The SpencerLab Digital Color laboratory is excited to announce the release of a white paper summarizing the results of a comparative study of Reliability, Print Quality, and Yield in the context of the mail addressing industry. The white paper is available for free download from the SpencerLab web site, http://www.spencerlab.com/.

For a fast-paced, schedule-driven mail addressing environment, reliability and consistency are very important. If either should decline, so does shop productivity and profitability. SpencerLab looked at these factors in an HP commissioned study, of HP thermal inkjet (TIJ) 2.5 industrial [OEM] print cartridges and lower priced refilled print cartridges to determine if refilled cartridges really are cheaper for mail addressing.

In an effort to provide the framework for establishing an industry standard for the testing of TIJ addressing system cartridge reliability, SpencerLab established methodology and a set of proprietary test files. Factoring in both the nuances and the limitations of the hardware and the consumables of this market, SpencerLab developed tests of Reliability [Dead-on-Arrival (DOA), Early Failures (EF)], Print Quality, and Cartridge Yield for TIJ cartridges.

The evaluated elements are crucial to the mail addressing industry in terms of downtime, waste, customer satisfaction, and profitability. DOA and EF cartridges can greatly affect the overall cost of supplies and shop productivity. There are significant extra labor and supply costs required with the verification of print job accuracy and in replacement of illegible or misprinted materials. Unanticipated and unpredictable Print Quality consistency problems propel these costs. Additionally, USPS fines may be incurred due to sub-par printing. Cartridge Yield, specifically, inconsistent Yield from cartridge to cartridge, can affect inventory management, cartridge re-ordering, and end-piece pricing (hence net profits.)

Vice President of Operations and Director of SpencerLab Catherine Fiasconaro said ''Mail addressing houses are cost-driven. In this instance, refilled ink cartridges provided less production time with more dead-on-arrival cartridges and early failures occurring. Our testing of OEM and refilled TIJ 2.5 industrial cartridges showed the true cost effectiveness.''

SpencerLab testing included both bulk and standard-size cartridges and all were tested on the same Kirk-Rudy mail addressing system. Multiple SKUs of the HP OEM and refilled cartridges were obtained from a number of sources, as detailed in the white paper.