Peter Grootenhuis chooses WorkForce Pro WP-M4595 DNF

At GP Peter Grootenhuis’ group practice (Hoorn, North Holland), style plays an important role as well as healthcare. When their laser printer needed to be replaced, the cost was not the only consideration.

Grootenhuis said: "The Epson WorkForce Pro WP-4595 DNF is sleek and compact. Our printer is in a central position behind the counter and is one of the first things people see. It turns out that laser printers also release pollutant particles, known as toner dust, into the air – this is not appropriate at a doctor's surgery. When I saw the Epson inkjet and heard that the performance was comparable to a laser printer, it was an easy decision."

Perfect for the GP’s practice

"Our printer is in a very specific environment, with specific demands. There are three different GP practices under one roof here, so it makes sense for us to purchase this kind of equipment together. It is the central printer for the whole practice and everyone can connect through the network to use it for printing, copying or faxing. We use the Medicom GP information system and one of the requirements of our new printer was that it should be PCL-compatible (a language used to control printers). Epson's WorkForce Pro WP-4595 DNF meets these needs."

The printer at the group practice is mainly used to print financial administration documents and patient records. A list of all prescribed medicines is printed once every two weeks. We need a good and reliable printer because of the high volume of printouts. Today most prescriptions are written digitally, but a printer is still needed sometimes. Morphine printouts are one example of this: for certain medicines, a printed prescription is a statutory requirement to prevent misuse.

Cheaper than a laser

The versatility and design of the WorkForce Pro WP-4595 were not the only considerations that convinced Grootenhuis and his colleagues to make a purchase. "When our old laser printer broke down, an acquaintance drew my attention to the Epson printer. Apparently this printer could print high volumes very quickly and was also cheaper to use than a laser printer."

Epson claims that the cost per page is 50% lower than for rival laser printers, thanks to the high yield of the cartridges (up to 3,400 pages each). Grootenhuis' practice has now printed 20,500 pages, using four XXL cartridges and the installation cartridge (up to 1,200 pages). That is nearly 6,000 pages more than expected from the cartridges, so in this case the printer is even more efficient than advertised.

For Grootenhuis, the only negative point was that he has already had to replace the colour cartridge once, despite printing relatively little in colour. "But this is nothing compared to the maintenance our laser printer required. The fuser had to be replaced regularly and the toner made a lot of mess. We don't have that problem any more."

According to Epson's product description, the printer uses up to 80% less energy than rival laser printers. Grootenhuis assumes this is true, though in practice there is so much electrical equipment that he has not really noticed a difference: "We haven't yet noticed energy savings, but of course the printer is only a very small part of our overall energy costs."
 

Greener, cleaner and quieter

As well as its low energy consumption, the Epson is also quieter and cleaner than the average laser printer. There is no problem with toner dust in the air or on the floor and no noise nuisance from large ventilation fans.