Xerox and GreenPrint offer an environmentally friendly hardware/software combination.

Environmental benefits were among the top selling points Xerox touted in September when it unveiled its new Phaser 8560 and Phaser 8860 solid-ink printers (see "Xerox Boosts Solid-Ink Commitment, Reshuffles Pricing Models). Now, the company is extending the green message through a new bundling agreement with a software maker that markets a paper-saving printing application.

Beginning in November, buyers of either of the two new color printers can download a free single-user license for GreenPrint Technologies' GreenPrint Enterprise software, a program that analyzes pages before they enter the print queue to flag unnecessary elements such as URLs, banner ads, logos, or legal boilerplate to reduce wasted paper and ink. According to GreenPrint, the software can save average users more than $90 and 1,400 wasted pages a year.

The free single-user license for the enterprise version, which typically sells for $70, will include the company's standard warranty and support package, says Hayden Hamilton, GreenPrint chief executive officer. "We saw this bundle as an ideal fit because Xerox is marketing the new models as environmentally friendly printers, with significantly reduced consumables [requirements]," Hamilton says.

In addition to the licensing fees it's getting from Xerox, GreenPrint may also see increased sales, he adds. A number of companies that tried the free software have inquired about getting additional licenses for more of their employees, he says.

Analysts say Xerox's solid-ink toner sticks offer higher yields at lower costs, for lower costs per page than color printers using traditional, mechanical toner cartridges. According to Xerox, solid-ink toner is environmentally friendly also because less energy is needed to manufacture the product.

"Xerox is committed to protecting the environment. The design and minimal packaging used in our solid ink products mean no cartridges to dispose of and far less packaging to add to landfills," Jim Rise, vice president and general manager of Xerox's Solid Ink Business Unit, said in a prepared statement. "The addition of the GreenPrint software to our solid ink machines is yet another tool to help customers reduce the environmental impact of printing."

Although GreenPrint has spoken with other printer OEMs about similar bundling arrangements, Xerox is the only one that has formalized a deal, Hamilton says.

GreenPrint plans to add new features to its software in 2008, including tools that will give network administrators more detailed information about the volumes and types of documents being created within their organizations.