Epson Loses Favour with DRG

Is the writing on the wall for Epson printers, the workhorses of the industry?

There have been pretenders to Epson's crown before, but last week came the first signs that disillusionment was setting in. DRG Business Systems, a distributor of Epson printers, has decided to take a chance on a little-known alternative rather than stay with Epson.

In future DRG's dealers will be trying to interest you in Seikosha printers and in something called the Ensign 1650 from Nakajima of Japan. This is a 165 cps 80-column dot matrix unit that costs £344 - the nearest Epson equivalent, the FX80, costs £438. But more significantly to DRG, Epson's profit margins are tighter, thereby dampening the retailer's enthusiasm.

A spokesman for Epson said: "We're sorry that DRG has made that decision." He added: "There are new manufacturers coming into the market all the time and that will put pressure on us. But there are a considerable number of dealers trading on our usual terms who are quite happy."