ECOSYS - UNIQUE KYOCERA TECHNOLOGY

We face global environmental problems in which each person is required to act responsibly on a local scale. It was natural that in 1992 KYOCERA, a company founded in 1959 with its continuing mission of combining IT development, innovation and ecology, would become the first worldwide to develop a cartridge-free system for laser printers. Our ECOSYS technology has a direct and wide ranging impact on ecology. ECOSYS technology uses e.g. a patented amorphous silicon print drum and other long-life components, and as a result, requires only one consumable - the toner itself, no expensive cartridge system. However, ECOSYS is more than just mechanics, it is a principle considered from a concept. In developing printers, the three factors that we focus on are:

ECOnomy
ECOlogy
SYStem Printing

ECOnomy

Our technology is not only competitively priced, but will cost even less to operate.

Lower running costs
The Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of KYOCERA MITA's ECOSYS devices is invariably the lowest in their class. TCO includes all costs: direct, such as the purchase price and operating costs per page and indirect, including maintenance, replacement of consumable products such cartridges, use of print media, administration of the machine and the costs of energy to power it. In organisations where a lot of material is printed or copied the cost of consumables can rise dramatically, particularly where relatively expensive cartridges containing the drum, developer and toner has to be thrown away and replaced frequently. KYOCERA's ECOSYS technology significantly reduces these costs: cartridge-free printing means no replacement.

ECOlogy

Highly efficient use of energy, resulting less pollution and waste of resources.

Long-life components
KYOCERA's expertise in the ceramics industry was the catalyst for the first amorphous silicon printer drum with a surface that is second only to diamond hardness. This has been further developed so that printers can be expected to have a very high workload. Tiny ceramic particles embedded in KYOCERA's 'Ecotone' toner continually polish and recondition the drum during normal printing. The drum is guaranteed to last for up to 500.000 pages or three years, while our competitor's lower volume products have drums guaranteed for only up to 100,000 pages. The hard-wearing ECOSYS drum introduces new levels of paper handling - sheets up to 250 gs/m2 will pass through without affecting the drum. Sizes can be altered using different paper trays and there is also the facility to customise the paper size and type, as well as use a manual paper feed.

Conventional printers use an imaging cartridge which contains drum, developer and toner into a single, disposable unit. When the toner has depleted, the entire cartridge must be disposed of and replaced with a new unit at a significant cost to the user. In all KYOCERA MITA models, the drum is separate from the toner. That is why with KYOCERA MITA there is no need to replace everything; only the toner. KYOCERA MITA's toner kit also has the added benefit of lasting up to 40,000 A4 pages (5% coverage). The result is that KYOCERA MITA's ECOSYS printers create less waste than any other competitive product, while having the lowest comparable cost per print.

SYStem Printing

Providing the very high productivity and output quality demanded by users worldwide.

Modularity and functionality
A printer is usually selected on the amount or type of work required at the moment of purchase, but what happens when the business grows or tasks change? With KYOCERA MITA ECOSYS products a wide range of paper trays and functions can be added, along with several document output options. KYOCERA MITA ECOSYS printers and copiers will easily handle paper and card, self-adhesive labels, overhead projection transparencies, and envelopes.This means that the initial investment in a long life, reliable document management system remains valid and secure, along with all the advantages that were reasons for the original purchase. Upgrades are also available with several KYOCERA MITA devices so that even the engine-speed can be enhanced, maximising the long term benefit of the investment, especially as the operator's business grows. Technological progress means that computer environments and networks are advancing all the time: a printer that operates within all recognised networks is vital to ensure that it does not get left behind and becomes redundant.

Honors and Awards 
KYOCERA MITA's ECOSYS printers have been recognized around the world for their innovative technology and environmental friendliness. Competitive manufacturers may claim that recycling is the way forward, but the fact is that designing a product which significantly reduces the need to recycle is the real alternative, and that is where KYOCERA MITA stands head and shoulders above the competition. ECOSYS is not a bolt-on addition; it is - and always has been - at the heart of the design and development. Ever since the birth of ECOSYS KYOCERA MITA has been developing the technology for a colour ECOSYS device and 2003 saw the launch of the first A4 colour ECOSYS printer - the FS-C5016N.