Laser focus

IN CONVERSATION

It's all words and numbers for SAMIR SHAH, country category manager, imaging and printing group, Hewlett-Packard India, as he talks about the Indian market for printers.

The company believes colour laser printers and multifunction products will be crucial in moving business customers away from the monochrome devices that dominate offices currently, as he tells Business Standard

Businesses are cost conscious. Why would they move from cheaper options like inkjets to laser printers?

In India, the bulk of IT penetration happened only in the last 10 years. Printing hardware/solutions was the last thing that enterprises or CXOs were bothered about. This situation has started changing only recently. Robust printing strategies are being discussed to manage costs now.

One might argue that laser printers account for only 26 per cent of the printer market, with the chunk of it still with inkjet, but lasers are the way to go if you intend to stay in business.

In the consumer market, digital photography has largely driven the demand for colour inkjet devices "" coupled with lower prices "" and this would continue.

Just as photographs, colour charts, graphics imaging and the Internet have driven the need to print in colour, the need to get the best quality output in a short time will drive the penetration of laser printers.

How does HP plan to bring about this transition?

HP's initiatives will be part of its three-pronged Go-to-market approach that will work to build and support laser printers, further its penetration in metros, tier I and II cities, and also make laser technology affordable to the consumer.

HP would look to drive the costs of monochrome and colour laser devices down so that enterprises derive maximum return on investment. The company has also launched a series of multifunction devices to empower smaller businesses.

How about promoting lasers in the consumer segment?

We have our eyes on that segment too. To strengthen the consumer support and services infrastructure for entry-level laser printers, HP will set up 300 exchange points in almost 130 cities.

We will also conduct channel training programmes across 60 cities over the next three months to touch base with 2,000 resellers nationwide.