It's the Paper...

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Article Original Published in Recharger Magazine:

Want the Truth Behind the Test Results?
Follow the Money

Question: Which of these three recent imaging article titles is practically criminally misleading?

1. “WIR Testing Finds Aftermarket Inks are Inferior to OEM”
2. “European Third-Party Inkjet Inks Dealt Major Blow by Latest Wilhelm Tests”
3. “Aftermarket Inks Fading Fast?”
   

The answer is all three. An uninformed observer would infer from the above titles that the aftermarket inkjet products are substandard and the business is reeling (precisely what the study’s sponsors — inkjet OEMs — intended to convey). However, the reality is just the polar opposite. In anything, when large amounts of money are involved biases move to the forefront and objectivity gets thrown out the window. A simple  investigation into the methods and results of this dubious study as well as understanding the motivations of those involved prove it. Want the truth? Just follow the money.

Let’s compare three recent “studies”; two sponsored by OEMs and one conducted independently by Consumer Reports, a publication that aims to provide objective information and considers consumers to be their clients.

In 2005 HP sponsored an inkjet print quality study by a company called Quality Logic. The study was universally lambasted by a number of analysts and publications for a wide range of reasons. For example, this was probably the first ever image quality study ever conducted that did not use a densitometer or spectrophotometer (long recognized industry tools for accurately comparing print quality) for comparative analysis. Even though the results lacked any credibility HP still touted them in full-page print media advertisements and radio spots to paint the entire aftermarket inkjet industry in a horrible light.

In the summer of 2006 several publications crafted articles that addressed the results of a display permanence of inkjet prints study released by Henry Wilhelm, president of the Wilhelm Imaging Research. Since the OEMs had sponsored much of the WIR testing, the results were predictable: the aftermarket products looked terrible compared to the OEM products. Some OEM combinations lasted 35 times longer than the third-party ink and photo paper offerings. Wow! Can this really be true?

There are three key reasons to seriously question the results of the WIR study; one is a bombshell:

1. The photo paper used is much more important to image permanence than the ink itself.
2. Many companies (including Kodak) disagree with the WIR testing protocol.
3. Isn’t knowing who paid WIR to generate this study/data important?

First, the study compared the displaypermanence ratings of aftermarket inkjets and third-party photo papers to their new OEM counterparts. The headlines should have read, “WIR Testing Finds Aftermarket PHOTO PAPERS are Inferior to OEM” or “Aftermarket PHOTO PAPERS fading fast?” What a deception! The entire aftermarket inkjet industry is slandered with these misleading titles when in actuality, the print media used (in this case third-party photo papers) has much more to do with long-term image permanence than the actual ink itself.

Case in point, Wilhelm’s own words perfectly illustrate his “position du jour” regarding aftermarket inks. In a February 2004 article in Great Output Magazine, Wilhelm said, “For example, there is a combination of HP inks and media that we rated as lasting 73 years. This lifespan fell to just two years when the consumer substituted a Staples-branded photo paper for the HP premium photo paper.”

So what is really the key variable here, the ink, the paper, or the study sponsor?

Second, the WIR testing protocol is based upon extremely obscure and unrealistic conditions that are not relevant for judging aftermarket ink performance. The WIR protocol evaluated the print permanence rating of inkjet prints and third-party photo paper print media framed under ultraviolet filtering glass in highlumen museum-display type environment. What percentage of inkjet prints worldwide are utilized and stored under these conditions? One in a hundred million?

Kodak has previously disputed the WIR testing protocol with regards to light stability — the key element for this study. Apparently the lumen level in the accelerated glass-filtered fluorescent light stability test that WIR uses (450lux/12hours per day) is nearly four times higher than Kodak’s recommended testing protocol for realistic conditions. Extrapolating data from unrealistic lighting conditions will generate unrealistic results. Wilhelm had once stated that, “There are no ISO or ANSI standards for permanence, so our company’s standard has become the de facto industry standard.” No, this just means everyone is entitled to an opinion. Many believe these test results are wildly exaggerated and, therefore, are not valid.

Finally, Wilhelm is an expert in the preservation of museum quality traditional and digital color photographs and images. According to a July 2005 article in PC World, major printer vendors regularly hire WIR to test photo papers, inks, and printers for longevity. No one is going to come out and call Wilhelm a paid partisan hack but objectively reviewing the image permanence data and the way it was presented will allow people to draw their own conclusions. The published results conveniently omitted key comparative results for specific vendors, there was no differentiation between which cartridges used dye-based inks versus pigmented ones (inherent differences in image permanence longevity), and implying that the ink alone is the critical differentiator in image permanence just does not seem honest.

Regardless of the ink type or print media, all colors will eventually fade. Is the WIR study even relevant? Is it a benchmark to judge the entire industry? Certainly not. The value proposition that an aftermarket inkjet product offers with regards to print quality, page yield, price, and image permanence is what is ultimately driving the explosive growth of these products. Hopefully a fair comparison will eventually emerge.

