MFP Industry Updates for 9/29/08

MFP INDUSTRY NOTES 9-28-08

The following is a quick review of copier/MFP industry news from industry publications.

Getting college professors to go “green” is a challenge, according to Dr. Sam Levy, Vice President of Information Resources & Technology at University of St. Thomas, MN. Apparently, many professors still judge their students essay paper by the number of sheets of paper they turn in, rather than the amount of pages that are typed. In other words, some are forcing students to print single sided, instead of duplexed, thus wasting paper and energy.

Ricoh fired its Senior Vice President of printing solutions, Ann Moser. She joined the company in 2001, and implemented a managed services program, as well as launched several new desktop models. Under her tenure, she increased the amount of dealers carrying Ricoh printers by 30%, and increased Ricoh’s market share. Ms. Moser also won numerous awards, such as:

• Everything Channel’s Chief


• Everything Channel Most Powerful Woman of the Channel

Ricoh announced it will spend a huge sum on advertising for its new Aficio PRO C900 production color device. The slogan it will use is “Think Production. Think Ricoh”. This will include advertising that customers can service this product themselves, using TCRU technology (trained customer replaceable units)

Information Week magazine announced it placed Ricoh on its Top 500 list for users of information technology. Ricoh won the recognition when it successfully implemented wireless dispatch systems to its 1,800 technicians in the U.S. that work for its branches.

Pitney Bowes had a court throw out a lawsuit filed against it by Ricoh. The copier maker made the claim that Pitney Bowes had infringed on 5 patents it had related to mailing systems. The U.S. Court of Appeals found that the patents did not apply. (Was Ricoh going to use the money it hoped to win from PB to help pay for IKON?)

Oce’ introduced a new desktop color laser MFP, called the cx2100 offering:

• Not made by Oce’, actual manufacturer unknown


• 17ppm color
• 21ppm b/w


• 4 tandem OPC drum designo A4 model, meaning letter/legal size paper only Copy/scan/fax/print


• Optional extended warranties do not include supplies

Contex of Denmark, maker of large format scanners (usually bundled with a large format color inkjet printer) announced it has purchased one of its distributors in the U.S. Ideal Scanners & Systems of the U.S., will be folded into Contex, and the company will now use only Tekgraf to distribute its products to dealers.

MWAi’s CEO, Mike Stramaglio, announced expansion in a recent interview:

• is now a premier partner with Sharp, meaning its technology can be embedded into Sharp MFPs.


• provides remote asset management and remote service solutions.


• Ramiro Trevino is Senior VP of Engineering and Engineering Engagements.


• Opened an office in Tokyo, Japan to be closer to copier makers.


• Also opened office in the Netherlands for more global reach.


• Is considering making acquisitions to expand business.


• Is dismissing rumors that ECi (provider of OMD, Lacross & NextGen software for copier dealers) is considering buying the company.


• Claims that it helped a dealer on the East Coast win a 10,000 unit bid.

In an effort to grow its business in Europe, Samsung hired an HP executive, Graham Long, and made him Director of European MFP & Printer Sales. Mr. Long has built a team of 43, by hiring from other vendors like Canon, Xerox, Lexmark & Epson. The company hopes to grow its business 52%.

The first duplicator was invented in the late 19th century by David Gestetner. His technology used wax paper as a master, where a stylus broke through the paper, and ink seeped through the paper to create the image. Current duplicator technology was modernized by Riso, Inc. in the 1980s. Gestetner Corp. also got into the copier business, and was later acquired by Ricoh Corp.

Canon won the latest round of a legal battle in its tussle with a Texas company over its plans to enter the HDTV market. Nano Proprietary Inc. may now take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court in its attempt to thwart Canon’s effort to launch SED technology (surface conduction electron emitter display). Canon apparently is betting billions that it can succeed in this market, and would reduce its dependence on office equipment revenue.

Canon also now shipping the imagePRESS C6000, a 60ppm production color system.
Features:

• unlike the imagePRESS C6000VP and imagePRESS C7000VP, this model only has one fuser section, so it slows down when running thicker stocks.


• according to Canon’s general manager of business imaging solutions group, it has duty cycle of 50,000 to 150,000 impressions per month, roughly half that of the C7000VP.
  

Canon announced it has acquired one of its own copier dealers in the San Francisco area, named NewCal Industries. This may the first of a long list of acquisitions by Canon, as it looks to diminish the impact of its largest distributor, IKON, selling out to Ricoh.

Details on NewCal:

• Founded by former Kodak copier technicians, Steve Tarpley & Ken Wilkens in 1991.


• Won award from Canon for service excellence in western region.


• also sold and serviced computer networks.


• Ha FM division.
• According to one industry author, Canon may consider buying Oce’ to make up for the impending loss of IKON.
  
  Media Sciences Inc.(maker of generic color wax and toner that works in Xerox printers and MFPs) admitted in its recent financial statement that it has spent $1.6 million so far to defend itself against patent infringement lawsuit filed against it by Xerox.
  
  Another company is offering “free” Xerox color printers. Cartridges Plus promises a free desktop color laser or color wax printer, however, it also requires the end user to buy very expensive color supplies.
  
  Details:
  Xerox Phaser 6360 program
  
   24 month lease
   End user must spend at least $189 per month in toner
   Printer offers letter/legal printing onlyo Xerox Phaser 8560 program
   24 month lease
   End user must spend at least $99 per month in wax sticks
   Printer offers letter/legal printing only
   both require a $50 application fee.
  
  Xerox launched a new line of recycled paper for its copiers that is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). Xerox claims that is uses half as many trees were used to make the new paper.
  
  Xerox launched the WorkCentre 4260 offering:
  
  made by Samsung of Korea
• 55ppm b/w only.
• Copy/print/scan/fax
• A4 or letter/legal size only
• Base MSRP of $2999.
• Auto duplex
  

After a legal protest from Xerox, the Chatham City Council reversed its decision and awarded its copier bid to Xerox. While Xerox was originally the lowest bidder, the council gave the award to current vendor, and local business, Maple City Office Equipment. It made that decision to show loyalty to a local business, however, “We learned about the need to adhere absolutely to our RFP protocol” said Bill Weaver.

Xerox’s Mark Bernstein, head of its famous Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), detailed new projects his group is working on:

• disappearing ink.
• sticker that has computer chip embedded in it, which when placed on a box, can alert buyers if contents suffered damage due to concussive forces
• content-centric networking, to allow a wireless user to stay connected to a website, even if connection is temporarily lost.
• spiral concentrator technology to cheaply purify water
  

A chain of print shops, headquartered in Denver, sold out. Franchise Services, Inc. (Sir Speedy, PiP, Copies Now, etc.) has acquired Signal Graphics, which has 34 locations. Former founder and current president, Steve Morris, will retire.-

More details on the Detroit copier scam.

The City of Detroit began process to rescind a $10 million dollar contract:

Was originally awarded to Olive Delivery Service, owned by former Michigan state representative Ken Daniels.
Award given in June, 2007o Mayor of Detroit, Kwame Kilpatrick, is a former colleague, and was sentenced on unrelated charges and removed from office.

• Bid award was a six year contract for Kyocera products.
• Olive Delivery Services is not a Kyocera dealer, and work was actually being performed by A-1 Leader Business Systems.
• A-1 Leader Business Systems is a Canon & Kyocera dealer.
• Unknown when city will go back out to bid.
• Councilman Kwame Kenyatta stated; “This was a bogus contract from the very beginning”.
• The toll-free number for service that Olive put on the copiers was disconnected.
• The address listed by Olive is an unoccupied building.

