Fujifilm to enter commercial inkjet printer market

TOKYO, April 6 (Reuters) - Japan's Fujifilm Holdings (4901.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Friday it would enter the market for industrial ink jet printers from this month to spur sales of ink cartridges.

The company said it would aim for annual sales of 20 billion yen ($169 million) of the new printers and ink by the business year 2009/10.

Fujifilm will buy the printers on an original equipment manufacturing (OEM) basis from a unit of Mutoh Holdings and Dutch maker Oce NV (OCEN.AS: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and market them together with ink from the U.K.-based ink maker Sericol Group Ltd. that it acquired in 2005.

Fujifilm has been investing in new areas such as liquid crystal display-use film, healthcare and office equipment to offset shrinking demand for photographic film.

In its ink jet-related business, Fujifilm bought U.S. printhead maker Dimatric Inc. and ink dye supplier Avecia Inkjet Ltd. last year.

The company said it would launch the new business in the United States this month and later expand into Europe and Japan.