10 Reasons Why Managed Print Services is a Loser

Where does Managed Print fit? Some think it's the bomb for 100 plus employees, especially if they have a large fleet of printers. But, I'll never admit to that. never ever....why, well there's quite a few reasons and my 1st reason in a series of 10 reasons of Why Managed Print Services is a LOSER (L).

1. Waste....there's not need to have printer at ever desk, you think tree huggers are bad, take a peek at those printer huggers and they'd make you cry with their excuses not to give up their printer!!!! Oh my, I can't walk to a work group printer or an MFP, it's a waste of my time.....well not really it'll do you some good to get off your fat butt and walk down the hall every now and then.

And then there's this lame excuse, I print financial and secure documents and no ones allowed to see them but me!  Really!!, go grow a set and help the environment and spend a few dollars a month for a secure print solution and then you won't to cry that someone may read your confidential information.

Or how about this one....I'd lose so much productivity if I had to walk back and forth to get my documents. Yeah, right like you might not be able to do a little web surfing, or update your rotisserie league, or lose a few more hands of  solitaire (now that's a real losers game).  Point is, if you had some real print management software you'd only have to get up a few times to get your prints off of the workgroup MFP.

One more for everyone....how about instead of putting your needs for printing first, take a look at your companies position. It costs per money per page to print to a desktop laser printer than a work group MFP!  It costs more money to manage a fleet of printers than it does to manage a fleet of MFPs!  Want job security?  Then I suggest throwing your printers in the trash, hang out the window and yell WE'RE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!

The facts, there's so much hype about Managed Print Service that it's overwhelming.  Fact is, your local MFP/Copier Dealer Expert rep can put together a solid plan with print software and MFP's that will save you money, end the waste, trim the bulge and increase productivity!  DONE

-=Good Selling=-

PS  Looking for the rest tune in everyweek, this is the first in a series of 10

Daily Managed Print Industry Notes from Around the World!

WITH companies resorting cost cutting measures due to economic slowdown, Canon and HCL Technologies have come out with a novel strategy to promote...read more

Succeeding in the managed print business means knowing when not to quit. The sales cycle can be slow, and patience and perseverance are important attributes for managed print service providers. In some cases, prospective customers will sit on the fence for a long time, pondering the possibility of investing in managed print services before finally taking the plunge. In other cases, customers will be long-time holdouts, insisting that managed print is not for them. But when a customer that was previously a naysayer changes his mind about managed print, VARs need to be ready to capitalize on the opportunity...need to read more?

Mobile technology makes it possible for people to connect to the workplace at all times. The number of remote workers has already risen dramatically and is forecasted to grow further – by 2013, 1.2 billion people (or 35% of the workforce population) are expected to work from someplace other than their office desks. 
At the same time, the adoption of smartphones and tablets is increasing at a phenomenal rate. Manufacturers are set to ship 450 million smartphones...follow me to print

MPS agreement for 1700 Printers
Prosystems IT has received a contract from Sparkasse KölnBonn to take on the complete rollout and subsequent operation of 1700 new workstation printers and multifunctional devices (print/copy/fax) within the framework of a Managed Print Service contract. Effective immediately, Prosystems IT will provide end-to-end service for a period of five years, monitoring and administering the devices in outsourcing mode. Sparkasse KölnBonn will profit from cost savings, a reduction in its in-house workload, and higher device availability. Prosystems IT has been operating...whoa you've got to read more!

Spending for document management services is expected to increase or remain level during the next 12 months, according to a survey conducted by Oce Business Services, headquartered in Venlo, The Netherlands. A majority of executives reported their organizations’ top business goal for this year is to reduce costs, closely followed by increase revenue and improve operational performance. According to survey respondents, because...go here 

Loffler Companies, today announced it has been recognized by Everything Channel as a part of CRN’s 2011 VAR500 list, which ranks the top technology integrators in North America. Featuring the highest producing technology integrators and solution provider organizations in the IT channel, the VAR500 rankings consider earnings from hardware sales, software sales and managed IT services. Loffler Companies placed at 301st in the 17th annual ranking. The VAR500 is a list of the largest...still more here

-=Good Selling=-

Daily Copier & MFP Industry Notes from around the World

I love reading all of the press releases, it keeps me up on the new stuff and I get a chance to read about emerging technologies.  I thoroughly enjoy reading about 3D printing and all of the applications that have been developed so far.  It seems with 3D printers the sky is the limit or maybe we can know say the Clouds are the limit.