Consumer Reports, which many would consider to be an unbiased product evaluator, noted in their July 2006 issue that several of aftermarket inkjet cartridges matched the photo quality of the printer makers’ cartridges at a reduced price. Certainly there are substandard vendors in every industry but the majority of aftermarket inkjet products generate high-quality finished goods that are comparable to a new OEM cartridge at an attractive price.

Why would there be such a variance between reports contracted by an OEM and a report on behalf of the consumer? It might be because of how much money we are following. According to Charlie Brewer, editor of Lyra Research’s Hard Copy Supplies Journal, the world’s inkjet printers are guzzling up more than $32 billion worth of ink this year. Retailers are selling high-quality remanufactured inkjet cartridges at 50 percent off of the retail price (of a new OEM cartridge) and still earning margins of 80 percent. Lyra Research notes the worldwide aftermarket inkjet market share of the total inkjet cartridge market currently stands at 31 percent and is expected to grow to a remarkable 36 percent by 2010.

Follow the money: compare the results of independent research conducted on behalf of the consumer versus research conducted on behalf of the manufacturer.

With roughly 50 percent of the U.S. population never having before purchased an aftermarket cartridge, OEM-sponsored “independent” studies are tacitly designed to sway consumers away from buying these cartridges. The huge upswing in consumer acceptance of aftermarket cartridges is clearly affecting OEM manufacturers as a one percent change in consumer acceptance equates to hundreds of millions of dollars of lost revenue. It looks like the OEMs are not just following, but chasing, the money.

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Hewlett Packard Software Prompts

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Are you or your customers tired of being annoyed by those pesky HP Software Prompts when using refilled cartridges?

Hewlett Packard software prompts given when printing with refilled cartridges can only be disabled when installing the printer’s software by installing the print driver only. Refilled cartridges can be used without issues when all software options are installed but more prompts are given. Selecting the default on all prompts will allow printing with a refilled cartridge.

Customer education is important to limit returns. Let your customers know that they will see extra prompts that they would not normally see when installing a new OEM cartridge and that the ink level prompt will always show empty. Some customers may choose to reinstall their printer’s software using the driver only option outlined below....

Get the full instructions HERE

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Inkjet Print Test Sample Sheet - PDF

Monday, February 01, 2010



Every refilled inkjet cartridge should be print-tested. This helps to not only prime the cartridge but also to confirm that it prints well enough to sell (no streaky printing, color-contamination, poor color-match, etc.)

Click HERE for a PDF that is an excellent general purpose print-test page that can be used for both tri-color and black cartridges.

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ShopTester 200 FAQ

Wednesday, January 06, 2010

What does the ShopTester 200 actually test and measure?
The ShopTester 200 checks for faulty nozzles, measures the resistance, and tests for circuit continuity. The ST200 also has a wide array of other
unique, yet valuable features such as cartridge resetting, cartridge converting, TSR thermo sensor testing,
ink counter deactivating, new cartridge self-learning as well as recognition and production code self-learning.

How do I upgrade my ShopTester 200?
For all ShopTester 200 machines with a USB port, it is possible to download the most recent firmware and update your ST 200 for free. The latest firmware and instructions are available through this link.

How do I check what firmware version my ShopTester 200 is running?
From the main screen of your ST 200, press the "Menu" button. Then select "Device Status" and the firmware version for each module of your ST 200 will be displayed.

What’s causing the electronic damages on cartridge?
Cartridge nozzles and the electronic components fail primarily for two reasons — Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) and nozzle burn-out. ESD occurs when bursts of electricity hit the cartridge print head or circuit strip. Typically, this happens in charged environments and/or handling cartridges when not properly grounded. Burn-out of a nozzle generally occurs when a cartridge prints long periods of time after the ink has run out. The ST 200 displays both the total number of nozzles and those that are bad. The user can determine whether to process the cartridge further if a small percentage of nozzles are not good.

What is a TSR?
The TSR is a thermo sensor that regulates the print head speed on most HP cartridges to prevent them from overheating. The TSR reduces the print speed if the print head temperature increases too much when printing full coverage prints or pictures. A Multi-Function Printers (MFP) may refuse to run a cartridge with a defective TSR. Older printers may run with a defective TSR but this could be problematic. If a cartridge overheats while printing it may print unevenly; therefore cartridges with damaged or defective TSRs should not be used. Typically this affects between 1-3% of the HP electrical defects

What is a recognition code? (RC)
The RC identifies the cartridge model for the printer. It exists on most HP cartridges with an integrated print head (examples: HP 21 or 22, 27 or 28 cartridges). If the RC is defective or not recognized by the ST200, the cartridge recognition can be selected from a list of possible cartridge types and still be tested. Older printers like the HP 5/6/800 printers do not read the RC, so a faulty RC is not a problem. However, a defective or non-recognized RC may generate an error message or may not work on some Multi-Function Printers (MFP). If a common cartridge type is not recognized by the ST200 the RC may be faulty.

