Page Yield / Ink Cartridge Reliability Comparison Study for Australia

Transcription

1 Page Yield / Ink Cartridge Reliability Comparison Study for Australia Original Hewlett-Packard Inkjet Cartridges vs. Refilled Cartridges & Remanufactured Cartridges November 2011 For Distribution in Australia Laboratory: TÜV SÜD PSB Pte. Ltd. No.1 Science Park Drive Singapore Phone : Fax : testing@tuv-sud-psb.sg Co. Reg : R Regional Head Office: TÜV SÜD Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. 3 Science Park Drive, #04-01/05 The Franklin, Singapore Page 1 of 13

2 Executive Summary In April 2011, TÜV SÜD PSB Pte Ltd (hereinafter referred to as TÜV SÜD PSB ) was commissioned by Hewlett-Packard Singapore (Private) Limited to conduct a page yield / reliability comparative study on original HP inkjet cartridges, refilled inkjet cartridges and remanufactured inkjet cartridges that were used in HP Deskjet 930C, HP Deskjet 5650, HP Deskjet F2280, HP Deskjet F2480 printers for distribution in Australia. The test methodology and analysis were based on statement of work issued by our client. The study was designed to evaluate the page yield and reliability of original HP inkjet cartridges versus refilled inkjet cartridges and remanufactured inkjet cartridges. All the cartridges procured in Australia were the leading brands in the refill and remanufacture categories. The following were observed during this study: Page Yield - On average, original HP inkjet printer cartridges produces 120% more pages compared to pages produced by refilled and remanufactured cartridges sampled from Australia. Cartridge Reliability - On average, the number of refilled and remanufactured cartridges tested and identified with Dead-on-Arrival (DOA) or Premature Failures (PF) was 63.3%, whereas 0.0% of original HP inkjet print cartridges tested failed prematurely. In conclusion, the study shows that original HP inkjet cartridges perform better than the refilled and remanufactured inkjet cartridges, in terms of both page yield and reliability. Page 2 of 13

3 Detailed Results 1. Page Yield From the results of the study, on average, original HP inkjet print cartridges produces 120% more pages compared to pages produced by refilled and remanufactured cartridges sampled from Australia. The Table 1 and Chart 1 below show the page yield of the combined average (%) of original HP cartridges versus combined average (%) of refilled and remanufactured inkjet cartridges. Cartridge Type Brand Number of Cartridges Tested Average % more pages HP HP 72 N.A Refilled Cartridges Brand A % Remanufactured Cartridges Brand B % Overall average % more pages for HP over refilled / remanufactured cartridges 120.0% Table 1: HP/After Market Page Yield Percentage of (HP / Refilled & Remanufactured) 130.0% 120.0% 110.0% 100.0% 90.0% 80.0% 70.0% 60.0% 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% 20.0% 10.0% 0.0% Average % Page Yield for HP over Refilled / Remanufactured Cartridges 118.8% 121.2% 120.0% Brand A Brand B Overall Average % more pages for HP in Australia Average % more pages Chart 1: HP / After Market Page Yield Page 3 of 13

4 Detailed Results cont d 2. Cartridge Reliability From the results of the study, 63.3% of the refilled and remanufactured cartridges tested were found either Dead-on-Arrival* (DOA) or had Premature Failure (PF), whereas none of Original HP cartridges tested were found either Dead-on-Arrival* (DOA) or had Premature Failure (PF). Problematic Cartridges are the sum of cartridges found to be Dead-on-Arrival* (DOA) and those that had Premature Failure (PF). The total number of Problem Cartridges were lastly compared with the total number of cartridges tested in the study so as to obtain the percentage for the overall cartridge reliability for the study. The Table 2 below shows the reliability study of the total number of Problematic Cartridges versus the total number of tested cartridges. Chart 2 presents the overall percentage of refilled and remanufactured versus Original HP cartridges. * Please refer to Appendix 2 on page 8 to 13 for the terms and definitions. Cartridge Type Number of cartridge tested Dead on Arrival Premature failure Total problem cartridges No. % No. % No. % HP % 0 0.0% 0 0.0% Brand A % % % Brand B % % % Total for refilled / reman cartridges % % % Table 2: Cartridges Reliability Chart 2: Percentage of Dead-on-Arrival (DOA) and Premature Failures (PF) Page 4 of 13