3D printers can and will be the replicators that you saw on the Star Trek TV serious, if you get a chance check out all of the applications for 3D printing via google.

BRUSSELS, Belgium, Sept. 28, 2011 -- Labelexpo -- EFI™ (Nasdaq:EFII) today launched the Jetrion 4900, a revolutionary UV inkjet digital printing system that combines high-quality digital printing with in-line laser finishing for label converters. The new system makes short-run digital label jobs even more efficient and profitable by eliminating set-up time, substrate waste and inventory requirements associated with the label finishing process. It produces eye...need to know more?

Last fall, Konica Minolta Canada (KM Canada) was preparing to introduce a new high-speed color digital press—the bizhub Press C8000—that would mark the company's entry into the offset printing market. The product would debut at the Canadian 2010 Print World trade show, and KM Canada wanted to entice as many potential buyers as possible to come check out the new press in person. And although the company had done one-off emailing in the...want more?

Konica Minolta Presents: Dr. Mark Bohan......video...

Konica Minolta Presents G7......video......

The company, which is wholly owned by Ricoh UK Holdings, specialises in producing printers, fax machines and copiers.  In the year to 31 March 2011, the company recorded a drop in pre-tax profit from £12.5m to £4.5m. Ricoh UK Products' directors' said its 2010 results had been returned with the "positive impact of the curtailment gain" resulting from modifications to its final salary pension scheme...more here

Axion Business Technologies announces acquisitionIt is Axion's fifth purchase in the last eight years, having acquired Commercial Business, Copier Supply, Copyrite and Bruno's. “From a geography standpoint [RPB Systems & Services] was a nice contiguous acquisition,” said Robert Ferland, Axion CEO and ...get the rest

Imaging technologies from Canon (News - Alert) will be now integrated with software products from Oracle (News - Alert). These products include Oracle Database, Oracle WebLogic Server, Oracle SOA Suite, Oracle WebCenter, and Java Platform Micro Edition among others. A joint announcement in this regard has been made by Canon Inc., Canon IT Solutions, Oracle and Oracle Japan...more here

-=Good Selling=-

Daily Copier & MFP Industry Notes from around the World

Fuji Xerox (Kanagawa / Japan; http://www.fujixerox.com/) has developed a biomass plastic containing more than 50% by weight of plant-derived materials for use in mechanical components in interior moving sections of its printing and copying machines. The company began introducing...need to read more?

Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta) today announces the launch of SchoolFlow®, EducationFlow®, HealthFlow® and LegalFlow®, customized electronic document management suites developed in conjunction with Prism Software to address workflow demands across key vertical markets. Fully integrated with Konica Minolta’s...what to know more?


One of the questions I hear frequently is about the potential impact of memjet – the inkjet print head technology – on the wide format digital print market. This question is likely to become even more common following the announcements at Graph Expo and LabelExpo that two companies have become the first to integrate the memjet print head technology into wide format digital print solutions...read more

UDOCX will be at the SharePoint Conference next week in Anaheim. My collegue and UDOCX Product Manager Fabien van 't Woudt will be attending the conference next week monday and tuesday (3rd and 4th of October 2011). Please let me know if you need any additional information...read more

Redwood City, Calif. and Ramsey, N.J. - All Covered, a division of Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. (Konica Minolta) focused on delivering high-performance Managed IT Services to small- and medium-sized businesses, is pleased to announce that Vertical IT Solutions, a Managed IT outsourcing company based in Tampa, Florida, has joined All Covered...read more

-=Good Selling=-
You know the story, it is not free.

You built a TV or a stereo into your cost and gave it away at N/C to the Decision Maker. I heard of one DM who get a free Recreational Trailer ($15k) if he signed on the dotted line.... and he did. ($10k copier + $15k trailer = $25k lease). I let how the DM handles these gifts up to themselves. If they object, no problem but the price remains the same. Is this ethical business practice?...want to read the rest?

