HP Ink Challenge Twitter Interview with Castle Ink
Date: December 10, 2011
Time/Date: Friday 12/9 3:30PT Participants: Thom Brown & Adam Haigh
Below you will find an un-Twitter-fied transcript of the conversation with HP's Inkologist Thom Brown. Be on the lookout for more of these in the near future. Enjoy!
Adam: Quick overview: What exactly was the HP Ink Challenge? Thom: Over the course of six weeks, 102 participants tested, compared and discussed HP original ink performance versus refill performance. They got to compare ink performance side by side, and the amount of feedback we got was overwhelming. I work with ink every day, as you do, so it was cool to hear about the challengers’ experience. They had a really fresh perspective and at the end, they really demonstrated a preference for original HP cartridges.
Adam: Why did you decide to do the HP Ink Challenge? Thom: Why not? Comparing inks is part of my job and it’s something I’ve always found to be interesting. We wanted our participants to experience the difference for themselves, first hand. By participating in different assignments each week they could analyze all aspects of printing, from the day to day jobs, to special photos, and the durability of those prints.
Adam: Why did you do the HP Ink Challenge now? Thom: There’s real value in original ink performance. Almost half of the participants had purchased refill cartridges before and we wanted them to think about print performance in broader terms. In addition to price, you also need to consider page yield, reliability, ink quality, and even the purchasing experience.
Adam: What cartridges were tested in the HP Ink Challenge? Thom: The HP Ink Challenge tested the HP 60 XL tri-color & black cartridges versus any third party refiller of the participants’ choice.
Adam: What printer was tested in the HP Ink Challenge? Thom: We tested the Photosmart D110 AiO printer.
Adam: Tell me about the methodology or the HP Ink Challenge. Thom: Our participants received two printers, one with original HP ink cartridges & one with empty cartridges, which they were instructed to refill. Each week, the participants tested the cartridges in different scenarios & reported back on their findings. They were really responsive. We had a community forum where the participants could share their results.
Adam: What are some things you asked participants to look for & learn about? Thom: We were very focused on true-to-life colors, bold blacks, dry time, smear resistance, & overall appearance/performance. Reliability is very important in printing. There’s really never a good time for a printer cartridge to malfunction. With poor reliability come malfunctions, and when a cartridge malfunctions you can waste ink trying to recover that cartridge in cleaning cycles. The goal is to print once, not reprint because it didn’t function correctly the first time.
Adam: What were the results of the HP Ink Challenge? Thom: They were overwhelmingly in favor of original HP ink cartridges. 9 out of 10 participants prefer HP Original Inks! At the start of the challenge, half of them bought refills. Post-Challenge, only 12% were likely to purchase refill ink again and 100% of the participants said HP ink is more reliable. I’m really proud of those results!
Adam: What was your favorite moment in the HP Ink Challenge? Thom: My favorite part of the challenge was hearing the surprise from participants. The difference is really noticeable. It’s fun to see this technology from a fresh perspective. They really learned a lot about analyzing prints and the effort that goes into the design of the print system. Cartridge technology truly is impressive. It was also cool to hear folks talk about their experience.
Adam: Some of your participants wrote blogs about the experience. Do you have a favorite? Thom: Gosh, it’s hard to choose. There were so many good ones! I really liked Geek Dad Blog http://bit.ly/rTQoNj. That was a nice one. We created a community where these participants weren’t just talking to us, they were talking to each other and sharing experiences and even commenting on each other’s photos and lives. We created a real community.
Adam: Were there any surprises in the HP Ink Challenge? Thom: I was pleasantly surprised by how engaged the participants were. Everyone really got into it, myself included. You can read my full blog on the experience here! http://bit.ly/rvBAho
Thanks for your time Adam!
