on very thin sheets of a special polymer which could be put on almost any surface like the roof of your house, a car, walls, even windows, turning them into solar generators! Professor Mitra has described the process as “simple” saying “Developing organic solar cells from polymers” “is a cheap and potentially simpler alternative” to traditional silicon based solar cells.

This new polymer-based technology was featured as the June 21, 2007 cover story of the Journal of Materials Chemistry “Fullerene single wall carbon nanotube complex for polymer bulk heterojunction photovoltaic cells,”

HP takes on Kodak in printer campaign

noreply@blogger.com (Keno) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:58:00 +0000

California electronics heavyweight HP and underdog Eastman Kodak Co. are in a marketing brawl.

Round One went to Kodak, which launched its All-in-One inkjet printer line in 2007, when it started comparing its printing cost per page to companies such as HP and Canon Inc. in a "Print and Prosper" advertising campaign.

Now, in Round Two, Hewlett-Packard is punching back with a marketing campaign of its own. HP cites its own statistics to claim that Kodak's savings fall short of what's promised and that Kodak has no printer cartridge recycling program.

The campaign also points out that users of an HP inkjet printer have to replace only one color cartridge when that color runs out, while the Kodak printers — which use an ink manufactured at Eastman Business Park — have all the color inks in one $15 cartridge, so if one color runs out, all the colors need replacing.

And HP takes a shot at Kodak by pointing out that Moody's, the credit rating agency, has said there is a chance Kodak could face bankruptcy while HP was recently lauded in Fortune magazine.

Kodak and HP have a tangled history. Kodak CEO Antonio M. Perez came to the company in 2001 after a long career as a Hewlett-Packard executive.

HP, meanwhile, is the king of the jungle in the desktop inkjet world, commanding close to 50 percent of the market worldwide, said Tom Ashley, director of digital printing consulting firm Pivotal Resources USA.
Kodak hopes to ship around 1 million All-in-One printers this year — which would represent perhaps 2 percent of the industry's sales.

The company's printers seem to have better penetration with people who do lots of high-end printing such as photographs, meaning more ink cartridges sold, Ashley said.
HP "is still the market leader, but it sounded like Kodak must be making real inroads if you feel obliged to knock them like that," Ashley said.

Epson launches 4-in-1 business inkjet printer with Ethernet for small office

noreply@blogger.com (Keno) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:54:00 +0000

Epson has announced the Middle East launch of the Epson Stylus Office TX510FN, which incorporates scanning, printing, fax and copying functions into a compact Ethernet-ready business inkjet printer that can produce high-quality laser-like printouts at a maximum speed of 38 pages per minute.
The latest model in the Epson line of advanced multifunction devices (MFD), the TX510FN comes in a compact and sleek design that makes it the perfect complement for any home or small office set-up.

Built with efficiency and reliability in mind, the TX510FN comes with an automatic document feeder capable of handling up to 30 sheets, making it easy to copy and fax multi-page documents.

The new Epson MFD unit is easy to use and operate with its key features that include five customizable speed dial buttons, easy-to-operate scan, copy and fax functions and a two-line LCD screen. Faxes can also be sent directly via any networked PC.

The TX510FN Ethernet-enabled feature allows for a smooth transfer and sharing of information over an existing network. The inclusion of Epsonâ€™s push scan technology gives users the ability to save any scanned document to a chosen network location.

The TX510FN also comes packaged with Presto! Page Manager 8 software, which makes document scanning, management and conversion to editable text (OCR) easier.

Utilizing Epson Micro Piezo print head technology and DURABrite Ultra Ink solutions, the TX510FN can produce laser-like text and vivid color prints that are water and smudge resistant. The high capacity individual ink cartridges allow users to print more pages and reduce the need for frequent cartridge changes. Compatible ink cartridges include the 'Lion Cubs' black high-capacity twin pack and the 'Seal' brand for high-capacity colors.

The standard capacity black and color inks, recognised by the 'Bees' image are also available both individually and in a convenient cost-saving multi-pack.