EFI won a lawsuit against Leggett & Platt (L&P). The company claimed that EFI was infringing on its patent for ultra-violet light curing technology in regards to drying prints from large format color inkjet printers. EFI acquired this technology, when it bought VUTek, a large format printer maker.

Paul Rubillo announced he will put up for bid, the rights to the website; http://www.copies.com/. He hopes to sell it to a large firm, like Fedex Kinko’s, or a copier manufacturer. (the site http://www.computer.com/ sold for $2.1 million)
American Reprographics Company, which owns a chain of print for pay shops in the U.S., announced it is downgrading its revenue forecast for 2008 from $760 million to $700 million.

Kodak announced a new software option for its Creo print servers. The new software, called “Photo Touch-up”, allows end users to:o enhances content of images.

• optimizing quality of photo books, calendars, yearbooks, postcards, etc.
• automatically evaluates digital photos.
• make adjustments only to precise areas within the image.
• correction done in batches rather than one at a time.

Hewlett Packard, even though is not experiencing success with current 60ppm Edgeline color inkjet MFP, apparently plans to launch a 100ppm version.

Duplo announced a new duplicator, called the DX4640PD featuring:

• prints on both sides of paper at same time
• top speed of 240ppm
• uses water based ink
• (unknown how successful this product will be as auto duplexing with wet ink has proven in the past to be unreliable due to ink not drying fast enough).

After being fired from his job, 25 year old, Daniel Whetsell, was charged for breaking into a business, and destroying its $14,000 copier in West Virginia.-

Sharp is now shipping two new color laser MFPs, the MX-2600N and MX-3100N featuring:

• Code-named “Pastel II” platformo A3 models (meaning handles 11”x17” paper).
• Based on existing “Pastel” print engine used in other Sharp-made color copiers.
• 26ppm and 31ppm speeds respectively for b/w or color.
• Replaces the existing MX-2300N and MX-2700N models.
• 4 bits per pixel imaging (does not offer 8 bits per pixel).

Base MSRPs of $11,595 and $13,195o Includes ability to embed software applications into its control panel via Sharp OSA.

 End user must buy $349 Application Integration Module and $349 Application Communication Module.

Later this year will launch a 31ppm and 40ppm versions, code-named “Frontier” platform.
Also will launch 41ppm and 50ppm color models, code-named “C-Jupiter II” platform,
Still uses pulverized toner (grinding method) infused with wax.

 Black toner yield of 18,000 pages based on 5% coverage per page
 Color toners yield 15,000 pages each based on 5% coverage
 Black developer yield of 100,000 pages Color developers yield 60,000 pages each
 4 tandem OPC drum design, with each drum yielding 60,000 pages
 Uses two mylar film transfer belts, one with 200K yield, other with 300K yield Fuser yield of 400,000 pages (based on plain paper usage).

Document feeder holds up to 100 originals, and operates at top speed of 50opm for b/wo 13.5 second first color copy time.

Built-in retractable QWERTY style keyboard for data entry

 8.5” color LCD display shows thumbnail views of stored jobs.

New outside look includes textured off-white plastic with dark gray plastic around control panel, and dark grey plastic accent line down side of machine.

Optional $1295 fax board

 No second line option
 $549 for Internet faxo Document feeder holds up to 100 originals (unlike Sharp b/w models, this document feeder apparently does NOT scan both sides of original at same time).

Comes standard with 100 sheet stack bypass and two 500 sheet paper drawers
 500 sheet drawer for $845
 Dual 500 sheet drawers for $1075
 3,500 sheet paper deck for $1495
 Paper drawers can handle up to 110lb. index maximum
 Bypass can handle up to 140lb. index and 12”x18” paper.

Auto duplex standard, but only up to 110lb. index (can not auto duplex 10pt).

Finishing options include:
 $1795 for 50 sheet stapling
 $698 hole punch option
 $2895 for booklet maker finisher, up to 15 sheet booklets, but also requires $425 relay unit

Optional print controller
 Actual maker unknown (but most likely is Zoran)
 800MHz processor (Freescale PowerQUICC III)
 1GB RAM copier memory
 512MB RAM for print/scan operations
 80GB hard drive
 10/100/1000BaseT & USB ports
 HP PCL print driver standard
 PostScript print driver is a $745 option
 Windows Vista support for $625 (plus must also buy $500 1GB RAM upgrade)
 Unlike other Sharp color models, you can NOT upgrade to an EFI Fiery print servero $595 for data security kito Scan to e-mail/FTP/SMB/TWAIN standard with LDAP.

Optional Sharpdesk PC OCR software ($233 for one user, $3650 for 100 users)

Dell launched a new desktop color laser MFP, called the 2135cn offering:

• Actually made by Fuji of Japan
• 16ppm b/w and 12ppm color speedo A4 model, meaning letter/legal size paper only.
• Uses 4 tandem OPC drum design.
• Xerox plans on launching their own version of this Fuji product.
• Base MSRP of $599.
• Weighs 66lbs.
• Uses a 4-line LCD display (but it is not a touch screen)
• 250 sheet paper drawer standard with single sheet bypass.
• Auto duplex is not available.
• Optional extended warranties do NOT include supplies:

 Uses polymerized toner technology
 Black toner yield of 2,500 pages for $70
 Color toners yield 1,000 pages for $60 each
 Max duty cycle of 40,000 pages per month.

Built-in print controller with 400MHz processor with 128MB RAM made by Zoran, has PCL print driver only.

Toshiba about to launch new high speed color workgroup MFPs, the eSTUDIO 5520C, 6520cand 6530C featuring:

• 55ppm color and b/w speed for 5520C and 65ppm color and b/w speed for 6520Co 6530c offers 65ppm color and 75ppm b/w.
• All three offer 77opm top scan speed.
• Toshiba’s new “Hi Image” toner particles as small as 6.8 microns.
• Uses pulverized (grinding) toner infused with wax.
• Uses a four beam lasero 4 tandem OPC drum design.
• Has two print modes, one is 600x600 dpi with 8 bits per pixel, the other is 1200x1200dpi with 4 bits per pixel. The 1200dpi mode only works with PostScript print drivero 10.4” full color LCD touch screen control panel on an armature.
• The scanner and document feeder is not directly on top of the engine and paper drawers. Instead, it is shifted to the right, to make room for the control panel armature.
• Optional fax board

Comes standard with four 540 sheet paper drawers and 100 sheet stack bypass
 Optional side-mounted 2,500 sheet large capacity paper deck (holds letter size paper only)
 Bypass can handle banner paper
 Paper drawers support up to 256gsm
 Bypass supports up to 300gsm
 System slows down when running thick stock
 Auto duplex supports up to 256gsmo Built-in eBRIDGE print controller
 Actual maker unknown (most likely Wind River)
 80GB hard drive (comes standard with data encryption)• Optional data overwrite enables
 1GB RAM main memory
 512MB RAM page memory
 PCL, XPS and PostScript print drivers
 GE-1170 PDF scan accelerator
 GS-1020 Open Platform option (to allow software to be embedded)

Finishing options include:
 MJ-1104 booklet maker finisher
 MJ-6002 hole punch unit
 MJ-7003 post process cover inserter
 MJ-1102 50 sheet stapling finisher
 KN-1102 guide rail for finishers (attached to bottom of finisher)

Copier Sales Tips "MFP Solutions"

Tired of playing voice mail tag?

Tired of the prospect not returned your calls?

Tired of getting the gate keeper?

To some this means that the prospect is not interested! Too others (seasoned veterans) this means that the prospect is too busy and has not found the time to return your call. Use this to your advantage!!

