Xerox on Wednesday said it plans to begin U.S. production next year of a new printing toner that requires less heat to seal to a page, which means the company can offer business and consumer printers that use less energy.

Called Ultra Low-Melt EA Toner, the product can cut overall power consumption of digital printing devices by as much as 30%. That's because 50% to 80% of a printer's total power use goes to generating the necessary heat to fuse the toner to the page.

The new low-melt toner can be fused to the page at temperatures as much as 45 degrees Fahrenheit less than toner currently being used in Xerox products, while producing the same image quality, according to Xerox.

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If you recently received a Canon printer rebate check and live in the United States, you may want to hold on to it for a few days.

According to DPReview.com, Canon has announced that the company that handles Canon’s printer rebate programs –Continental Promotion Group - has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Canon has asked that U.S. consumers with a printer rebate check dated before Nov. 14th to hold off on cashing it, in fear that it may bounce. The company would also like consumers planning on sending in rebate forms to wait for further information on the status of the rebate program.

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Japan's Canon Inc said on Tuesday it will delay the construction of a $1 billion toner cartridge components plant in Japan by six months as the global downturn hits sales and usage of office equipment.

Canon, which competes with Xerox Corp , Ricoh Co Ltd and Konica Minolta Holdings Inc in copiers and printers, now plans to start building the plant in western Japan in June 2009 with production due from March 2010.

A Canon spokesman said, however, its plan to spend 60 billion yen ($621 million) or more to build a toner cartridge plant in the U.S. state of Virginia and start output there in December 2009 remains on track.

Consumable items such as toners and related services are an important source of profit for office equipment makers as they generally fetch high margins and provide a constant revenue stream.

Canon, the world's largest digital camera maker ahead of Sony Corp, last month cut its annual outlook, predicting its first profit decline in nine years as the economic slowdown drives up the yen and hurts copier and camera sales.

Shares in Canon were down 2.9 percent at 2,850 yen in afternoon trade, underperforming the Nikkei average .N225, which was down 2.1 percent.

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We love a good error message here at Troubleshooter. From that all-time classic, "this program has performed an illegal operation" to the minimalist beauty of "404: file not found", we believe there is a poetic elegance in these little missives that often goes unappreciated.

Thus, when Patricia Green told us her printer recently announced it had encountered error number 1700 (surely there can't be that many?) and that its "waste ink absorber" was almost full, we were intrigued. Who even knew there was such a thing as a waste ink absorber?

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HP today announced that it has resolved the dispute and dismissed a patent infringement lawsuit against Florida-based LexJet Corporation and LexJet Southern California, LLC, regarding inks used in certain remanufactured HP large-format ink cartridges.

On May 22, 2008, HP filed a lawsuit against LexJet in the U.S. Federal Court for the Northern District of California.

HP and the ink manufacturer supplying ink to LexJet have developed a solution to avoid legal action. LexJet's ink manufacturer has agreed to reformulate the inks in question and pay HP an undisclosed amount of money.
"HP is pleased to have resolved this matter quickly, and we remain committed to vigorously protecting our investment in intellectual property," said Stephen Nigro, senior vice president, Inkjet and Web Services Business, Imaging and Printing Group, HP. "As part of HP's ongoing worldwide testing and enforcement efforts, we will continue to monitor LexJet and others for possible patent infringement."

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Both companies and consumers are focusing more and more on being environmentally-friendly, keep electronics out of landfills, and recycle components that can be recycled and re-used. HP is known for its ink and toner recycling program, and the company is now taking its efforts one step further by joining forces with Staples Business Depot to create retail drop-off locations.

As part of the pilot program, consumers can return used HP ink cartridges and LaserJet toner cartridges to more than 300 Staples stores across Canada. Once returned, the cartridges will be recycled through HPs own recycling facility, and will thus be diverted from landfills.

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Xerox Corp. has announced plans to shut down its toner manufacturing operation in Oklahoma City and eliminate about 100 jobs by the end of the year.

The plant will continue producing raw materials for mono and color toners and parts for other Xerox products.

The plant has about 170 employees.

Xerox spokesman Bill McKee says the downsizing is part of a companywide restructuring plan announced 10 days ago that will eliminate 3,000 jobs worldwide.

McKee says the need for the traditional black toner produced in Oklahoma City has decreased as more customers turn to color printing and new equipment uses different toners.

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You've probably had this experience: Your printer tells you it's time to change the cartridge, but you dismiss the message and keep printing. Days or weeks later, you're still using the same cartridge and thinking to yourself that rumors of its death were greatly exaggerated.

Or perhaps your printer simply shuts down when it decides you've gone deep enough into its ink well, refusing to operate until you replace the cartridge, though you suspect there's plenty of ink left.

PC World decided to do some real lab testing on this issue; and the results confirm what you may have suspected: Many manufacturer-branded (OEM) and third-party (aftermarket) vendor cartridges leave a startling amount of ink unused when they read empty. In fact, some inkjet printers force users to replace black ink cartridges when the cartridge is nearly half full, PC World has found.

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No matter how digital our lives become, printers remain essential in any office and convenient at home for schoolwork, maps, fliers, and photos. PC World tests and reviews three types of printers — inkjets, color lasers, and snapshot models — on an ongoing basis. We also regularly test multifunction printers, both inkjet and laser. No matter which kind of printer you're looking for, here's the information you need to make a well-informed purchase.

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IKON Office Solutions, the world's largest independent channel for document management systems and services, today announced that it has commenced a cash tender offer to purchase any and all of its 7.75% notes due 2015 (the "Notes"). In connection with the tender offer, the Company is also soliciting consents to effect certain proposed amendments to the indenture governing the Notes. The tender offer is scheduled to expire at midnight, New York City time, on November 26, 2008, unless terminated or extended. The consent payment deadline is 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on November 12, 2008, unless extended. The tender offer and consent solicitation are being made pursuant to an Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement dated October 29, 2008, and a related Letter of Transmittal, which more fully set forth the terms and conditions of the tender offer and consent solicitation.

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