Danvers, MA – RISO, Inc., a leader in digital printing technology, today announced the results of a recent INTERQUEST SURVEY that compared the response rates of post cards printed with electrophotographic (EP) and inkjet printing technology. The study was underwritten by RISO, but was conducted entirely by INTERQUEST, a leading market research firm centered on digital printing and publishing.

A total of 10,585 direct mail postcards were mailed to marketing executives in a variety of industries, including financial services, healthcare, banking, and manufacturing. Approximately half of the postcards were printed on a RISO full-color inkjet printer on non-gloss card stock and the other half were printed on a full-color toner-based (EP) production color printer on high-gloss card stock. The post cards offered recipients an Amazon.com gift certificate for responding to a brief online survey related to direct mail marketing.

When the responses were tabulated, INTERQUEST determined that the toner-produced postcards generated just 4% more responses (or 0.03% higher response rate) than the inkjet-produced postcards – a difference that is generally considered statistically insignificant. The study also showed that, while response rates for postcards printed by color inkjet and electrophotographic printers were nearly identical, the cost per lead generated from the inkjet-produced postcards was 62% lower than the leads generated from the EP-produced postcard.

"RISO was completely hands off in the execution and analysis of this study," said Gilles Biscos, founder and president of INTERQUEST. "We selected the respondents, segmented the lists, contracted the printing and mailing, tabulated and analyzed the results. This was important for us in maintaining our credibility as a trusted source for the entire industry, and important to them in being able to cite an objective study. RISO is to be commended for the way they approached this study, which we hope helps advance a better understanding of direct marketing."

Respondents were also asked questions about direct mail and marketing, including preferences for color or monochrome printing, paper selection, and other ROI-based factors. INTERQUEST wrote a white paper on the study and its contents will be discussed in an upcoming WhatTheyThink.com webinar on March 24, 2010.

"This INTERQUEST survey helps dispel the myth that higher priced high-gloss printing always generates better response rates," commented David Murphy, RISO's Vice President of Marketing. "People seem to respond to a quality offer that is printed in color, whether with toner or inkjet. With ComColor's inkjet operating costs about 62% less than toner-based printing, marketers are empowered to send more direct mail to a larger target audience without spending more money. Clearly, this ultimately results in more profit."

RISO's ComColor high-speed inkjet printers produce up to 150 color variable data pages per minute with a duty cycle of 500,000 pages per month. With color operating costs averaging 2-3 cents per page, ideal applications include transactional statements, direct mail, book printing, and low-cost marketing collateral. RISO's ComColor 9050 is the fastest cut-sheet full-color inkjet printer in the world.