Q Manual

Sample Report

In-House Colour Printing
of
APTCO Corporate Brochures

Prepared for Freda Smith
General Manager

by Gerard Vaughan & Emma Williams
Advertising Coordinators

October, 1996

All Purpose Training Company
Memo

All Purpose Training Company

To: Freda Smith, General Manager

From: Gerard Vaughan and Emma Williams, Advertising Coordinators
Date: 10 October 1996

Subject: In-House Printing

Here is the report you requested on 1 October 1996. This report investigates the colour printer most appropriate for our department.

Four printers were investigated and the most suitable model selected according to your criteria. Recommendations are made that, if implemented, will save both money and time for the company and make our work more flexible.

Our thanks go to Henry Greyfus and Sofia Lee of the department who were indispensable with their advice and skills.

We would be happy to discuss this report with you, and look forward to attending the meeting next week to clarify any issues.

Table of Contents

Memo of Transmittal.................................................................................................................. i
List of Figures ........................................................................................................................... ii
List of Tables............................................................................................................................. ii

Executive Summary................................................................................................................ iii

1 Introduction.......................................................................................................................... 1

2 Findings.................................................................................................................................. 2

3 Discussion.............................................................................................................................. 3

4 Conclusion............................................................................................................................... 7

5 Recommendations and Implementation................................................................................ 8

References................................................................................................................................. 9

List of Figures

List of Tables

Table 1-Direct comparison between the Epson and the Hewlett Packard...................................... 4

iii

Executive Summary

The purpose of this report is to investigate two differing brands of colour printers for use in the in-house production of APTCO's corporate brochures.

The Epson Stylus Pro produces high quality colour print-outs, is economical in its ink usage and performs well on all grades of paper. However, the major flaw is not only the printer's bulky size, but its relatively slow print speed.

Like the Epson, the Hewlett Packard DeskJet 855Cse prints well in colour, consumes little ink, and does not require expensive coated paper to perform well.

The report takes into consideration the text-oriented format of the corporate brochures and also APTCO's limited office space. Subsequently, the recommendation of this report is the Hewlett Packard DeskJet 855Cse. This is largely due to its compact size, speed, and high print quality.

1 Introduction

1.1 Purpose
The purpose of this report is to investigate two different brands of colour printers and to recommend the most suitable printer to produce APTCO's corporate brochures.

1.2 Scope
In investigating and recommending a colour printer, the report considers the initial cost of printers, ink and paper consumption, clarity of images, size, performance and warranties.

1.3 Method
In order to complete the report, both Epson and Hewlett Packard were contacted and requested to supply relevant information relating to initial costs and warranties. APTCO's professional printers, Bambra Press, also conducted an independent test of both printers to ascertain comparative text speeds, quality of colour images, and ink and paper consumption.

1.4 Limitations
The limitations of the report were minimal, relating mainly to the rigid time frame set for completion of the submission.

1.5 Assumptions
In preparing the report, it was assumed that APTCO is not relocating offices in the near future, and that the size of the equipment should be a factor in making a recommendation in light of the limited office space available.

1.6 Background
APTCO is a supplier of executive training courses for the business community.
The corporate brochures are designed in-house using Windows software, with the floppy disk being sent to a professional printer for multiple copies.
Following a feasibility study, it was revealed that it would be more cost effective for APTCO to do this printing in-house.
Consequently, an investigation of appropriate colour printers was required.

2 Findings

All assessable elements of the Epson and Hewlett Packard printers were considered, and the findings were as follows:

2.1 Epson Stylus Pro -

cost-$850 RRP;
replacement cartridge-colour: $59.95 RRP-black and white: $27.95 RRP;
paper cost (500 sheets): Reflex (A4): $9.95-Reflex (A3): $14.95, (200 sheets) Epson coated paper (A4): $69.95 (200 sheets) Epson coated paper (A3): $89.95
12 month warranty, extendible to 3 years (extra $165);
service agreement after end of warranty available through Epson Australia ($89 per year);
ink cartridge life - colour (A4) 125 printouts, - black and white (A4) 101 printouts;
print quality of 720 x 720 dots-per-inch (DPI);
capable of printing full A3 and A4 pages (full bleed);
will print 16.7 million individual colour match or 256 grayscale;
print speed - Colour: 1.5 pages per minute (PPM); - Black and White: 3 PPM;
paper feeder capacity, 100 sheets (A4 or A3);
overall size of printer - 597mm wide x 580mm length x 182mm height; and
21 built-in fonts, is compatible with all Windows fonts.