As an Energy Star qualified printer, the Epson Stylus Office TX510FN reflects Epson's ongoing focus on reducing the carbon emissions attributed to the use of its products.

Reseller Claims Seiko Epson Sent a Spy to Its Warehouse

noreply@blogger.com (Keno) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:38:00 +0000

Looks like the inkjet business is becoming a cloak and dagger industry with Spies and the like.

Epson Printer cartridges have long been a subject of legal dispute, to clamp down on knock offs.

As reported in the Wall street journal It is rare that such fights include allegations of corporate espionage.

In an Oregon federal court, the Green Project Inc., a small ink-cartridge reseller, claims that Seiko Epson Corp., sent an investigator disguised as a customer to snoop around the company.

The alleged incident began with a lawsuit that Seiko Epson filed in April against Green Project, which refills and resells old ink cartridges, and other cartridge resellers.

In recent years, Seiko Epson has taken legal action against companies that import cartridges to sell in the U.S. In 2007, responding to a complaint by the Japanese company, the U.S. International Trade Commission ruled that certain imported cartridges violate Seiko Epson patents and ordered vendors to stop importing them. In a followup ruling last year, the ITC said that imports of certain "remanufactured" cartridges also violate Epson patents.

In April, Seiko Epson sued a number of companies that it alleged were violating the import ruling. One was Green Project.

Joseph Wu, Green Project's founder and president, denied the company sells cartridges that were originally sold overseas. The ITC ruling stipulated that only cartridges originally sold in the U.S. can be refilled for resale in the U.S. Wu said Green Project buys used printer cartridges that were sold in the U.S. from brokers ; that they are then shipped to China, where they are refilled and sent back to the U.S. for sale, he said. The brokers guarantee in writing that the cartridges are collected in the U.S.

Last month, Mr. Wu's company countersued Seiko Epson, claiming that Mr. Seitz's (Spy) actions constituted trespassing and theft of trade secrets. The suit seeks to prevent Seiko Epson from using the information collected, as well as restitution. It also seeks a declaration that certain Seiko Epson patents are invalid.

Mr. Seitz's "misrepresentation and subsequent entry into Green Project's warehouse constitutes trespass," the company's lawyer wrote in a July 27 court filing. Green Project also alleges that Mr. Seitz improperly accessed company trade secrets when he requested a price list.

Mr. Barza said that while Mr. Seitz has "done investigations before" for Epson, he is an independent contractor, not an Epson employee.

"There's a raging debate" in the legal community over ethical guidelines for information gathering, said Patrick Robbins, a defense lawyer at Shearman & Sterling LLP who sometimes uses private detectives.

Mr. Robbins said courts have offered little clarity on whether it is acceptable to use deception to obtain information.

Lets all keep our eyes and ears open for the next chapter in this espionage thriller.

Unclogging Inkjet Printer Heads

noreply@blogger.com (Keno) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:48:00 +0000

Well I am sure this has happened to most (all) of us. When printing out that special photograph all of a sudden blank spots start showing up in the printout.

This is normally a symptom of running out of ink, but every so often it is the telltale sign that the heads on your printer are starting to clog up.

This can be caused by a multitude of issue but they all relate to the ink drying in your heads. Most often happens when you run out of ink in a cartridge and the printer sits idle waiting for it to be replaced. This allows any ink in the printer to be exposed to air (and dry) and prevents the printer from clearing the blockage early in the cycle as there is no ink left in the reservoir.

Again running the built in head cleaning utilities normally will clear a small blockage after 2 or three tries....

The unfortunate thing about the cleaning utility is that it typically cleans ALL colors at the same time regardless of the color that has the blockage. This results in excessive amounts of ink being wasted.

What most people don't recognize is that the ink used for cleaning cartridges can be up to 10% of the cartridge(s) capacity depending on the printer.

I don't know how many times I have hear of people throwing our their printers thinking their heads are defective, only to find out that they have exhausted the ink supplies via "Head Cleaning".(They say I must have ink left as I just changed the cartridge)

OK now, lest say you have checked all the above items, run countless head cleanings, and although the heads are SLOWLY becoming cleaner the process of cleaning appears to have stopped with the clogs still present....Is there anything else you can do to try to save this "crippled printer" from the nasty junk heap ? YES, Yes, Yes...