The next time you get the dreaded voice mail, leave them this message. Hi this is Mr. So & So with XYD company, I tried to reach you on several occasions, I am going to be in your area next week. What I'd like to do is to stop by at 1PM to meet with you, if this is not convenient for you, please call me at (phone number), other wise I'll see you then.

There you have it, you've got the appointment and if they call you at least you've got them on the phone.

Voice mail can be an advantage!!

Plus, try making most of your follow up calls after 4PM till 5:30PM, you have a better chance of getting a hold of the person.

-=Good Selling=-

Copier Sales Tips "Selling GREEN MFP's"

This was a recent post I had on the Ricoh Family Group P4P Hotel. To say the lease I was astounded when one of my clients asked for a "GREEN" copier/MFP.

I put this flyer together today as handout to customers, hope this will work, if you have anything else to add, please do so and we can have a killer document:

• Eliminate your Fax Machine with a Fax Server: A fax server will eliminate the need to print faxes, which will reduce paper costs, reduce maintenance costs, and reduce toner costs along with hardware. Fax servers will also keep an digital copy of all inbound and out bound faxes (you’ll never lose another fax)

• Multifunctional Systems: These systems can print, scan, fax and copy in color for pennies and eliminate the need to have four different devices in the office. Multi-functional systems have a very low cost per page when compare to standalone fax machines, copy machines, laser or ink printers. Consider this, the average laser printer and fax machine has a cost of .03 per page. Multifunctional Systems have a cost of .0125 per page. That’s a savings of over 50%! Where else can you cut your costs by over 50% these days? If you’re printing color documents on a laser printer, your savings could twice as much!

• E-copy: Easy to use software that will allow you to convert documents to pdf’s, along with the ability to markup documents (circles, arrows, lines, notes, signatures). You can even fill in text on a pdf document, along with having OCR capabilities. This software eliminates the need to print documents, add notes and re-delivery the paper document. Everything can be accomplished with out printing paper!

• Print Management Software: We all have them the inexpensive printers that we bought for a few hundred dollars. Did you know that printing in color on these devices can cost as much as 60 cents a page for ink jet and 20 cents a page for laser? Print Management software coupled with a Multifunctional System takes the guess work out of printing (which device will save me money); the software will monitor and redirect the print job the lowest cost system on your network. This inexpensive software can save thousands of dollars!

This is just the tip of the iceberg, if you would like to know more about “Going Green” and reducing your costs, please call me for an appointment.

HP CM6030 and CM6040 "Pros & Cons"

At first glance the 6030 and the 6040 are capable of printing, copying and scanning up to A3 (up to 11x17). Alas HP has decided to compete with Ricoh, Xerox, Canon and KonicaMinolta's A3 MFP devices.

These systems seem well built coming in at a hefty 318lbs, so much for Internet sales, shipping will be expensive, you'll have to have a two person lift to setup the device and will have to arrange for inside delivery and or negotiate stairs if you have them. If you are going to get this system, I would advise going with a dealer that will get all of this done for a nominal fee. On to the good stuff:

Cons:

NO LAN FAX

NO STANDARD HARD DRIVE

NO DOCUMENT STORAGE (Unless you buy the optional Hard Drive)

NO PROOF, LOCK & HOLD Feature (Unless you buy optional Hard Drive)

FIRST PAGE OUT (MONOCHROME) 15.3 SECONDS

FIRST PAGE OUT (COLOR) 16.2 SECONDS

MAX PAPER WEIGHT 58LBS

NO LAN CONNECTION (OPTION), HP BROCHURE STATES (EIO, USB.2.0,FAX, fih, and PCI)

500 SHEET FINISHER ONLY

Pros:

One Year on Site Warranty

All in One Cartridge System

Kensington Lock

Auto Nav Jam Removal

When you stack this Device up to the competition such as Ricoh, Canon, Xerox, KonicaMinolta etc.... feature wise the HP CM6030 and CM6040 will not compete especially with heavier paper weights. The HP will take a max weight of 58lb stock while all the competitors now offer up to 140lb stock. LAN fax? There is no option, LAN faxing is very popular and allows you to send faxes from your desktop through the MFP (thus enabling all fax reports. The HP CM6030, CM6040 falls short here, the brochure does state that it support MS Windows fax. But, its still not LAN Fax.

You must add a HD for additional print support for Proof, Lock and Hold print features, all of competition has adopted a standard hard drive. Network Port? HP also keeps this as an option. Again, all of the competition includes this at no extra cost. Seems to me HP should do the same. Network Port and HD adds $670 to the cost of the unit.

Cost $8,000 for the CM6030 and $9,000 for the CM6040 plus shipping, setup, inside delivery, hard drive, network port.

Cost per page comes in at a cool .0538672 (HP did not have a price for the ADF kit), so this number could be up or down a little. This cost per page includes all consumables based on 5% coverage and does not include parts, or on-site service. When adding an on-site MA, I'm sure this unit will be in between .07 -.08 per page. Right in line with everyone else. However keep in mind that the with increased toner coverage on the page costs can go very high double to triple with heavy coverage. It's all about the consumables here.

Can Dealers compete with the CM6030 and CM6040? By all means they can, I see a lot of short falls and will keep you all updated when I have more information.

-=Good Selling-=

MFP "Leasing News"

I picked this up on the RFG P4PHotel Site. I really had no perception that GE's porfolio was so huge and that they may have some serious issues.

This is perhaps one of the most important stories to come across, sent in by a reader.

Unfortunately, Leasing News has been unable to "confirm or deny" its accuracy. None of our sources want to respond "on" or "off the record."

From a reader:

“GE appears to have stopped accepting credits and will not fund future deals for an indefinite period....have you heard anything?“Team, My senior contact at GE finally got back to me. A few reasons why GE is exiting many finance sectors/customers:“1. The GE Capital Services / GECC $600 Billion portfolio represents 63% of GE's operating profit. They are directed to trim that portfolio by 10% over the next 3 years.........that's $60 billion of business!“2. GE issues 8% of the world's commercial paper....$100 billion currently outstanding on 30, 60, 90 day maturities.......that is rolled / extended routinely. The past 2 weeks the normal buyers turned into "redeemers" wanting cash instead of the investment. Hence, vastly reduced liquidity for GE and a significant rise in cost of funds.“3. Every GECC division has been told no more new deals....-0-.....nata........ for at least several weeks if not months. Will fund existing commitments.”

According to an article in the New York Times, "GE Capital Services, as the financial arm is called, holds the rest of the group’s top-notch businesses hostage...If there’s any lesson that Jeffrey R. Immelt, G.E.’s chief executive, might take away from the credit crisis, it’s that GE Capital’s financing needs could put the whole company at risk.

“Not that G.E. is in trouble. Though the stock was hammered last week, GE Capital easily managed to finance itself in the commercial paper market. It would, however, have been irresponsible for G.E.’s board not to ask: “What if GE Capital ran into a funding crunch?”
“At midyear, GE Capital had $695 billion of assets. A third of that was financed through short-term borrowing, including $100 billion in commercial paper. If that source shut down, G.E. would need to look elsewhere. In a real pinch, it might have to sell off assets — even industrial ones — at fire-sale prices…

“One solution would be to spin off GE Capital to shareholders, perhaps even as a bank holding company — the corporate structure Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are now embracing. This would be complicated, and an independent GE Capital might need more capital than it has now to maintain its credit rating. But it could gain access to new sources of financing, and G.E.’s other businesses would be positioned to thrive without taint from the financial sector.”

New York Times Article

Duplexing Duplicators, Rise of the “Green” RICOH DX 4640PD Duplicator.