(Chung, 1996; Epson, 1996 p. 4; Hewlett Packard 1996, p. 15; HP 1996b Cnet, 1996)

2.2 Hewlett Packard DeskJet 855Cse

cost-$795 RRP;
replacement cartridge-colour: $65.95 RRP-black and white: $59.95 RRP;
paper cost (500 sheets) Reflex (A4): $9.95-Reflex (A3): $14.95, (250 sheets) HP coated paper (A4): $49.95, (250 sheets) HP coated paper (A3): $69.95; 12 month warranty;
service agreement after end of warranty, available through Hewlett Packard Australia ($60 per year);
ink cartridge life -colour (A4) 219 printouts; -black and white (A4) 124 printouts;
print quality of 820 x 820 dots-per-inch (DPI);
capable of printing full A3 and A4 pages (full bleed);
will print 16.7 million individual colour match or 256 grayscale;
print speed - colour: 4 pages per minute (PPM); - black and white: 8 PPM;
paper feeder capacity, 500 sheets (A4 or A3);
overall size of printer - 270mm wide x 490mm length x 236mm height; and
26 built-in fonts compatible with all Windows fonts.

(Chung, 1996; Hewlett Packard, 1996 p. 15; Cnet, 1996)

3 Discussion

The contrast between the respective Epson and Hewlett Packard printer was quite dramatic (see Table 1). Following is a description of some of the differences between the two printers:

3.1 Printer and Ink Cartridge Price
The relative price difference between the two printers was $55 with the Hewlett Packard being the cheaper. In terms of replacement ink cartridges, the Hewlett Packard was more expensive - $32 more on black and white and $6 more on colour (Chung, 1996; Epson, 1996; Hewlett Packard, 1996 p.7).

3.2 Ink Cartridges
Although the HP cartridges were more expensive, they appear to pay for themselves, recording 94 colour and 23 black and white more printouts than the Epson. The colour HP cartridges have nearly twice the life of the Epson, while the black and white cartridges are just over 20% better (Chung, 1996; Cnet, 1996).

3.3 Coated Paper
Another contrast was found when looking at the price of paper. Hewlett Packard coated paper was approximately 30% cheaper with 25% more paper than its Epson counterpart. Reflex A4 and A3 paper remained the same price (Chung, 1996; Cnet, 1996; Epson, 1996 p.11; Hewlett Packard, 1996 p.8).

Table 1: In this table a direct comparison can be seen between the Epson Stylus Pro and the Hewlett Packard Deskjet 855Cse.

Epson Stylus Pro Hewlett Packard

DeskJet 855Cse

Printer RRP: $850.00 $795.00

Ink cartridge replacement

-colour $59.95 $65.95

-B&W $27.95 $59.95

Coated paper: (A4, 200 sheet) $69.95 (A4, 250 sheet) $49.95

(A3, 200 sheet) $89.95 (A3, 250 sheet) $69.95

Warranty: 12 months 12 months

Extended warranty: 3 years, extra $165.00 not available

Service contract: $89.00 per year $60.00 per year

Ink cartridge life

-colour (A4): 125 219

-B&W (A4): 101 124

Print Resolution: 720 x 720 DPI 820 x 820 DPI

(Dots Per Inch)

Print speed -colour: 1.5 PPM 4 PPM

(Pages Per Minute) -B&W: 3 PPM 8 PPM

Paper feeder capacity: 100 sheets 500 sheets

Size of printer: 597 x 580 x 182 270 x 490 x 236

(Width x Length x Height)

3.4 Ink and Paper Costing Comparison
The ink and paper costs of both printers when printing colour documents were calculated to give an idea of the number of printed pages per dollar.

As Figure 1 illustrates, the Hewlett Packard is over 33% better than the Epson. The HP prints 3.32 pages per dollar, in contrast to Epson's 2.08.

3.5 Warranty
Both printers have a 12 month warranty. However the Epson gives the option of extending it to 3 years, at a cost of $165. Hewlett Packard offers a full service agreement, at end of warranty, for $60 per year. Epson also offers this agreement for $89 per year (Epson, 1996, p. 9; Hewlett Packard, 1996, p.16).

3.6 Print Quality
Both printers maintained a consistent, high, photo finish quality on the gloss coated paper of their respective manufacturers. However, a lesser quality was reproduced on the normal reflex photo- copy paper (Chung, 1996; Epson, 1996 p. 11; Hewlett Packard, 1996).