Now I have to warn you that the cure is sometimes worse than the disease, so this next step must be taken with the clear understanding that it could result in permanently disabling your printer. (But then again, you were just about to throw it on the junk heap anyways right?)

Again, not all printing problems are related to clogged heads, and could be clogged exit hoses, or defective heads, electronics, etc...so this may not work for those reasons.This procedure, we administering too much solution can also, in some printer models result in debonding the glue on some heads causing premature head failures.

Ok, OK, Ok...You understand that this solution is to be taken as a last resort and any problems that may be caused are understood in advance. I.E. You are an educated person and realize that this is a last ditch effort to save the pritner.

The fix is relatively simple.. Take a USED cartridge (Not empty) and cover the top ink hole while turning the cartridge over....Now comes the secret ingredient.... Add about 1 Ounce of your standard home window cleaning solution that must contain Ammonia D.... Yes Ammonia D is the secret ingredient that disolves virtually any inkjet clog. Run the head cleaning utility a few times, and the results will be amazing. (Make sure you perfom the oepration in a well ventilated room, and are present throughout the entire operation. Inspect and monitor the operation ensureing there are no problems caused by its use.

Note: This procedure is to be performed at the users own risk and expense and Metawatch assumes no responsibility for any outcome related to the use of this procedure. As with any chemicals, care must be taken with their use and any and all results should be monitored to ensure there is no risk of electrically induced shorts caused as a result of this operation.

Man printed money on inkjet printer

noreply@blogger.com (Keno) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:22:00 +0000

COURT Records indicate : He bought ATVs, & sports memorabilia

When the owner of an Argos-all- terrain vehicle began counting the $6,400 in $100 and $50 bills he had just received for the sale of the machine in November 2007, he discovered several of the bills had the same serial number.

The next day in Espanola, another Argo ATV owner was pleased to get $8,900 in $100 and $50 bills for the sale of his Argo ATV. His satisfaction with the sale ended when he took the money to his credit union the next day and found all of the 107 bills were counterfeit.

On Dec. 1 of the same year, a hockey memorabilia sale managed to net $2,400 for the items. He was paid in cash, in $100 and $50 bills. He, too, soon found out the money was counterfeit.

The owner said the collection, which included autographed hockey sweaters and cards, was worth about $10,000 but he settled for the lower amount because he needed money to go to southern Ontario to see his grandchildren.

Monday in Sudbury court the suspect, Dale Bobbie, 35, pleaded guilty to three counts of possession of counterfeit money and one count of breaching his bail conditions.

All of the bills, said assistant Crown attorney , had been printed on an inkjet printer. There was no embossing and no foil, he said.

Of the almost 300 bills involved in the three transactions, there were only about a dozen unique serial numbers.

While Bobbie admitted having possession of counterfeit money, his lawyer pointed out that all three people who received the money could not positively identify his client as the man with whom they had conducted the transaction.

At the time of the transactions the man had a goatee and was wearing a toque.

Bobbie was linked to the cash because of fingerprints. His fingerprints were found on at least one bill from each transaction.

The breach charge against Bobbie was laid in January of his year after police learned he had gone to Cuba for a vacation despite a bail condition that he remain in Ontario.

Bobbie's lawyer asked that his client be given an opportunity to repay the three victims before sentence is imposed.

As a result, sentencing will take place next fall.

Problems Looming at PiloShop.ca ?

noreply@blogger.com (Keno) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 17:25:00 +0000

A recent posting at the Complaints Board indicates there may be potential problems with another Canadian Inkjet Distributor.

The complaint reads

Mr Yun Dai of PiloShop.ca took our money Total: $137.77 Date Ordered: Thursday 19 March, 2009 still waiting still today call them at 1-866-669-7456 MANY TIMES, mail box is full. we never received our product.
There other Phone number are discontinued Phone: 514-766-2239
Fax: 514-766-2431 not in use.

Phones Disconnected ?

