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Ink Jet Printer Segment Definition TThe ink jet printer segment includes units that employ ink jet technology and feature only printing functions. These units are designed strictly for home and office use. All have interfaces for PC connections, and many have card slots or a PictBridge interface for direct photo printing. While products in this segment are predominantly A4/A-size devices with an 8-inch print line, the segment also includes A6 (4-inch) photo printers and A3/B-sized units with 11-inch print lines. The following are subsegments in the ink jet printer market: General Purpose A4 Ink Jet Printers Products in this segment of the market are basic printers designed to produce a wide variety of output on paper up to standard size A4 or A-sized letter paper. These are printers that have standard 4-color (cyan, magenta, yellow and black -- so called CMYK) standard, though there may be an optional photo cartridge available. Prices range from as low as $29 for basic consumer models to $199 for units designed for offices. While these printers can print very good photos, as four-color devices, they are considered general purpose for a wide range of output.. Representative products include Canon’s PIXMA iP1600; Dell’s J740; Epson’s Stylus Color C88; HP’s DeskJet 3940C and Officejet Pro K5400 ; and Lexmark’s Z611 Color Jetprinter and Z735 Color Jetprinter. General Purpose A3 Ink Jet Printers Products in this segment are aimed at users who have need for larger format output, up to 13 x 19 inches, for applications such as graphics, CAD, and signage. Like the A4 size products, they are capable of printing good quality photos, but are designed for a wide range of applicatiosn. Representative printers in this segment include Epson’s Stylus Color 1520 and 1160, Canon’s BIJ 2300, HP's OfficeJet K850 and Business Ink Jet 2800. Photo-Specialty A4 Ink Jet Printers Ink jet printers in this category are marketed for their photo printing capabilities. They are typically designed for optimal photo printing but also perform well as general-purpose printers. Many of the printers in this category include a smart media slot, which is used for loading pictures directly from a digital camera, and additional front-panel functionality to handle direct-print capabilities.The maximum page size is 8-1/2 x 11 inches. Prices in this category range from $79 to $399, though most fall into the $199 to $399 range. Representative products include Canon’s PIXMA 2000 and 600D; Epson’s, Stylus Photo products; HP’s PhotoSmart line; and Lexmark’s Color Jetprinter. Photo-Specialty A3 Ink Jet Printers These units are similar in functionality to the A4 products, but can accomodate output up to 13 x 19 inches in size. While these printers typically have 6-colors CMYK plus a light cyan and light magenta, there are some units with additional colors such as green, blue, or multiple blacks, to improve certain photo characteristics. Products in this category include Epson's h Stylus Photo 1400, HP's Photosmart B9180, 8750, and B8350, as Canon's Pixma Pro 9000 and 9500. Photo-Specialty A6 Ink Jet Printers Prodiucts in this category are small format printers that are designed specifically to print small format photos. The standard size for most of these printers is 4 x 6 inches,
though there are some that will print as large as 5 x 7 inches. While these printers do have interfaces to connect to a computer, they are frequently used standalone through built-in card slots. Products include Epson's Picturemate line, HP's