Duplexing Duplicators, Rise of the “Green” RICOH DX 4640PD Duplicator.

Death of Duplicators was an article I read many years ago. I too thought the technology was dead. However, it seems “Green” Duplicators are now the “in thing” . You may ask how the heck can a duplicator be Green? Well, they can and I’ve outlined one particular system in this blog. Others may ask what is a digital duplicator? If, so you can go here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_duplicator .

Ricoh introduced a Duplexing Duplicator (RICOH DX 4640PD) a few months ago, that’s right it will print both sides of the paper (letter size) in one pass, thus saving paper and trees. In fact this “Green” Duplicator can print 240 images per minute (ipm), which almost doubles the speed of any current duplicator on the market today.

The RICOH DX 4640PD also utilizes these “Green” Features Quick Start Up Technology, Power Saving Sleep Mode and uses NO HEAT to fix the image onto the paper! In fact this system uses a “cold process” to dry the ink. Thus electric consumption is decreased which enables a cost saving to the customer. Think of this, this system is ready to make prints after only 15 seconds, about the time it take too put on original on the glass or send a print job to the system.

So, who the heck needs a “Green” Duplicator? Schools, Large Churches, Health Care Providers, Faith Based Organizations, Colleges, and Hospitals can benefit from using less paper! That’s right two bring home flyers can now be printed on the same piece of paper in a single pass. How about forms, tests, charts, NCR forms and reading material they all work too right. How about companies that need thousands of bi-lingual forms or instructions? Can you image having an old duplicator that did one million pages a year can be cut to five hundred thousand, that’s a savings of 100 boxes of paper and a heck of a few trees.

If you have an old duplicator that can print up to 11x17, and you only print letter size documents, did you know that you are wasting half of the plate material? By acquiring a new “Green” Duplicator such as the RICOH DX4640PD you could cut your plate costs in half and help save resources!

Duplicators can also print in single or dual color and print onto virtually any type of media, so if you didn’t think a duplicator was for you, think again.

-=Good Selling=-

Gestetner Digital Duplicator DX Series - The most amazing home videos are here

MFP & Copier Pay Plan Changes for the Future

I'd like to introduce Bill Siderys as one of our new "Guest Bloggers" . I have known Bill for years and recommend him to anyone who is looking to venture into the Managed Print Services side of the business. Here's what Bill contributed for you, also please pay a visit to his site.

MFP & Copier Pay Plan Changes for the Future:

Many things have changed in how we go to the street with our products and services. The number of new “page” or “MPS” providers is growing daily. The entrance of the traditional IT companies and automated system will drive a change in our pay plans. If the new game is about the pages, then it is fair to say that the traditional pay plans will also change. I have been asked many times in the last five years about how to compensate a dealer’s sales team.

Many dealers are moving towards some type of first year (page) compensation plan. The normal programs pay on the first year of minimum contract. However, due to the weakness in this style of pay plan I don’t see a future on this type of hybrid pay plan. (Visit http://www.managedprintsvc.com/ to read more). Two items will surely drive this pay plan change in the future. One of the main forces will be the accelerated drive towards total pages sold.

If your competition can deliver a MFP at cost plus delivery, you will be forced to react. As bids or RFP’s come out requiring MPS, the traditional dealer community will have to compensate their sale team to keep the pages as well as hardware. The other part of the change that will help your future pay plans are online tools like the servers from (http://www.printfleet.com/) .

So as the copier market and competition changes, your potential for income should change.

Bill
http://www.managedprintsvc.com/

MFP Wide Format Success Story with P4P Hotel!!

Thought I would repost this from the RFG Message Boards. Real story, real help, become a member, converse and share ideas and solutions with your peers!



This message was posted by Brian from Pittsburgh about a year ago.







After working on an account for close to 1 year, I finally had the opportunity to place a wide-format plotter. The Gestetner AO45. This is the first one that my company placed in the field, as we had just started to carry the wide-format line.

Although, they sent a tech, a trainer, and an IT guy to Ricoh Univ. when the piece went in which was configured with the print/scan controller / Post Script / and the 2 roll drawer with the bottom paper stacking contraption, the piece would just not work.

Murphy's Law kicked in. Anything and Everything that could go wrong DID!!!!!!! My support had given up, whispering stupid rumors that I had placed the wrong equipment which I knew I did not.

They made a tremendous effort to rectify the situation using the standard resources any dealer has. Even our local Wide Format Specialist was of NO HELP!!!!

I turned to the P4PHotel for help. Again, without the knowledge, real-world experiences, and community, this deal would have been dead. Because of the tremendous amount of support and feedback, I was able to, most importantly, get the customer to be happy, meet their needs, and personally be vindicated, and re-earn the respect of my support personnel.

This wasn't by any stretch of the imagination, a huge deal, but it meant a lot. And that means more than money. At the end of the day, if it wasn't for this community, this deal would have been DEAD..THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR HELP

Ricoh Color Wide Format Scanner!

Hurray, Yipee and its about darn time!!! Those where my first thoughts when I heard of the planned launch of Ricoh's first Wide Fromat Color Scanner. Alas, that's as about excited as I'm going to get with this product.

For over 18 months we (sales) had been telling Ricoh that with their next gen wide format system we needed a color scan option. We saw the need in the field and where feeling some pressure from OCE and KIP. Ricoh introduced the W2400 and W3600 with NO Color Scan option. We were doomed.....

The attempt is now to offer alone color scanner. Here's a few sticking points, MSRP is $6,500, dealer cost is.... won't post it here, however the margins are slim, in fact after adding a sales base to the cost the sales base is higher than the MSRP! Go figure and what the heck were they thinking????? You also need a dedicated touch screen monitor and a dedicated server (ouch!), combine this with the fact that this scanner will not even work in the network if there is no connected Ricoh Wide Format System such as W2470, W2400, W3600 and 480W.

I do give them credit for finally, finally making a move and we may have some possibilities when we combine this with the W2470. But lets face it, if we're in a competitive deal and the customers needs color scanning we are at a PRICE disadvantage!

WEST CALDWELL, N.J., Sept. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Ricoh Americas Corporation, the leading provider of digital office equipment, today announced the availability of the Ricoh Wide Format Color Scanner. Designed to work with Ricoh's line of Wide Format products, the new Ricoh Wide Format Color Scanner handles both high-speed full color and monochrome scanning for businesses in large format printing environments.

The Ricoh Wide Format Color Scanner provides users with great image quality at rapid scanning speeds of 12 inches per second (ips) for monochrome scans and 0.6 ips for color scans. In addition to its fast scanning rates, the Wide Format Color Scanner cuts down on work processing time enabling operators to edit and crop images before sending the image to its final destination, either printed or electronically stored. The device also comes equipped with an All-Wheel Drive Paper Transport System that eliminates image distortion frequently caused by erroneous paper alignment and ensures that images are accurately reproduced.

The Ricoh Wide Format Color Scanner enhances workflow efficiency by combining multifunctional software flexibility with user-friendly controls. The scanner allows users to program and select job parameters through an intuitive LCD touch screen display and is paired with JETimage multifunction software allowing operators to create programmable icons to scan, copy, print, and track projects. The Ricoh Wide Format Color Scanner also allows for Scan-to-Net operability making it possible to scan documents directly to network storage.

When paired with the Ricoh Wide Format Printer and imaging software, the Ricoh Wide Format Color Scanner provides users with high-speed monochrome and full color scanning and printing for an array of original documents ranging from architectural drawings to oversized posters.
"The Ricoh Wide Format Color Scanner is a welcomed addition to our growing line of wide format devices that help businesses do their jobs more effectively and efficiently," said Jason Dizzine, director of Product Marketing Ricoh Americas Corporation. "Products such as this demonstrate Ricoh's continual commitment to streamlining the workflow process for businesses around the globe."