Montgomery Township, Paper, iPADS & Paperless

I just had to chime on this google alert I picked up for Montgomery Township, PA. 

The article Montgomery Township Looking to Go Paperless tells how the Township is trying to cost justify iPADS, claiming Supervisors could use the iPADS to view government meeting documents.

Seems to me who ever is doing the math has got it all wrong!  Here's an excerpt from that story "Grier estimated that supervisors have used 2,833 pages of paper on average over three years between 2009 and 2011."  and then this "The estimated annual paper for five packets is 14,167 pages or 28 reams."

First and foremost if 2,833 pages of paper were used in three years, then how the heck can you then come up with 14,167 pages.  Typical copy paper as long as it's not laced with Gold is packed 500 sheets to a ream and 10 reams to case.  But, if the supervisors have only used 2,833 pages of paper for 3 years that would have a total of 8,499 pages.   Furthermore the next line states that the cost of a ream of paper is $5.44 per ream, thus a case of this paper is $54.40 per ream.  I ask where the hell are they buying their paper from and for $54.40 per ream it's gotta be laced with GOLD right?  

In nearby North Wales, Pa., there's a Staples store that is selling cases of multifunctional copy paper for $31.99 per case or $3.19 per ream.  It would seem to be that a Township the size of Montgomery does NOT buy paper by the ream but by the case, and if they are buying by the ream then I suggest the Administrator needs to find a new job!  Basically, it seems there's a flaw in the math with the total amount of pages used in three years along with the cost of a ream of paper priced at 160% over the price at Staples.  Griers estimate for paper should be more like 18 reams of paper for 9,000 pages and a cost to the Township of $57.42 and not the $154.13 which I might add that the math is wrong here also.  It could just be a case of bad reporting, right?

At $5.44 a ream, that is an estimated annual total of $154.13. With $480 estimated annual cost for administrative staff at one hour per meeting, and $960 in delivery costs at one hour per meeting, estimated annual costs total $1,594.13. The average tablet cost is $550, totaling $2,750 for five electronic tablets.
One of the statements in the article suggested there was a 21 month buyback.  If you reduced all of the paper based on the cost of $3.19 per ream and the $57.42 per case the buyback would be more like 49 months!  Well, that a horse of a different color, 4 year old iPADS, even three years may be a stretch.

They didn;t even discuss the fact about print drivers, since they have all of the documents on the iPAD what happens when they need to print?  What about scanning paper based and legacy documents, how are they going to do that?  Does their current copier support scanning, maybe it does, maybe it doesn't.   No one even spoke about the fact that most likely the documents that would be scanned would not be search able .pdfs.

Again, the main thing here that caught my eye was the paper cost, and seems to me that someone got it wrong and someone just wants iPADS to be cool or for whatever reason.  iPADS are media centric tablet devices and they are great at that.

Go and research a Ricoh ewriter before you waste the tax payers money.


Art

Windows 8 Developer Preview

Rick Backus is our Guest Blogger for this month.  Rick's been a verteran in the industry for years and consults for Office Equipment Dealers on how to improve their business technology industry experience and enable increased productivity, profitability, customer satisfaction and competitive advantage for our clients by helping them get the most out of technology with Cybercon Services.

 

So I took the plunge and created a VM using the developers preview downloaded from http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/br229516 .  Keep in mind this is a pre-beta release and I am sure a lot is going to change before a production version is available. Even the name Windows 8 is not a certainty.  None the less it is quite obvious that Microsoft is trying to address the huge influence tablets are having on the computing world by drawing from the Windows 7 mobile screen layout.  There is a lot to cover here so I will have several articles over the coming weeks to discuss various aspects of this release of Windows 8.  

 



Metro Screen



My first thought was to install as a VM on my Windows 7, x64 laptop so I would have it with me out of the office.  However since virtual PC will not support 64 bit guests I opted for a VM on one of my Hyper-V servers.

You immediately notice the new “Metro” style start screen that is specifically designed for touchpad capable devices.  You can use some keyboard short-cuts (Home, End, Page Up/Down) to navigate through the tiles and Esc to toggle between the Metro and Desktop views. 



Metro Start "toggle"



To toggle the start screen, explorer and running apps I used full-screen mode in the VM viewer and the Windows-Tab or Alt-Tab key combos to scroll through your open windows.