On the high gloss paper the Epson has a print quality of 720 x 720 dots per inch (DPI), and the Hewlett Packard 820 x 820 DPI. Overall the HP won again, although the difference could only be noted on the brighter colours, or by using magnification of the images. (Chung, 1996; Cnet, 1996; Epson, 1996, p.11; Hewlett Packard, 1996 p.8).

Again there were similarities in both printers, this time with the printing of A3 and A4 paper to their edges, known as full bleed. Both also have the same colour matching and grayscale capabilities of 16.7 million colours and 256 levels of grey (Epson, 1996, p. 11; Hewlett Packard, 1996, p.8).

3.7 Printing Fonts
Similarities were also noted in the number of fonts both printers carried, although the HP has an extra five fonts. Both printers are compatible with all Windows fonts (Epson, 1996, p. 4; Hewlett Packard, 1996, p.15).

3.8 Printing Speed and Paper Feeder
In the area of print speed and paper feeder capacity, the Hewlett Packard was in a class of its own.

Figures 2 and 3 illustrate the speed of the Hewlett Packard compared to the Epson.

As noted in Figure 2, the HP is capable of printing 4 colour pages per minute (PPM), while the Epson prints 1.5 PPM. Again, this time illustrated by Figure 3, the HP prints at 8 PPM, in black and white. The HP is nearly three times as fast as the Epson, which recorded 3 PPM (Chung, 1996; Epson, 1996, p. 5; Hewlett Packard, 1996, p. 10).

The HP has a paper feeder capacity of 500 sheets, compared to Epson's 100 sheet. Having a larger feeder means fewer delays, and more productivity. This comes from the printer not needing to be shut off as often, to be reloaded with paper (Epson, 1996 p.5; Hewlett Packard, 1996 p. 10; Cnet, 1996).

3.9 Printer Size and Dimensions
Again, this time in reference to printer size, including paper feeder tray, the Hewlett Packard outachieved the Epson. The Epson measured 597mm wide x 580mm length x 182mm height. The HP, on the other hand, was a compact 270mm wide x 490mm length x 236mm height, suiting even the tightest of desk corners (Epson, 1996, p. 6; Hewlett Packard, 1996, p.11).

4 Conclusion

Both the Epson Stylus Pro and the Hewlett Packard 855Cse conform to the overall needs and requirements of APTCO.

However, APTCO must consider the overall long term costs, as well as the short term benefits, when making a decision on printer type. In addition to the costs and warranty difference, the size of the area in which APTCO intends to place the printer must be considered.

Although the longer warranty life of the Epson outweighs that of the Hewlett Packard, other factors, such as compact size, ink cartridge life, print speed and amount of paper storage, sway the choice in Hewlett Packard's favour.

5 Recommendations and Implementations

Throughout this report, important contrasts have been raised between the Epson Stylus Pro and Hewlett Packard 855Cse.

It is recommended that:

one Hewlett Packard 855Cse printer be purchased
the committee consider the purchase of the full-service agreement for extended warranty
the technical division be consulted regarding the optimal layout of network cabling
the following implementation schedule be considered. However, the committee may wish to consider alternative suppliers since it may be possible to obtain the Hewlett Packard printer more cheaply elsewhere.

The only actions to be taken will be for APTCO to purchase the required number of Hewlett Packard 855Cse printers, and the relevant cables. These cables retail for $7.95 each (Chung, 1996).

Suggested Supplier

Powertop Computers
344 Kings Way
South Melbourne
Ph 9372 9645
Contact: Loy Chung

Order Date: A 10% discount applies to all Powertop Computer stock until 15 November. It is suggested that a purchase be made before this date.

Delivery: The printer will be delivered within twenty-four hours of the order being placed. Installation:

Hewlett Packard supplies a reference tutorial disk with the 855Cse, allowing APTCO staff to complete the installation of the printer(s) themselves.

6 Reference List

Chung, L. (1996), Sales Manager, Computer Department, Powertop Computers, Australia.

Cnet (1996), Printer Reviews (http://www.cnet.com/Content/Reviews/Compare/Inkjet/inkchart.html) accessed 5 October, 1996.

Epson (1996), Stylus Pro Brochure, Epson, Melbourne, Australia.

Hewlett Packard (1996), DeskJet 855Cse brochure, Hewlett Packard, South Melbourne.

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