The Ricoh Wide Format Color Scanner is available at the suggested retail price of $6,500. For more information on all Ricoh products and solutions, please visit http://www10.aeccafe.com/goto.php?http://www.ricoh-usa.com.
About Ricoh Americas Corporation

Ricoh Americas Corporation, headquartered in West Caldwell, N.J., is a subsidiary of Ricoh Company Ltd., the 72-year-old leading supplier of office automation equipment and electronics, with fiscal year 2007 sales in excess of $22 billion, a 7.3 percent increase over the previous year.
Ricoh Americas Corporation is a leading provider of document solutions. Ricoh's fully integrated hardware and software products help businesses share information efficiently and effectively by enabling customers to control the input, management and output of documents.
Ricoh Americas Corporation directly or through its network of authorized dealers markets and distributes products in North, Central and South America.

Information about Ricoh's complete range of products and services can be accessed on the World Wide Web at http://www.ricoh-usa.com/.

All referenced product names are the trademarks of their respective companies.

New Xerox Multifunction Printers Bring High-End Printing Options to Small and Medium-Sized Businesses

Think this is a Xerox box, think again, the OEM is Samsung (Sammy). Samsung continues to OEM for Xerox, Ricoh, Brother, OCE and Muratec. The way I see, in a few years they will be a force to be reckoned with in the MFP Industry!

NORWALK, Conn., Sept. 22, 2008 -- Xerox Corporation (NYSE: XRX) today introduced two new desktop multifunction printers (MFPs) that offer high-end scanning and fax capabilities at an affordable price. The new Phaser™ 3300MFP multifunction printer and the WorkCentre™ 4260MFP multifunction printer, help trim the amount of time workers spend handling documents and managing information.

Priced at $599, the Phaser 3300MFP delivers printing, copying, scanning and color faxing capabilities. With print and copy speeds up to 30 pages per minute (ppm), it's faster and can handle more pages per month than other products in its class, including the comparably priced Hewlett-Packard LaserJet M2727nf MFP. High capacity toner cartridges and a toner-saving mode also help busy offices reduce running costs.

With the ability to scan in color and black-and-white directly to a USB thumb drive, e-mail or the network, documents can be easily shared or stored. The Phaser 3300MFP is also equipped with Xerox Scan to PC Desktop™ software, which allows users to send a document from the MFP straight to their PC desktop for viewing, editing and storing.

The multifunction printer can also tackle a range of everyday office print jobs including automatic two-sided printing. It has a 50-sheet multipurpose tray that can handle a wide variety of paper weights and sizes ranging from postcards to legal-size documents.
For offices looking for more muscle, the WorkCentre 4260 multifunction printer is packed with advanced features and starts at $2,999. The WorkCentre 4260 is Xerox's fastest desktop multifunction system with print and copy speeds up to 55 ppm - a rate that makes it nearly 20 percent faster than the HP LaserJet M4345 MFP.

"Small and mid-sized businesses demand office equipment that is reliable and helps get work done faster," said Rick Dastin, president, Xerox Office Group. "These new products bring some of the technology from our high-end multifunction printers to the lower end of our portfolio to help businesses of all sizes better manage documents."

The WorkCentre 4260 delivers powerful workflow tools at an affordable price. With ID Card Copy, workers save time when copying both sides of an ID or insurance card onto one side of a page. ID Card Copy is especially helpful in healthcare organizations when adding information to patient files. Fax Forward to E-mail saves time and paper by automatically routing incoming faxes to an e-mail address. The WorkCentre 4260 also comes with automatic two-sided printing and the Save Print feature lets users store frequently used documents and forms on the hard drive for fast printing anytime.

The WorkCentre 4260's multitasking capabilities allow multiple workers to print, copy, scan and fax at the same time. If one print job is held up because of a lack of resources, such as needing legal-sized paper, the Print Around feature makes sure other print jobs will continue without interruption, saving workers from unnecessary downtime. In addition, the WorkCentre 4260 comes with a seven-inch color graphical touch screen that is simple to use and not typically found on this class of product.

Other updates to the office portfolio To help SMBs do more with their color documents, the WorkCentre 5225 black-and-white multifunction printer now includes a color scanning configuration. The WorkCentre 5225 prints up to 25 ppm and offers Xerox's Extensible Interface Platform™ (EIP), which allows independent software vendors and developers to create applications for the device and to customize the touch screen.

In addition, Xerox is upgrading the software on its WorkCentre 5600 black-and-white multifunction series to keep pace with today's ever-changing IT standards and protocols. With support for IPv6 and compatibility for Microsoft's Web Services on Devices (WSD), the WorkCentre 5600 series - with speeds ranging from 32 ppm to 87 ppm - becomes even more powerful for IT professionals.

Availability The Phaser 3300MFP and the WorkCentre 4260 are ENERGY STAR® qualified and available immediately worldwide through Xerox direct sales, agents, resellers, dealers, concessionaires, by calling 1-866-480-3119, or going online at www.xerox.com/direct. The WorkCentre 5632, WorkCentre 5638, WorkCentre 5645 and WorkCentre 5655 will include the software upgrade in North America on October 1. The WorkCentre 5665, WorkCentre 5675 and WorkCentre 5687 will be updated later this year.

MFP INDUSTRY NOTES 9-21-08

Again, this is a repost from the KM P4P Hotel. Not sure who the author is, however its a good read. Art

The following is a quick review of copier/MFP industry news from industry publications.



Xerox announced that its president, Ursula Burns, will also serve on the board of the United States Olympic Committee in a six year term.

InfoTrends gave out info on the TransPromo market (using billing statements to include full color advertising):
o 1.7 billion impressions made in 2007 for this market
o Will reach 12.8 billion by year 2012
o Growth of 68%
o 63% who produce statement plan on adding color ads in next 36 months
o 60% of print for pay providers are considering acquiring high speed color device for TransPromo in next two years

Xerox announced it has won a large bid to be sole copier vendor on an educational institution contract. Details:
o Contract is called Midwestern Higher Education Compact or MHEC
o Will also be used by Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE)
o Contract can be used by 1700 different colleges and universities across 25 states
§ Illinois
§ Indiana
§ Iowa
§ Kansas
§ Michigan
§ Minnesota
§ Missouri
§ Nebraska
§ North Dakota
§ Ohio
§ South Dakota
§ Wisconsin
o One member, Milwaukee Area Technical College, announced it signed contract for 5 years

Street pricing seen on Xerox production print systems:
o Xerox DocuTech 6115 system:
§ 115ppm top speed
§ 600x600dpi
§ print controller w/1.28GHZ processor, 36GB hard drive & 2GB RAM
§ scanner and RADF with top speed of 65opm
§ recommended maximum average volume of 600K/month
§ handle up to 110lb. index maximum
§ includes stapling up to 70 sheets
§ tape binder up to 125 sheets
§ includes 365K/mo b/w clicks for $4530/month. Overages @ $0.0039.
o Xerox 4595 system:
§ 110ppm top speed
§ 600x600dpi
§ Handles up to 140lb. index
§ RADF holds up to 250 originals up to 100opm
§ 100 sheet stapling
§ 2/3 hole punch
§ Print controller w/40GB hard drive & 512MB RAM


A company named “EFI-X” announced it is offering a $155 USB dongle, that allows an IBM PC type computer to run the Apple Macintosh Leopard operating system. This of course violates Apple’s patents.