IE 10



I first went to Internet Explorer 10 which is very different from the current IE 9 release.  Not much to configure here unless you revert to the desktop view. 

Right click will bring up the tab choice bar across the top of the screen.  The page button at the bottom of the screen pops up a menu to search pages or change to the desktop view in Explorer with all the usual features we are used to from IE9.



Metro Screen

There are numerous tiles on the startup screen for widgets like News, Tweet@rama (Twitter client), Weather, Socialite (Facebook client).  All these widgets give you a continually updating, start-up screen summary of all your social networking and content connections.



You can add tiles to the Metro screen by creating shortcutsin C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs.  They will then display in the startup screen and you can drag them where you want. Right clicking on tiles will display a task bar menu to adjust tile size, go to file location, run as administrator, etc.

So those are some of the basic features in this pre-beta preview of Windows 8.  More on this in the coming weeks. 

About Cybercon Services

Cybercon Services is a business technology consultancy integrating application, information and content management with business process and network infrastructure. Utilizing a broad array of tools and services developed over 25 years of IT, consulting and business technology industry experience we enable increased productivity, profitability, customer satisfaction and competitive advantage for our clients by helping them get the most out of technology.

Cybercon Services can assist in guiding your organization towards greater success. Whether your needs are implementing tablet mobility in your enterprise, automating or retooling your business processes, managed network services and support, technology management planning or leveraging best practices to improve your core operations, Cybercon Services is uniquely positioned to assist your organization.

To take the next step, Contact Cybercon Services to schedule a free review of your company’s current status and strategic goals to tailor a plan for continued growth and success.

Cybercon Services

-=Good Selling=-








Daily Managed Print Industry Notes from Around the World!

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J., Sep 23, 2011  -- OKI Data Americas today announced the company's Gold Sponsorship at the upcoming SMB Nation Fall 2011 Conference, taking place September 30 - October 2, 2011 at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. OKI will demonstrate the company's proprietary, cloud-based Managed Print Service (MPS) offering -- Total Managed Print(TM) (TMP) -- within their booth (#777) and during a break-out session...need to know more?

Managed print services (MPS) has been hailed as one of the most effective ways for companies to reduce costs, increase uptime and improve productivity within the workspace. The business benefits are very clear, however for many companies, the need to address environmental impact is equally important. The term ‘paperless office' has been thrown around a lot over the past year or two, but for many companies this is more than just a buzzword, and is starting to become a simple way of life as they consider green printing strategies to decrease their carbon footprint and prevent waste...need to read more?

With printing going hand in hand with cutting edge technologies like cloud computing, it is no more a backside application and is now taking centerstage for all the IT heads. Today printers are not just confined to a printing job but have different capabilities and applications attached with it. Today printing devices are more commonly known as MFPs (Multi Function Printers). Not to forget the new-age twists like MPS (Managed Printing Services) or the still-crowning-head of Printing-on-Cloud which we...need to read more?

=Good Selling=-

Daily Copier & MFP Industry Notes from around the World

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Sep 21, 2011 -- Conexant Systems Inc., a leading supplier of innovative semiconductor solutions for imaging, audio, embedded modem, and video surveillance applications, today announced the CX92161, a highly integrated system-on-chip (SoC) optimized for laser...read more

FOSTER CITY, Calif., Sept. 22, 2011  -- EFI™ (Nasdaq:EFII) concluded a very successful GRAPH EXPO 2011 last week, with high visitor attendance, strong orders on the show floor, hundreds of qualified leads, and the most awards won by a single company in the Must See 'em award program's history...read more

The combined serial inkjet and page printer, copier and multifunction product (MFP) market in India totalled 666,859 units in the second quarter of 2011, a 0.8% decline vis-a-vis the same period of the previous calendar year, according to research firm Gartner, Inc. Some of the ripples caused by... need to know more? 

Mayberry R.F.D. (S1E05) - The Copy Machine...watch the video

-=Good Selling=-

5 Great Ways to Lose Your Best MFP Sales People

Over the years I've had many emails from long time reps that have thrown in the towel.

These are the top 5 reasons why seasoned reps have stated they are moving on from the MFP industry.