If their phones have in reality been disconnected it does indicate potential problems at the Canadian Inkjet supplier.

Considering the sate of the economy in Canada the presence of Third Party Inkjet distributors in Canada becomes even more important for the Canadian public to be able to find money savings opportunities.

We wish the best for this canadian supplier as the Canadian Inkjet market goes through yet another downturn.

OTB Solar Installs First Silicon-Ink Inkjet System at Innovalight

noreply@blogger.com (Keno) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:04:00 +0000

Inkjet system capable of printing over 2000 high performance solar cells per hour

Eindhoven, NL- June 8th 2009- Innovalight, Inc., a privately-held firm developing silicon-ink printed solar cell technology has installed the world’s first high-throughput industrial silicon-ink inkjet printing system at the company’s headquarters in Sunnyvale, California. The printing system was engineered and manufactured by OTB Solar in co-operation with Innovalight.

Using high precision touch-less inkjet printing of silicon-ink, Innovalight can halve the number of costly manufacturing steps required to produce high efficiency solar cells. In addition, the OTB printing system allows for high volume production of ultra-thin crystalline silicon solar cells with thicknesses as little as 50 microns. Current mass manufactured solar cells are almost four times thicker requiring more material and twice as many processing steps to convert into finished solar cells.

“In OTB Solar we found a strong partner with experience in both solar industry and inkjet printing technologies, “ said Mr. Conrad Burke, Chief Executive of Innovalight. “The OTB Solar team delivered a very sophisticated and powerful solution to Innovalight in record time,” he added.
“Ink jet printing is becoming the next generation solar cell manufacturing technology, said Mr. Chris Boomaars, Head of OTB Solar’s New Business Development Division. “Using silicon-ink processing, Innovalight will dramatically improve the cost and efficiency of today’s silicon solar cells. This partnership is a great example of how we take solar cell production to the next level”

About Innovalight

Innovalight was founded in 2002 and is based in Sunnyvale, California. Based on silicon-ink technology, the company is developing low-cost, high-performance technologies to produce lower cost, higher performance solar cells. Innovalight is venture capital supported and has received significant development funds from the United States Department of Energy.
For more information visit www.innovalight.com

About OTB Solar

OTB Solar is a high tech supplier of solar cell production technology. The Company's product portfolio currently consists of fully automated in-line turnkey production solutions, high throughput PECVD modules with a small footprint and a high accuracy screenprinter. Besides this, OTB Solar is developing novel Ink Jet Printing solutions towards market introduction. OTB Solar builds on a 20 year long successful equipment development track record.

Memjet Printer

noreply@blogger.com (Keno) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:16:00 +0000

Memjet Printer Prototype in action

Memjet A4/Letter prototype printer vs. a Canon MX7600 color inkjet printer

Seiko Epson Corp. has been hit with antitrust counterclaims

noreply@blogger.com (Keno) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 14:05:00 +0000

Seiko Epson Corp. has been hit with antitrust counterclaims

Seiko Epson Corp. has been hit with antitrust counterclaims in its patent infringement litigation against China's Ninestar Technology Co. Ltd. and other printer supply manufacturers over ink cartridges.

In counterclaims filed Friday in the U.S District Court for the District of Oregon, Ninestar and its affiliates allege that Seiko Epson has patented features in its ink cartridges that are not novel or distinct from prior cartridges in order to prevent others from offering competing ink cartridges for use in Epson printers.

Seiko Epson preps inkjet-printed OLEDs for big picture

noreply@blogger.com (Keno) — Fri, 29 May 2009 15:57:00 +0000

PORTLAND, Ore. — Printing high-definition organic LED (OLED) displays with ultrahigh-resolution inkjet printers will lower the cost and increase the color accuracy of flat-panel televisions, according to Seiko Epson Corp.

Tokyo-based Seiko Epson will reveal details of its fabrication process at the Society for Information Display (SID) International Symposium, Seminar and Exhibition, running May 31-June 5 in San Antonio, Texas.

According to Satoru Miyashita, general manager of Epson's OLED Development Center, Seiko Epson will show an ink-jet printed 14-inch OLED display that the company claims has the same resolution as, and better color accuracy than, today's 37-inch 1080p high-definition TVs.