Industry Analysts gave out an award to Ricoh for its monochrome production print products (b/w faster than 70ppm), based on a survey of 250 print shop owners.

Toshiba announced that it will lose money worldwide for the first half of its fiscal year:
o forecast of net loss of $468 million
o original forecast was for 15 billion yen profit
o posted 45.7 billion yen profit during same time last year

Recently, Toshiba gathered 250 employees from its branches around the U.S., and brought them to Coral Gables, FL for training on selling solutions and professional services. Details:
o Event run by Kay Fernandez, Toshiba VP of Marketing
o Keynote speaker was Geek Squad founder, Robert Stevens
o John Heinemann, executive from Republic Services, a waste management firm, discussed why he awarded bid to Toshiba, and how company benefits from Toshiba products and services
o Presentations given by Prism, eCopy, DocuWare, Fujitsu and other solutions vendors
o Launched SS4 Professional Services Selling training program

Sharp announced that it will resell copy/print tracking software & hardware from Print Audit, to push its dealers and branches into print management programs.

In response to the sale of its largest distributor, a Canon executive finally commented on the sale of IKON. Canon’s managing director, Masaki Nakaoka, stated; “The acquisition (of IKON) will trigger a further reshuffle of sales agents for us and others. We will now aim to expand our sales network.”

Ricoh reported that if the acquisition of IKON falls through:
o IKON will pay Ricoh a termination fee of $66.7 million
o IKON will also pay $16 million to reimburse Ricoh for legal fees.

IKON, a division of Ricoh, announced that Vic Rainsford is now Vice President of Managed and Professional Services. Mr. Rainsford announced the formation of the Legal Printing Services, to focus on this vertical.

According to some reports, on 9/16/08, IKON conducted a conference call notifying its employees that Canon would cut off IKON from acquiring any new hardware inventory as soon as the Ricoh acquisition is finalized. IKON will however, still have access to Canon parts and supplies.
o Due to the fact that Ricoh does not yet offer high end production print equipment (as Canon did with imagePRESS color and imageRUNNER PRO relabeled Kodak b/w units), IKON may be in discussions with Xerox to market some of their equipment.

More details on what makes up IKON:
o Original company founded in 1928
o Formally incorporated in 1952
o Revenue peaked in 1996 at $11 billion
o Unisource, the paper distribution business, was spun off in 1996
o Has currently completed only 2/3’s of its “One Platform Conversion” program
o Copier division revenue peaked in 1998 at $5.5 billion
o Stock value peaked in 1996 at $65 per share, but declined to as low as $2.50 per share
o Has total of 24,000 employees in 400 officelocations
o Canada & Europe account for 18% of revenue
o 6000 technicians
o 9000 are FM or professional services employees
o 500 work in the HQ located in Malvern, PA
o Has 500,000 customers
o Has 900,000 devices in field under service contract
o GE Capital provides most of leasing
o Includes 100 of the Fortune 500
o Sales and service of copiers accounts for 75% of business
o 50% of revenue comes from color and production print systems
o 20% was from professional services or FM
o B/W copier sales were declining by 7%
o 8% of service revenue was coming from color clicks
o In contrast, when Xerox bought Global, it acquired 200 offices and 200,000 customers for $1.5 billion

Ricoh has hired an advertising agency, Gigante Vaz Partners, to create a brand and program to promote its service technicians. The brand is called; “Teknoforce”, and Ricoh is hoping it will boost its image with IT Directors in the U.S.

Canon launched a desktop color laser MFP, the imageCLASS MF8450c featuring:
o Copy/print/scan/fax standard
o 17ppm top speed color or b/w
o 4 tandem OPC drum design
o RADF standard and holds up to 50 originals
o 600x600dpi
o USB & 10/100BaseT ports
o 250 sheet paper drawer and 100 sheet stack bypass
o Letter and legal size only
o Base MSRP of $999.00.
o Optional extended warranties do NOT include supplies

Canon announced that it will use some of its $4 billion in cash to buy back $500 million worth of its stock shares. This will boost its share price.

American TonerServ, maker of generic toner cartidges for desktop laser printers, announced it expects its annual revenues to grow from $3.6 million to $25 million.

Hewlett Packard announced it will terminate 24,600 employees in a cost cutting move. This comes after the acquisition of EDS. HP estimates this restructuring will cost the company $1.7 billion.
o The company reported that its LaserJet business declined 9% during last quarter

Xerox is now shipping the iGen4 production color system. This is one of the only copiers that is actually manufactured in the U.S. Since the original iGen3 was launched 6 years ago, Xerox claims to placed 2,000 systems worldwide. The first iGen4 will be installed at Keiger Printing Company in Winston-Salem, NC., and sold for $640,000.00.

Muratec plans on relabeling a 55ppm b/w MFP and a 40ppm color MFP made by Samsung of Korea.

Xerox announced a 19% decline in profit for the second quarter, and will spend $1 billion to buy back stock to boost its value.

Kyocera announced that it will launch 4 new color laser MFP models, and called them the “TASKalfa” series. Speeds will range from 25ppm to 40ppm. They will also offer the ability to embed software into the control panel using “Hybrid Platform For Advanced Solutions” or HYPAS.
o During last quarter, the company announced its net income declined from $25 million yen to $22 million yen.

Kodak reported details on its last quarter’s financials from its Graphic Communications Group, which sells the production print equipment (NexPress and DigiMaster):
o revenue of $880 million, up 4.8% for entire division, due to increased sales of plates for offset printing presses
o sales of NexPress and DigiMaster products went down 1%
o earnings of $13 million, a decline from $29 million
o gross margin down 0.5% to 28.9%

EFI, maker of Fiery print servers, announced its revenues are down by 4%, and a net loss of $100,000 during last quarter.

Software Imaging, one of the suppliers of technology for print controllers, announced new software that may speed up printers. Dynamic Device Font Technology (DDFT), which will be offered to printer manufacturers, will assist with the processing of fonts. While most printers now come out of the box with 136 PostScript fonts, if the document uses a font which is not part of the list, it slows the job down as it downloads the font from the computer each time it is used. DDFT will download the font, and add it to the print controllers memory, so less processing is needed to complete print job.

Ricoh gave out more details on the new Aficio PRO C900 production color system at a press event in New York:
o top speed of 90ppm, on all paper stocks, up to 300gsm
o 4 tandem OPC drum design
o Can replace toner on the fly
o Base MSRP of $125,000
o Has 5 beta units running in locations around U.S.
o Based on Hitachi designed engine
o 1200x1200dpi with 2 bits per pixel resolution
o Maximum monthly volume of 400K/mo
o Recommended maximum monthly volume of 170K to 240K/month
o Air assisted paper feeding
o Sensor and steering roller to prevent misregistration of mylar film transfer belt
o Anti-skew fence
o Back to front registration during auto duplex of 0.5 millimeters
o Ricoh hopes that besides toner, end users will also replace on their own:
§ Called the Trained Customer Replaceable Units (TCRU) program
§ OPC drum cartridges
§ Developer cartridge
§ Charger cartridge
§ Mylar film transfer belt cleaning unit cartridge
§ Mylar film transfer belt cartridge
o Each toner yields 72,000 pages based on 5% coverage per page
o Suggested service/supply click pricing of $0.0095 for b/w and $0.059 for color, with standard of 11”x17” as a single click
o Maximum paper supply of 13,000 sheets
o Optional EFI Fiery has 2.16GHz processor, 2GB RAM and two 250GB hard drives

Oce’ announced it will relabel two Muratec desktop b/w MFPs, and call them the fx2081 and sx1481.

