Vermont PhotoInkjet introduces an eco-friendly ink alternative for EPSON® Ultrachrome™ K3 printers. New ConeColor 100% color pigment formula replicates color space while alleviating the strain on the environment caused by one-time-use cartridges.
EAST TOPSHAM, Vermont. January 30, 2008: Vermont PhotoInkjet announced
today the immediate availability of ConeColor inks for EPSON
Ultrachrome K3 printers. These 100% pigment, high-performance inks are
packaged in economical 4, 16 and 32 ounce bottles and sold with a set
of eco-friendly, refillable, lifetime cartridges. This solution is
simple to use and will save the average user 65% or more of their
current ink costs. The savings to the environment is even greater.
ConeColor ink shares the same pigment technology as Piezography® K7
inks which makes them extremely fade resistant and non-damaging to
EPSON print heads. Because Vermont PhotoInkjet carefully matched the
color-space of the OEM inks, users can slip ConeColor inks right into
their current EPSON color workflow.
Vermont PhotoInkjet’s President Jon Cone points to his son’s efforts to
have a low-impact on the environment as his overwhelming decision to
bring ConeColor to market in a “green” manner. “ Spencer asked what I
was doing to prevent my customers from throwing out their cartridges
into landfills. He also brought my attention to the health effects of
factory workers who make semiconductor chips which is a very toxic
manufacturing process.” Cone added “I wanted to create a perfect
eco-friendly solution for my customers rather than be part of the
problem.”
Instead of selling cartridges for one-time use, ConeColor is marketing
its new inks for use in a set of high-impact ABS refillable cartridges
for the EPSON 4800, 7800 and 9800 printers and a set of easily
refillable cartridges for the EPSON 2400 desktop printer. These carts
are all easily filled from a bottle and their semiconductor chips are
simply reset with an included chip re-setter. Alternatively, consumers
can purchase a bulk ink delivery CIS system for their EPSON 2400
printer that is conveniently replenished from an attached bottles
system.
According to the latest research by InfoTrends, as much as 86% of all
new printer cartridges are thrown away instead of recycled. It is
estimated that more than 450 million ink carts were thrown into
landfill last year in the USA. In an estimated US$32 billion dollar
market, this is a tremendous amount of waste to end up in landfill.
Most if not all of these cartridges will take up to 1000 years to
biodegrade, and their impact on the ecosystem is still unknown. An even
worse impact on the environment is that most inkjet cartridges now
contain a semi-conductor chip. Semiconductor chip manufacturing
requires exposing workers to highly corrosive hydrochloric acid; metals
such as arsenic, cadmium, and lead; volatile solvents such as methyl
chloroform. Tolulene, benzene, acetone, and trichloroethylene; and
toxic gases such as arsine. Many of these chemicals are known or
probable human carcinogens. “When you read how much waste water is
produced in order to create these tiny little chips, and think of our
own fresh water shortages that we face here in Vermont as well as other
parts of the US, it gives you pause to think,” said Cone.
While Vermont PhotoInkjet lauds the continuing efforts of semiconductor
factories to find ways to reduce exposure to the environment and their
workers from toxins, a much faster and greener impact is to lower the
dependency on chips. The semiconductor chips on ConeColor refillable
inkjet cartridges can be re-used time and time again. While OEM
cartridges are not designed for reuse, Vermont PhotoInkjet’s proposal
for environmentally conscious consumers is to purchase high-quality
ConeColor inks in bulk and use refillable cartridges. “Being green is a
universal concept,” said Mr. Cone. “Every individual can have the
choice of leaving a small footprint on this Earth if they are given the
correct choice of products,” Cone added.
EPSON has made it even more difficult in the USA for its customers to
become ecologically active. On Dec 19, 2007, EPSON citing patent
infringement succeeded in getting a law enacted in which the US Customs
department is blocking the entry of any non-EPSON desktop cartridges
into the USA. Because EPSON brand cartridges are not designed for
reuse, it appeared desktop printer consumers might be left without a
choice other than disposal in landfill or incineration of used
cartridges. However, just prior to the New Year, the US Patent Office
in a reversal of fortune for USA consumers has questioned the validity
of these patents in an office action citing that after re-examination
they are based on prior art and are neither innovative nor creative.
