"Mainly we found consumers are really interested in all in one products. It's a great deal for the money you pay. You get a printer, scanner, copier, all in one. That's why you'll see most of our line up today is focused in the all in one realm."
Why the increased interest?
"The price of scanners has come down tremendously and also the actual quality that you can get in an all in one product has dramatically increased. Whereas before, five to six years ago, you wouldn't want an all in one product because you could buy a better scanner separately, a better printer separately, and a better copier. Now everything is much better spec-wise to where the scanners included in these products are just as good as any scanner up to maybe 200 dollars that you would get stand alone."
And Lexmark is introducing new models at lower prices. The X1185…for instance…that includes a flat bed scanner…will sell for 79 dollars. Even the high end X4270…with stand alone faxing capability…is priced at 129 dollars. Lexmark and its rivals count on consumables…another word for ink jet cartridges…to make money. Replacement cartridges can typically sell for thirty dollars or more and are more profitable than the printers themselves. Even the USB cable to connect to your computer is now sold separately. Bloomberg Boot Camp, I'm Fred Fishkin.