What is a production code? (PC)
The Production code (PC) of an inkjet cartridge is essentially the identification or serial # of that specific cartridge. When a cartridge has been refilled and placed into a different printer there are generally no issues. However, most printers save the PC of the last three cartridges that were installed. If the refilled cartridge is placed in the same printer that it was taken out of, the printer may not accept that cartridge (it reads it as empty). In many of the newer printers, if the same cartridge is to be reinstalled into the same printer, the PC should be reset by the ST 200 to resolve the issue. One should be careful as some cartridges do not allow an unlimited number of "resets" and may begin to fail after just a few resets, cartridges should only be reset as necessary.

Are you able to convert all cartridges in other cartridge types?
Some Recognition codes (RCs) can be modified to read as a different cartridge altogether. For example, an HP 27 to a 56 or a
Canon PG 40 to PG 50, etc. Converting from an HP 56 to 21 would be theoretically possible, but makes no
sense as such reprogrammed cartridges cannot be used in ALL printers which need HP 21.

Is the ShopTester 200 able to reset Canon PG cartridges?
The ST 200 can deactivate the ink counter in the Canon PG cartridges, but not reset the counter to FULL.
The advantage of the ink counter switch off is that the cartridge has a defined status after the switch off so that the user just needs to confirm this change by pressing a button on the printer.
The OEM construction of this cartridge does not allow us to reset the ink counter to full.

On the HP 90 / 300 cartridges the tester shows New – Used – Empty what does it mean?
The ST200 displays some cartridges (primarily the HP 9x/3xx series) as follows:
NEW = cartridge is new or was not used in an MFP printer.
USED = cartridge was used in printer, but not printed totally empty.
EMPTY= cartridge was printed totally empty.
Some Multi-Function Printers (MFPs) enter these descriptions into the cartridge by switching off the “0/1 bits”. This could cause an MFP to display that the cartridge can not be used further or the ink level is shown as empty or the MFP may even refuse a cartridge because of an error message. The OEM has modified the code so that this cartridge cannot be reset to new (at this point in time!).

"I have used my Shoptester 200 for two years now and just had the spring break off from my module 3.  I see on your website that the replacement part is $84!  Why so high?"
These parts are a precision-engineered product, they are produced in small quantities, and they are imported Europe... their price is what it is.  One nice thing to note is that the same "Spring Steel Sheet" fixture for module 3 is the same part for slots 5, 8, and 9. 
The SME part # is 710027875 and can be purchased from our e-commerce store at http://www.sme-us.com/store_detail.aspx?id=390

Is there a Shoptester 100 (Pad version) upgrade available that adds new cartridges like the HP 21/22 and additional recognition codes?
Yes, there is an upgrade available for the ST100 machines (Pad version machines). 
This upgrade must be done at the factory in Franklin, TN.
The cost for the upgrade is $170 US plus shipping/handling. 
The machine will be cleaned and upgraded.  Any additional parts like springs or contact pads would be charged extra.
This upgrade will allow to test HP 21 and HP 22 cartridges at the slot #3 and additional recognition codes from the last years.
Please contact Brenda Dwight at bdwight@sme-us.com to coordinate the repair of the equipment.

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Updating ShopTester 200 Firmware

Monday, December 28, 2009


An exciting feature for the ShopTester 200 is that you can download firmware updates to your PC and install them on your ST200 for free. Below is a link to the latest ST200 firmware upgrade tool. You will need to download this file, extract it, and install to program onto a PC. Once it is installed, you will have to connect your Shop Tester to the PC via USB.

1. Download and unzip the installation tool
2. Click Start -> Programs -> Proto FWT -> Tools -> Install USB Driver
3. Click through the USB Driver Installation
4. Connect your tester via USB and turn it on
5. Allow windows to connect to and install new hardware
6. Turn off tester
7. Start Proto firmware Tool and select the devices that need to be updated
8. Turn on tester and verify that it is beeping slowly and black bars are displayed on screen
   
9. Click Update Firmware button while tester is still beeping and displaying black bars
10. Wait for programming to complete
11. Turn off your ST200 and unplug the USB connection
12. Turn your ST200 back on
    

http://www.sme-us.com/downloads/PROTO_FWT_30102009.zip

The current firmware versions are as follows:
DM200: 2.10
SL1-4: 3.22
Slot 5: 2.13
Slot 6: 2.00
Slot 7: 2.00
Slot 8: 2.13
Slot 9: 1.02

There is a very small chance that if an error occurs during the upgrade process that your ShopTester 200 could become unresponsive after the attempted upgrade. Such errors are typically isolated to the ST200 being disconnected during the update process by any of the following means: turning off power, unplugging USB connection, bad USB connection, or PC failure. If such an error should occur, the unit must be sent to SME to perform the upgrade directly. The cost of the direct upgrade is $85 plus shipping & handling.

Feel free to contact our service department at service@sme-us.com if you have any questions.