Report from Tiara Group event

Page wide array the hot topic at Tiara event

Leading lights from the imaging industry gathered in Santa Barbara in the first week of June, and of course The Recycler was there too. The reason for the gathering was The Tiara Group’s 24^th Annual Toners & Photoreceptors Seminar. The three day event featured tutorials, seminars, cocktail receptions and dinners – intended to provide the attendees with plenty of opportunities for education and networking.  

The topic on many peoples’ minds was page-wide array and the impact that it may have on the industry. There was speculation on the threat it may pose to the toner market, and the various models such as MemJet and Edgeline were discussed in detail.

Recycler TV filmed the event so watch out for the video to be broadcast on www.therecycler.com soon.  

This year there was a new Panel Session entitled “What Impact will Edgeline and MemJet Technologies have on the Toner Industry?” Tiara Chairman Art Diamond noted that the industry is abuzz with forecasts, predictions and concerns regarding the effect that Silverbrook’s MemJet and Hewlett Packard’s Edgeline and ColorLok inkjet technologies might have on the laser printer market. “These recent advances could displace toner-based machines at every market segment level from the low end to 70+ page per minute devices,” Diamond said. “We deemed it essential to hold a Panel Discussion that explores future scenarios as part of our annual assessment of the state-of-the-art and the state-of-the-business of electrophotography.”     

The panel was moderated by Joy James of the Joy James Group, a management consulting firm that specializes in the printer cartridge market. The panellists were: Graham Galliford, Galliford Consulting, Mr. Anthony D. Nickalls, Coates Toners, Steve Reynolds, Lyra Research, Dr. Brian Springett, Fingerpost Advisers and Steve Weedon, Static Control Components.

The consensus was that it is very early days and too soon to make any reasonable predictions. We will watch this with interest. In the case of MemJet, much will depend on the companies that it partners with to bring the product to market. The expert panel commented that while Memjet may fail and Edgeline may fail, page wide array is expected to be a success.  

Art Diamond pointed out that the recent developments in inkjet technology are only a threat to toner if we assume that the electro-photography market will stand still while inkjet advances – which has not traditionally been the case.

This year the event explored the industry trend to reach out to foreign markets. Tiara’s Chairman Art Diamond said “This year we have engaged