Gad. Xerox needs to move quickly to sort out this toner supply problem.

As we approach the end of the toughest trading year in living memory it is a misfortune of monumental proportions for some of its users to find themselves having to turn away work, or having to pay someone else to print things they should be able to produce themselves. To have a machine standing for a fortnight because of a lack of consumables is beyond belief. No wonder affected customers are raging.

I find myself somewhat unconvinced by the statement about the shortage being caused by an unexpected increase in demand. Surely the nature of the technology involved, with the click charge information and clever machine monitoring technology, means that Xerox has pretty precise visibility on what its customers are printing?

This morning PrintWeek was informed by one user that Xerox told them it is limiting the amount of toner being sold to individual customers due to it then being sold on the black market, via outlets such as eBay. And the reason there's a black market is...? Precisely. Another explanation being given is that it is supposedly a bad idea to keep too much toner in stock. All well and good so long as Xerox is able to replenish supplies on an on-demand basis. If they can't it's hardly surprising that people will panic and try to stockpile, just as we all do with fuel at the first hint of a refinery blockade.

As an exercise in damage limitation it also poses some challenges for Xerox and its resellers. PrintWeek's forums demonstrate how customers are quick to share information, so any flannel-based excuses or less-than-professional responses will quickly be exposed. And they will be slow to forget this let-down.