“50% of a printer’s performance depends on inks”: Epson
Epson is a Japanese company and one of the largest manufacturers in the world of inkjet printers, laser printers, scanners, projectors, and even robots. All this is done on an industrial level, but also at home. It was founded in 2009 in Nagano, Japan, and is now one of the most recognized brands in Colombia.
The Japanese multinational participated in Andicom 2025, and El Espectador, a medium assistant to the most important technological congress in the country, spoke with Roberto Donoso, regional director for Epson in Latin America North, about the presence and importance of Epson in the market for printers and projectors.
What other markets is Epson present in?
The industry in which we have the greatest presence, not only in terms of sales, but also in the social imagination, is the impression, both of home, companies, and points of sale. However, we are also the number one company in projectors, and now we also have a project involving robots for assembly.
How to compete in an increasingly digitized world?
Currently, we are working hard on textile printing. What was done analog until a couple of years ago, we are now doing it digitally. That’s our way of continuing to look for niches of the market in which we continue to have the opportunity to grow with the printing market.
Indeed, the printing of documents is falling, not as fast as many would expect, but product printing remains strong. That’s where Epson continues to compete and remains relevant to the consumer and other companies.
What can you tell us about the projectors segment?
Punctually in the education business, i.e., colleges and universities, Epson continues to deliver the best performance in front of a screened product that emits images. For example, the average size of a classroom requires a projection size of at least 100 inches.
A smaller screen is going to be irrelevant to the students of the posts in the background. That translates into distractions in class and the lesson ending up being effective only for a part of the students.
In addition, in terms of operating costs (energy consumption), at least on screens over 100 inches are much higher in the case of interactive screens or televisions. Even its prices are above those of a projector.
How do you determine the durability of a projector?
Previously, these devices used a lighting lamp source. These needed a rest time between turning on and off. Currently, at least in some product lines, a laser light source is used. This allows longer usage time.
According to figures shared during its conference in Andicom 2025, from March 2021 to March 2022, Epson recorded overall revenue of $2.2 billion. Of that money, $6.7 billion comes from its print segment, and its overall earnings are counted at $795 million, a positive margin of more than 8.5%.
It has more than 75,000 employees in 106 countries, and is currently the leading company in the business of projectors and business printers.
In the middle of the congress, this newspaper was also able to talk to Lucy Prieto, leader of sales and market for the corporate section of Epson in Colombia, about its current state in the industry, its projections for the future, and its after-sales service.
How much do they sell a year, and how does that number behave annually?
We have roughly sales of about $15 million and grow to double digits every year. Our way of reaching the companies interested in our products is through channels, which in the specific case of Colombia are more than 2,000.
Another important factor is our after-sales service. That’s why we accompany, advise, and train the channel where a client acquired, for example, his printer, to be prepared to meet the possible requirements.
On the other hand, our customer service network connects the consumer with authorized customer service centers. These points are distributed by the 32 departments of the country, ensuring full coverage in terms of technical service.
What is the percentage of people applying for after-sales service?
We’re talking about 0.3 to 0.5%. Additionally, this will also depend on the good use given to the team. Again, the best example is printers, as 50% of their proper functioning will depend on the inks they use.
That’s why the customer’s recommendation is that you always use original products. The opportunity to have a generic ink is there, and it is economically tempting, but there is always the possibility that it can completely damage the device.
In that sense, the idea should always be to look for an authorized site for the purchase of the inks. Ensuring that these are original can last the device for many years. Much beyond the three years of warranty that Epson offers from the factory.