"Large-screen OLED TVs are the future," Miyashita said.

The company has been working since 2004 to perfect its microelectromechanical system (MEMS)-based inkjet printing process, which uses piezoelectric actuators to deposit precisely measured dots of different sizes onto transparent substrates suitable for fabricating OLED displays.

The low-temperature fabrication process for printed OLEDs is lower in cost than the high-temperature semiconductor processing required for conventional LED displays. OLEDs also offer a wider color gamut, enabling them to render colors more accurately, as well as a wider field of view and increased contrast over conventional LED-based displays.

To date, however, OLED use has been restricted to smaller screens as manufacturers have sought reliable methods to deposit the necessary organic compounds with sufficient uniformity on large substrates. While some research efforts use vacuum thermal evaporation (VTE) to fabricate large-area OLEDs Seiko Epson has concentrated on refining its inkjet printing process.

VTE is a subtractive process that requires placement of a shadow on top of the substrate in order to pattern the organic compounds. The inkjet process, by contrast, deposits a thin film of liquid organic compounds one drop at a time. Since the inkjet process is additive, it requires less raw material than VTE does. It also requires fewer steps than VTE, increasing manufacturing throughput.

In trial production runs of the 14-inch OLED television to be demonstrated at the SID symposium, Seiko Epson claims to have fabricated color films with greater than 1 percent uniformity, which exceeds the requirements for mass producing OLED flat panels. The company claims its process is close to being ready for prime time.

Excess Inventory Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Keno) — Fri, 29 May 2009 13:50:00 +0000

Well it that time of year when we review our inventory activity with respect to cartridge products.

At this time we are pleased to announce our excess inventory sale.

Products that are being sold @ or below cost are

HP #58 for only $17.95

HP #92 for only $11.95

HP #78 for only $15.95

HP #95 for only $11.95

HP #97 for only $17.95

Shop early while quantities last !
.

US Judge Imposes Penalty against G & G

noreply@blogger.com (Keno) — Tue, 19 May 2009 15:21:00 +0000

The Honorable Paul J. Luckern issued an Enforcement Initial Determination on April 17 that finds Ninestar, which sells ink cartridges under the "G&G" and "OA-100" brands, repeatedly imported into the United States and sold after importation cartridges that infringe certain patents owned by Epson in violation of the General Exclusion Order and certain Limited Exclusion Orders and Cease and Desist Orders issued on October 19, 2007 by the U.S. International Trade Commission ("ITC").

The decision recommended that the ITC impose a penalty of US$ 20,504,974.16 jointly and severally against Ninestar Technology Co. Ltd. of Zhuhai, China and its two affiliated US companies, Ninestar US and Town Sky.

The judge also found four other companies violated the ITC's Orders and recommended penalties in the amount of US$ 9,700,000 against Mipo International Ltd. and Mipo America Ltd., as well as US$ 700,000 against Ribbon Tree USA Inc. doing business as Cana-Pacific Ribbons Inc. and Apex Distributing Inc.

The penalty against Ninestar is the largest penalty that has ever been recommended by an ITC judge.

Penalties have been assessed only infrequently in the reported history of the ITC. They are collected by and for the United States government.

Epson WorkForce 310 4-in-1 inkjet

noreply@blogger.com (Keno) — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:02:00 +0000

Epson has added to its WorkForce line of business inkjet printers with a new model aimed at small businesses.

The WorkForce 310 incorporates fax, copy and scanning functions, as well as built-in Ethernet connectivity. The unit is said to print up to twice as fast as competing models, at 16ppm in black and 5.6ppm in color, judging by the new ISO/IEC 24734 standard. The standard is aimed at providing a consistent benchmark for comparing the speed of models from different manufacturers.

The printer holds two black cartridges, as well as individual cartridges for each color. The 310 also features a 30-sheet document feeder with support for double-sided printing, though paper must be flipped manually. The Ethernet port allows connection to a router for the sake of device sharing.

The WorkForce 310 is set to cost $150