Colleen Duffley of Colleen Duffley Photography in Santa Rosa Beach,
Florida is an early adopter of the ConeColor inks system. “I live and
shoot in one of the world’s most beautiful and pristine beaches in
Florida,” said Colleen Duffley. “I use a complete digital workflow that
includes shooting, editing, and printing and I can’t imagine throwing
away a media card because I used it in my camera. So why did I have to
throw away all those ink carts because I used up the ink?” Colleen
questioned. “I began using ConeColor inks and refillable cartridges and
the color is everything I expected and I no longer have to feel guilty
about throwing away ink carts,” added Ms. Duffley. “I’m not throwing
them away anymore!”
Because a ConeColor customer will need only one refillable cartridge
set for the life of their printer, they will dramatically reduce the
amount of plastic cartridges that would otherwise find their way into
local landfills. Also, they are doing their part to protect
semi-conductor workers who have one of the highest percentages
worldwide of work related health issues and children born with birth
defects.
Consumers in the USA have been led to believe that using third-party
inks voids their warranties. To the contrary, the USA has strong
consumable laws such as the Magnusson-Moss Warranty Act that disallow a
manufacturer from forcing a consumer to purchase and use only the
manufacturer’s brand ink in order to warranty the consumer’s printer.
Vermont PhotoInkjet has insurance for their manufacturing that covers
its customer’s equipment should repairs be necessary and the inks or
refill cartridges are shown to be the source of the damage. Vermont
PhotoInkjet is one of the few ink companies that can provide this type
of security to its customers. “ We’ve had such a great record of
satisfaction with Piezography inks that we were able to get this kind
of insurance coverage,” explained Jon Cone.
ConeColor inks are available in 4oz, 16oz, and 32oz bottles including
both a matte and a photo black option. They are priced at $28.00 for 4
ounces, $92.00 for 16 ounces, and $184.00 for 32 ounces which
represents 18¢ per ml in comparison to EPSON’s 50¢ per ml. The
refillable cartridge system for the EPSON 4800, 7800 and 9800 printers
is $398.00. The price of ConeColor ink is only $40.50 for same
equivalent amount of EPSON brand ink in a standard 220ml cart. For the
EPSON 2400 printer, ConeColor represents and even greater savings of as
low as 18¢ cents compared to EPSON’s 90¢ per ml for 2400 cartridges.
When said another way, EPSON charges approximately $3,500.00 per gallon
of ink when used in an EPSON 2400. A gallon of ConeColor ink is less
than $700.00. Consumers can purchase a CIS system for their EPSON 2400
printer at $130 that allows use of both the matte and photo black inks,
or pre-filled cartridges at only $10.84 each that they can refill and
reset.
ConeColor brand ink and refill carts are available now from
http://www.inkjetmall.com and are being made available by Vermont
PhotoInkjet to resellers throughout the world with a contact link on
the http://www.conecolor.com website
Vermont PhotoInkjet, LLC is a small company located in the rural
village of East Topsham, Vermont and is renowned worldwide for its
Piezography brand of monochromatic inks and software. It operates on
the world-wide-web as InkjetMall.com. Jon Cone is also President of
Cone Editions Press (est. 1980) which is recognized as being the
world’s first digital printmaker. Cone Editions Press developed and
sold one of the earliest archival inks for use in IRIS printers in the
mid 1990s. Vermont PhotoInkjet and Cone Editions Press have been
recycling through the Vermont Waste Management Division. All of Vermont
PhotoInkjet, LLC ink operations uses recycled plastic. The company is
able to clean and prepare all of its finished ink containers as well as
its chemical containers for recycling and reuse.
ConeColor is a trademark of Vermont PhotoInkjet, LLC.
Piezography is a trademark of Cone Editions Press, Ltd.
EPSON and Ultrachrome are trademarks of Seiko-EPSON Corporation.
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