Next Lyra Webcast: Will Low-Cost Epson and HP Ink Jet Cartridges in China Lead to a Consumables Pricing Meltdown?

Newton, MA (PRWeb) January 15, 2007 -- Lyra Research, the digital imaging authority, will host a live Webcast called "Breaking the Model: Will Chinese Consumers Force Printer OEMs to Give Up Their Razors and Blades?" on Tuesday, January 16, at 2 p.m. eastern standard time (7 p.m. or 19:00 UTC). For more than a decade, the printer industry has counted on a lucrative combination of low-cost hardware that draws in buyers and high-priced supplies that deliver some of the best margins of any business. But now printer manufacturers are running head-on into cost-conscious Chinese consumers who just say no to expensive cartridges. Visit www.lyra.com to sign up for this event today.

HP has responded with its Simple Black cartridge line, which delivers inferior print quality for a lower price. Epson has now gone one big step further and made low-cost cartridges the centerpiece of its (PRWeb) January 15, 2007 -- Chinese consumer printer marketing strategy. Charles LeCompte, Lyra president, asks, "Will this strategy work to increase printer hardware sales in China? What does it mean for the Chinese market, the global market, and your business? If this strategy succeeds, competitors will have no choice but to follow, and not just in China, but around the world. Is there a consumables pricing armageddon ahead? Are the days of the profitable 'razor-and-blades' selling model numbered?"

Join Lyra's Charles LeCompte and Jiqiang Rong, director of primary research, for this free Webcast on Tuesday, January 16, at 2 p.m. eastern standard time. Find out how Epson's strategy might impact the rest of the imaging industry. Whether you work for a printer OEM or an aftermarket supplies vendor, this live Webcast is an event you must attend. Register now at www.lyra.com.

Lyra will publish a report analyzing these dramatic trends in the Chinese market to coincide with the Webcast. The report, also titled Breaking the Model: Will Chinese Consumers Force Printer OEMs to Give Up Their Razors and Blades?, contains much more in-depth information than will be available in the Webcast. The report will sell for $2,500, and live Webcast attendees will be eligible for a 10 percent discount, or a $250 savings. For more information or to order the report, call Sandy Tobin at 1-617-454-2612, or visit www.lyra.com and go to "Industry Reports."

How to Register for this Webcast
To attend the free, live Webcast, visit www.lyra.com and click on the Webcast banner to preregister. Strong early registrations have confirmed the industry interest in this event. Lyra encourages companies to organize group meetings to view this Webcast. If you are unable to attend the live event, a Web archive will be available after the event at www.lyra.com.

About Lyra Research's Webcasts
Lyra Research's Webcasts allow you to attend industry veterans' engaging presentations on the digital imaging industry's hot-button topics without leaving your office. Lyra's Webcasts offer imaging industry executives, marketers, and analysts an accessible and informal resource for insight and useful data points on timely issues in the hard copy hardware and supplies industries. Attendees need only an Internet connection and browser and audio capability. No special software is required.

Jiqiang Rong to Deliver Presentation on the Chinese Market at the 2007 Lyra Imaging Symposium
Lyra's Jiqiang Rong will present primary research findings and analysis about the domestic Chinese printing market at the 2007 Lyra Imaging Symposium, which will take place January 29-31 in Rancho Mirage, CA. On January 30, 2007, Rong will deliver "An Olympic Feat: Selling China," a presentation that focuses on Chinese consumers' and business users' adoption and use of printer hardware, printer supplies, and digital photography. The presentation is based on surveys of consumers and business users in China taken from Lyra's China Market Advisory Service (CMAS) (http://www.lyra.com/lh3m.nsf/AdvisoryServices/CMAS).

At the Symposium, Arnald Ho, managing director of Print-Rite Holdings, will deliver the keynote speech for the "Home and Office Digital Imaging Supplies" segment. His presentation is called "The China Question: Exploring the Future of the Chinese Consumables Market." For more information on the Lyra Imaging Symposium and to see the event's complete agenda, visit www.lyra.com.

Lyra Research: The Digital Imaging Authority
Lyra Research collaborates with imaging industry decision-makers worldwide, enabling clients to strengthen their market position and achieve profitable growth. Lyra's expert analysts and editors help clients devise and implement creative solutions to business challenges, arming them with competitive intelligence, strategic and tactical advice, news and analysis, and market forecasts.

Since 1991, Lyra's custom research and consulting, advisory services, award-winning journals, and innovative events have set the standard for analysis of imaging hardware, consumables, and digital photography markets.

Visit www.lyra.com to learn more about how Lyra can be your strategic business partner.

Related Companies
Companies mentioned in this press release include Epson and HP (Hewlett-Packard).

CONTACT:
Andre Rebelo
Marketing Manager
Lyra Research, Inc.
1-617-454-2658
arebelo AT lyra DOT com

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