Okidata 3641 Color MFP "Print Shop in A Box"

Can't be, Naw one system can't be everything to a Print Shop right? Well, the Okidata 3641 foots the bill and it's a "Print Shop in A Box"!

I recently had this system on a demonstration with the Oki3641 at a local P4P (Print4Pay) Account in New Jersey. The customer has an older Ricoh 6513 (fiery) and a Canon 3220 (fiery). Our customer was actually using both of these units for color output the 3220 for speed and the 6513 for thick stock and high quality. Well, the oki3641 performed awesome! From thick stock (170lb index) to gloss stock and a stock I've never seen before, the stock was very thick and is stock that artist use to paint watercolors. The quality of color was awesome on all stocks.

Color was consistent from page one to five hundred, feeding different stocks was not and issue. A couple of outstanding features is that the iko will take 13x19 paper through the by-pass, plus it has a pull down exit tray that allows thick stock to come out flat and not curl (just what the doctor order).

The end is that the customer can eliminate the Ricoh and the Canon and just rely on the Oki3641 for all of his color requirements! Listed below is a few bullet points about the Oki3641.

• Has a high duty cycle, rated at 150,000 per month. Although I have it in applications that run 50,000 color prints per month with out issue.
• All toners, drums and maintenance kits can be changed by the end user. This leads to less down time.
• The color output is spectacular. Rivals anything on the market under $50K. The retail on this unit is $19,000.
• Uses micro-fine spherical toner to get high quality output.
• Can handle 12/18 out of each of the 4 draws. Up to 110lb index in the draws.
• The Multi-purpose tray can handle up to 170lb index and 12.9” x 48” paper for banners.
• Have seen some applications where a book binder is doing 5,000 sheet runs of cloth sheets thru the multipurpose tray. This does lead to premature wear of drums and fuser, however the output looks great.
• Since the 3641 is versatile, dealers usually place it in accounts that there main copier line is giving them trouble. Most of the time the 3641 is able to solve the issue and save the account.
• Some dealers are attaching a 1,000 sheet envelope feeder to the 3641 and marketing it with variable data software for envelope printing. This is an untapped market, where there is a lot of interest in print for pay.
• Comes standard with Fiery. Uses the latest OS from Fiery system 8, which allows the end user to customize properties screen in the print application.
• The Oki 3641 Fiery comes standard with Spot-on, Hot Folders, Auto trapping, Variable data printing.
• Has Send-me built in. This is Fiery’s version of e-copy. Send me is the front end of a document management system.
• You can add an OCR connector to Send-Me and it will allow you to do OCR at the machine. This saves on licensing fees. In addition it gives you search able PDF documents and a hidden text layer.
• It also copies. Although it does not have program keys, and First Copy Out Time is about 9 sec. It can be used in walk up copy environments.

-=Good Selling=-

Xerox Invents Reusable Paper that Uses UV Light for "Ink"

Now this is really cool, and makes sense. Which leads me to a few questions:

• How much would the paper cost?


• How much do the printers cost?


• How many times can I use the same sheet of paper?


• How much will I glow at night from using the paper and printer?
  

(NaturalNews) Xerox subsidiary Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) has developed a type of paper that, combined with a special printer, can print documents that erase themselves after a day so that the paper can be reused.

Xerox says that 25 percent of all documents get recycled the same day they are printed, and that 44.5 percent are intended only for a single viewing. Using the new printer and paper for one-shot documents like daily menus, work summaries and office memos could vastly reduce paper and energy use, the company said.

"Think of the Google map you printed to get here," PARC Area Manager Eric Shrader said at a product demonstration. "Thirty years ago, we said the future was paperless."

"Despite our reliance on computers to share and process information, there is still a strong dependence on the printed page for reading and absorbing content," said Paul Smith, manager of Xerox's new materials design and synthesis lab.

The new paper is coated with a chemical that turns dark upon exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. In order to create a document, the printer simply bombards the paper with UV radiation in the appropriate places.

While the "ink" will eventually fade on its own, after 16 to 24 hours, the printer can also be used to erase a page and print something new. Tests by Xerox found that if it was not torn or crumpled, a single piece of paper could be put through the print-and-erase cycle hundreds of times.

According to Shrader, it takes 204,000 joules of energy to create a new piece of paper and 114,000 to recycle one. Printing onto a normal sheet of paper uses about 2,000 joules.

It takes only 100 joules to print one page of the special erasable paper. If the printer also has to erase the prior image, printing uses about 1,000 joules of energy.

The erasable paper and ink are available in a variety of colors. Xerox expects to take the new product commercial within the next few years.

Sharp Continues to Excel with OSA Technology & Print Audit

I for one would love to the chance to add widgets with the Sharp OSA technology. The technology is awesome and others will have to follow Sharp's lead with OSA technology. I had heard at the Sharp Dealer Show that they had these systems set up as Kiosks, where people would check in and then their Dealer Badges were automatically printed!!!!

Calgary, Alberta - September 18, 2008 - Print Audit and Sharp Electronics Corporation have joined forces through the Sharp Partner Program, ensuring that Print Audit 5 Embedded is fully compatible with Sharp OSA-enabled devices. This new alliance will pair the unique features of Print Audit's print management software solution, Print Audit 5 Embedded, with Sharp OSA-enabled multifunction peripherals (MFPs), creating a seamlessly incorporated workflow.

Tightly integrated with Print Audit 5, Print Audit 5 Embedded is a comprehensive print management solution that allows organizations to analyze, reduce and recover costs related to walk-up copying, printing, scanning, and faxing. Sharp OSA technology extends MFP applications to numerous vertical business categories and helps businesses to improve productivity, reduce operational costs and target specific business needs.


"This is a key and mutually beneficial alliance that not only showcases the best features of both companies' products and services, but also illustrates our continued commitment to meeting the needs of our customers," said John MacInnes, President and CEO of Print Audit. "Sharp shares our dedication to excellence, quality, and innovation, and we look forward to working together to provide our customers with the best print management solutions available."

"Print Audit is leveraging the open, flexible development capabilities of Sharp OSA technology to create innovative document management solutions for users of Sharp OSA-compatible MFPs," said Tom Davis, Vice President Marketing Applications Development, Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America. "Print Audit 5 Embedded gives an organization the ability to save money and time by providing a seamless solution for managing walk up MFP use."

In addition to ensuring that Print Audit 5 Embedded is fully compatible with Sharp OSA-enabled MFPs, the alliance will also allow Sharp dealers to take advantage of other Print Audit products that are designed to help dealers sell more hardware and increase their post sales revenue. For example, dealers have the ability to perform comprehensive print assessments using Print Audit Assessor while Print Audit 5's rules-based features provide the ability to restrict printer usage and redirect high-cost jobs to more efficient devices.

The added value of these distinctive Print Audit 5 features has helped Print Audit's partnered office equipment dealers bring in $450 million in additional hardware sales.
For more information on Print Audit 5 or to download a free trial, visit

http://www.printaudit.com/

For more information on the Sharp Partner Program, visit http://www.sharp-partners.com/

About Sharp Electronics Corporation

Sharp Electronics Corporation is the U.S. subsidiary of Japan's Sharp Corporation, a worldwide developer of one-of-a-kind home entertainment products, appliances, networked multifunctional office solutions, solar energy solutions and mobile communication and information tools. Leading brands include AQUOS Liquid Crystal Televisions, 1-Bit digital audio products, SharpVision projection products, Insight Microwave Drawer appliances, Plasmacluster air purifiers, and Notevision multimedia projectors. For more information visit Sharp Electronics Corporation at http://www.sharpusa.com/

About Print Audit Established in 1999 and headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Print Audit is the fastest growing print management company in the world. By providing businesses with innovative and practical print management software solutions, the company has helped customers recapture over $79 million in printing and photocopying expenses while saving an estimated 90,000 trees a year. Print Audit has offices located in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, Brazil, Canada and the United States.