5 Appendix 1: Methodology of Study A 1.1 Test Items The printers and inkjet cartridges selected for the study were as follows: Printer Model Black Print Cartridge Color Print Cartridge HP Deskjet 930C HP 45 HP 78 ( 51645AA) (C6578AA) HP Deskjet 5650 HP 56 HP 57 (C6656AA) (C6657AA) HP Deskjet F2280 HP 21 HP 22 (C9351CA) (C9352CA) HP Deskjet F2480 HP 60K HP 60C (CC641WA) (CC644WA) 15 HP Deskjet 930C printers, 8 HP Deskjet 5650 printers, 8 HP Deskjet F2280 printers and 10 HP Deskjet F2480 printers were used to print and test 72 original HP inkjet cartridges and 289 refilled inkjet cartridges. A4-sized papers of size 210 x 297mm and 80g/m² were used for all printings in this study. View of printers and setup View of HP Print Cartrridges A 1.2 Procurement of test items TÜV SÜD PSB procured all printers, paper, original HP and remanufactured inkjet cartridges through standard retail channels. Refilling of inkjet cartridges were done by respective officers in Australia. The refilled/remanufactured brands used for this study were selected by our client. All the cartridges tested in the study were procured by TÜV SÜD officers. For refilled cartridges tested, approximately 55.5%, 33.3% and 11.1% of the test data are based on cartridges refilled once, twice and thrice respectively Page 5 of 13

6 Appendix 1: Study Methodology cont d A 1.3 Test parameters and conditions Printing was performed in continuous mode in an office controlled environment of 23±2 C and 60±10% relativity humidity (RH). The 5-page test suites obtained from ISO were used for this study. The test pages were as follows: Page 1 Business Letter Page 2 Slide Page 3 Newsletter Page 4 Spreadsheet Page 5 Diagnostic Page A 1.4 Transportation of test cartridges to and from test facility Cartridges were placed in air tight plastic bags and shipped via air shipment in air-tight glass containers to the respective cities for refilling. These glass containers are packed well and protected in shipment boxes by professionals. This is to prevent any transportation-induced failures. The glass containers are pressure tested at 15000ft before test commencement to simulate similar conditions during air shipment. A 1.5 PCs and printers settings Computers used in this project were operating with Microsoft s Windows XP Operating System and Adobe Reader version 9.3.4, along with respective printer drivers for HP 930C Deskjet printers, HP 5650 Deskjet Printers, HP F2280 Deskjet printers and HP F2480 Deskjet printers. Plain Paper media type setting was selected and the default print mode was used. Image and print quality modifiers were set to Normal. Auto Media detection, user selectable ink conservation modes, page modifiers Fit to page and Font Substitution were disabled. Page 6 of 13

7 Appendix 1: Study Methodology cont d A 1.6 Testing process Each cartridge was visually inspected for leaks and other damage prior to test commencement. Printing was performed until at least nine (9) black and nine (9) colour cartridges per city reached end-of-life. Both black and color cartridges were tested in parallel at any one time; when either one of the cartridges has depleted first, a rider cartridge was used to complete printing for the remaining cartridge-in-test ; all results and effects of these rider cartridges were ignored in the test. The cartridges which had reached end-of-life were sent for refilling. The cartridges which were once refilled and had passed the Page Yield test were reused for the 2nd refilling. Correspondingly, the twice-refilled test cartridges which have passed the Page Yield test were reused for the 3rd refilling. For each of the refilling stages, the test cartridges were refilled within the same chain. In an event empty cartridges cannot be successfully refilled and were substituted with another pre-refilled or alternative cartridge by the refill store vendor, such substitute or replacement was not used for test. In order for the results obtained to be statistically significant and valid, a minimum of 9 black and 9 color cartridges were successfully printed to end-of-life due to fade*. * Please refer to Appendix 2 on page 9 of 13 for the terms and definitions. Page 7 of 13

8 Appendix 2: Terms and Definitions Terminology used in study Definition 1. Dead On Arrival (DOA) A condition determined by one of three mechanisms: Cartridge found to have substantial leakage (as defined below) at start or during testing. 10 or less pages printed by a cartridge. Color mix (as defined below) has occurred and incorrect colors printed on 10 consecutive pages color cartridge failure mechanism only. 2. Premature Failure A cartridge that has a page yield of less than 75% of the HP original print cartridge published page yield. 3. Substantial ink leakage - Ink visibly spilled in the plastic bag containing the cartridge. - Ink visibly spilled in the interior of the cartridge packaging. - Ink visibly spilled over the print head nozzles. Actual examples of substantial ink leakage taken during the study Page 8 of 13

9 Appendix 2 : Terms and Definitions cont d 4. End of Life (EOL) A condition determined by one of three mechanisms: 1. Fade has occurred on the diagnostic page. 2. Streak removal procedure steps have been exhausted. 3 Cartridge is Dead-on-Arrival (DOA). 5. Fade A significant decrease in density on the bands or blocks of the last page in the test page suite, which is a diagnostic page. This decrease in density does not have to occur completely across the page to be considered fade. For a comparison to determine if fade is occurring, reference is made to the 10 th pages printed by that printer. Example Of Color Fade Example Of Black Fade Page 9 of 13

10 Appendix 2 : Terms and Definitions cont d 6. Streaks Very thin lines of color or the lack of color where it should be, in the blocks surrounding the edge of the diagnostic page. Streaks differ from fade in the width and severity of the reduction in density. Streaks can appear due to a number of reasons, including thermal issues and clogged nozzles. Example of Color Streaks Example of Black Streaks 7. Streak Removal Procedures This is the cartridge cleaning procedure (servicing) used to restore print performance. If streaks are observed on three consecutive diagnostic pages, a streak removal procedure should be implemented. Streak removal operations should be conducted according to the HP printer manual documentation. If there were additional cleaning steps advised for the non-hp cartridges, they were included within the cleaning process. If the cleaning operation had the option of multiple cleaning strengths, the procedure indicted in the printer manual for resolving streaking should be followed. Use of a light and strong cleaning procedure counts as one cartridge cleaning operation. Cleaning is verified by reprinting the diagnostic page. If streaks are still present, the clean procedure is repeated. Any pages printed during the cleaning operation are not counted in the yield calculation. Due to the significant amount of ink that is used for cleaning, the maximum permissible number of times that the streak removal operation can be used on a given cartridge is three times. Cartridges which require a fourth service are considered to be at End of Life. Page 10 of 13

11 Appendix 2 : Terms and Definitions cont d 8. Individual Cartridge Yield Individual cartridge yield is calculated by counting the number of diagnostic plots printed between cartridge installation and end of life, then multiplying the number by five. The diagnostic page is the last plot printed in the test suite. 9. Average Cartridge Page Yield Average cartridge yield for a given cartridge type Where x i is the individual cartridge yield. n is the sample size i.e. (cartridges tested), including cartridges identified as Dead-on-Arrival and premature failure as defined earlier. 10. Color Mix Defined as a color cartridge that cannot print the correct Cyan, Magenta and Yellow colors as shown on the diagnostic page, page 5 of the page yield test suite. Ink has mixed in an unintended manner inside the cartridge and has caused a discoloring of the ink. An example of Color Mix is provided below. Compare the colored blocks in the correct example to those of the color mix page. Good Diagnostic Page View of printouts with color mixes Page 11 of 13

12 Appendix 2 : Terms and Definitions cont d 11. Test Page Suite A series of five pages that are printed consecutively in order as a single job, ending with a diagnostic page (ISO 24712). 12. Problematic Cartridges Cartridges identified as dead-on-arrival and cartridges identified as premature failures (as defined above). 13. Average % More Pages Percent More Pages is calculated for each cartridge type of each model: 100 x [(HP page yield Refilled Page Yield) /Refilled Page Yield]. Percent more pages, for each of the models are averaged together to create the Average % more Pages for HP vs. each cartridge type. Average % More Pages for HP versus each of the cartridge types are then derived by further averaging both values. Page 12 of 13

13 For Distribution in Australia This Report is issued under the following conditions: 1. This summary contains only technical results. TÜV SÜD PSB gives no professional opinion and recommendations expressed thereupon. 2. This report applies to the sample of the specific product/equipment given at the time of its testing/calibration. The results are not used to indicate or imply that they are applicable to other similar items. In addition, such results must not be used to indicate or imply that TÜV SÜD PSB approves, recommends or endorses the manufacturer, supplier or user of such product/equipment, or that TÜV SÜD PSB in any way guarantees the later performance of the product/equipment. 3. The sample/s mentioned in this report is/are procured by TÜV SÜD PSB. However, TÜV SÜD PSB therefore assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of information on the brand name, model number, origin of manufacture, consignment or any information supplied. 4. Nothing in this report shall be interpreted to mean that TÜV SÜD PSB has verified or ascertained any endorsement or marks from any other testing authority or bodies that may be found on that sample. 5. Unless otherwise stated, the tests are carried out in TÜV SÜD PSB Pte Ltd, No.1 Science Park Drive Singapore Page 13 of 13