For more information about Print Audit, please contact:

Angela Onstine
Public Relations Representative
Print Audit - North America
877.41.AUDIT (28348)
aonstine@printaudit.com
http://www.printaudit.com/

For locations outside North America, please contact:

Print Audit - Europe
+44(0)1483 726206
http://www.printauditeurope.com/
inquiry@printauditeurope.com

Print Audit - South Africa
+086 110 5777
http://www.printauditsa.com/
info@printauditsa.com

Print Audit - ANZ
+612 940 48500
http://www.printauditanz.com/

Print Audit - America Latina
+55(21)2220 0939
http://www.printaudit.com.br/
Informacoes em Portugues:
suporte@printaudit.com.br
Informaciones en Espanol:
espanol@printaudit.com.br

Ricoh Production Printers Gets High Marks From Users

I see a lot of stuff come across the web and for the life of me, did Ricoh actually provide a list of P4P accounts for IA to conduct their survey?

Ricoh Production Printers Gets High Marks From Users

Ricoh Production Products Ranked Best in Industry According to Industry Analysts Survey. Ricoh's 70 Plus PPM Monochrome Devices Receive High Marks From Print for Pay

Customers.WEST CALDWELL, NJ, September 17, 2008 -- Ricoh Americas Corporation announced today that its production family of 70 plus pages per minute (ppm) monochrome products were rated best overall by print for pay customers in a survey conducted by Industry Analysts, Inc. These products, marketed by Ricoh's Production Printing Business Group (PPBG), were recognized by Office Products Analyst, a leading industry trade magazine published by Industry Analysts, Inc., as part of its annual Print for Pay survey.
Survey Methodology

The annual Print for Pay survey is a culmination of two months of extensive interviews with nearly 250 commercial printers and publishing houses to gauge the products and solutions they use day in and day out. Ricoh had a strong showing in several areas, including Best Overall Monochrome Production - 70 Plus; Productivity, Stability of Connectivity, Image Quality, Reliability, Ease of Connectivity, Ease of Use, and Total Cost of Ownership. The products tied for first in the Features category. The Ricoh production monochrome line virtually swept the monochrome production category, beating out competitors like Canon, Xerox and Konica Minolta.

"Print for pay customers are extremely dependent on the performance and quality of the products they use and therefore are the best critics when it comes to document management devices," said Andy Slawetsky, president, Industry Analysts, Inc. "Ricoh's commitment to innovation and its customers is demonstrated by the overwhelmingly positive response to its production printing devices."

Ricoh's PPBG specializes in high-volume production devices for in-plant, graphic arts and data center customers. Products include 70+ ppm multifunction products (MFPs) and finishing equipment. While some specific products were not listed in the Print for Pay survey, the production line as a whole demonstrated superior functionality and usability for commercial and publishing customers.

"Ricoh takes pride in creating innovative products that provide the latest technological solutions for commercial printing businesses that depend on productivity, quality and low total cost of ownership," said Carl Joachim, vice president of Marketing, Production Printing Business Group of Ricoh Americas Corporation. "Being recognized by Industry Analysts, Inc. only further validates the quality products customers have come to expect from Ricoh."

Industry Analysts, Inc. (IA, Inc.) is a market research and product testing firm specializing in the imaging industry. Founded in 1974, IA, Inc. provides "real-world" third party testing and evaluations, market research and focus groups, from offices in Rochester, New York and Fairfield, New Jersey.

The Office Products Analyst is one of the longest running imaging-industry publications. Published by market research and consulting firm, Industry Analysts, Inc. (Rochester, NY), the OPA conducts thousands of end-user and office equipment dealer surveys each year.The Production Printing Business Group (PPBG)of Ricoh Americas Corporation is dedicated to delivering state-of-the-art, high-speed production systems that provide efficient document workflows with high-volume production printing and finishing. Incorporating superior engineering, reliable technology, and extensive software and finishing options, PPBG helps production centers cost-effectively modernize and streamline their operations to meet today’s rapid turnaround and high-quality demands.

Ricoh Americas Corporation, headquartered in West Caldwell, N.J., is a subsidiary of Ricoh Company Ltd., the 72-year-old leading supplier of office automation equipment and electronics, with fiscal year 2007 sales in excess of $19.4 billion, a 7.3 percent increase over the previous year. The company is a leading provider of document solutions. Ricoh’s fully integrated hardware and software products help businesses share information efficiently and effectively by enabling customers to control the input, management and output of documents.

Sharp Image Professionals Group Launched on P4P Hotel

Sharp Imaging Professsionals have a new on-line gathering place with the launch of the Sharp P4P Hotel! This site was developed to help Sharp MFP Representatives to share information with their peers in the industry. With Sharp's introductory of the "Frontier" line of A4 systems we are proud to offer a place where Sharp Professionals can gather and exchange information.


The Print4Pay Hotel:

The Imaging Professional’s Resource Center, has announced that it is opening up a new message board devoted to Sales Image Professionals for Sharp products, making it the first independent Web site in the history of the office equipment industry that enables both resellers and technicians to share knowledge about the equipment they sell and service.

“We’re excited about launching this new board. Our success with our Ricoh Family Group, Canon, Kyocera, and KonicaMinolta boards was overwhelming,” notes Art Post, founder and CEO, and a docusultant with Century Office Products in Middlesex, NJ. “Now all Copier Sales Professional can communicate with each other in a secure environment where they can share information with other successful professionals from all over the world!”

The new message board is dedicated to Sharp Sales Professionals. “By adding this manufacturer, we’re hoping to drive more sales professionals people to the site,” notes Post. “Sales Professionals need real world information for solutions, specifications and what works and what doesn't work in a timely manner. Our site provides a global community for our profession.”

Post emphasizes that the message boards that allow Print4Pay Hotel members to share knowledge ultimately add value to the customer-dealer relationship, and that more knowledgeable representatives have a direct impact on the dealerships they serve as well as the products they service. “This is a rapidly changing industry that’s becoming increasingly complex as manufacturer’s introduce more solutions that integrate with a customer’s network,” says Post. “We’re looking to enhance the service that we provide to customers and the message boards can strengthen a Sales Professionals expertise on specific machines as well as software and solutions issues. We’re all here to serve the customer and any medium that enhances that relationship particularly when it comes to expediting resolutions for specific hardware or software issues, then we all benefit—sales rep, technician, customer and manufacturer.”

The Print4Pay Hotel (http://www.p4photel.org/ ), which debuted in 2001, provides extensive imaging product information—both on the Ricoh family group products and competitive products—and serves as a forum for imaging industry personnel to share knowledge. In addition to the message boards, the site provides its members with the latest press releases and literature on Ricoh, Canon, Sharp, KonicaMinolta and Canon products and competitive products, industry news, and classified ads as well as photos and links to related industry sites.

The site currently has more than 2,000 members and averages 1,500 page views per day. Although most members are from the U.S., the site also serves members from Canada, United Kingdom, Norway and South Africa.

The Print4Pay Hotel was envisioned as a means for imaging industry professionals to satisfy their “Need for Knowledge.” The site, http://www.p4photel.org/, allows digital imaging specialists to share information and find answers quickly. It’s also a place where imaging professionals can store their knowledge, search their knowledge, and share their inspirations, ideas and passion for the industry