Just thought I'd enlighten everyone with these.

1. Make sure you give them last months commission report a few days before you need to pay them. This way if there is a mistake, the rep will have to wait until next month.

2. Selling managers are too interested in selling, and not teaching/training new reps on sales techiniques nor solutions.

3. They can't get new equipment delivered in a timely manner.

4. Sorry, our pricing model had a mistake, it's not what you thought and we have to charge you back!

5. Promise them roads paved with gold and the don't give them the tools to reach those goals.

-=Good Selling=-

Daily Managed Print Industry Notes from Around the World!

Managed print services (MPS) finally seem to be gaining moment but the market for MPS services will still face some challenges, according to a recent study by CompTIA, the Computing Technology Industry Association.

The CompTIA study, entitled...read more

Provo, Utah -- eCommerce Industries, Inc. (ECi Software Solutions, or ECi) today announced that it has acquired Digital Gateway, Inc. in order to better serve the needs of dealers in the office equipment/managed print services industry.

Digital Gateway will become part of ECi's Office Equipment Division, which includes the e-automate, OMD and La Crosse dealer management software products. Jim Phillips, the CEO of Digital Gateway, will assume leadership of ECi's Office Equipment Division working closely with Laryssa Alexander, President of OMD and La Crosse. Their mission is to ensure that all dealers reach maximum success regardless of which solution they are using...read more

-=Good Selling=-

Daily Copier & MFP Industry Notes from around the World

INDUSTRY leader UBIX Corporation made another milestone in digital printing as it showcased three of its newest, top-of-the-line and modern equipment in an open house that will run until Friday at the White Garland function room of Grand Menseng Hotel. A well-attended press conference kicked off the open house Wednesday...read more

South Australia's Department of Premier and Cabinet says an employee has been suspended over the purchase of $80,000 worth of printer cartridges in three months.

The Opposition claims the Aboriginal Affairs Department paid $80,000 for 200 print cartridges earlier this year...read more

NORWALK, Conn. -- Xerox Co. plans to acquire the Italian customer service firm XL World to boost its outsourcing business in Europe, the printer and copier maker said Wednesday. Financial terms were not disclosed...read more

Fuji Xerox releases two new monochrome laser printers designed for use in high volume office environments – the Phaser 4600N and Phaser 4620DN.

Fuji Xerox Co., today announced the launch of its new Phaser monochrome laser...read more

Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta), a leading provider of advanced document management technologies and Managed IT Services for the desktop to the print shop, today announced that it was listed as a Top 100 Brand within the...read more

TOKYO, September 21, 2011 -- OKI Data Corporation, an OKI Group company specializing in the printer business, today announced the receipt of CHIP Magazine's Recommended Award for its A4 color digital LED multifunction printer, the MC361dn in Malaysia where OKI Data has also received Gold Awards from HardwareMAG and PC.COM...read more

Ramsey, NJ –Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta), a leading provider of advanced document management and networking technologies for the desktop to the print shop, today announces the availability of Schedule Me, the newest enhancement to the Solution Support Division (SSD) Mobile Access application that provides mobile support to field...read more

-=Good Selling=-

Print4Pay Hotel Weekly MFP Industry Threads

What's in it for Me? Take a peek at the P4P Value Page, 103 premium members are now on board getting leads, rfp's, rfq's, unlimited access to all of the forums and access to my secret stuff!!

P4P Value Page get access to all forums, rfp's, rfq's, proposals, quotes, and leads! pssst! We've now linked and uploaded leads, RFP's and RFQ's for more than 1,300 systems in the past three months!


Please take the time think about a Premium Membership, not only do you get access to all of the forums, but your contribution keeps the site running!

A recent post from a P4P Hotel Premium Member "As a premium member, we have received a few leads and the best part is that these are better qualified leads. They still need the same amount of work and follow up - but just one sale covers for a few years of premium membership.So, if you want your competition getting more leads, do not sign up."

We've added New Content to our P4P Document Library! Every week, I'll be uploading a new files or documents that I've used for research, quotes, pricing or marketing pieces!!

Please support our Advertisers Polek & Polek, Lucas Distributing, Print Audit, Cybercon Services (Dealer Consulting Service), Ratio

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The Print4Hotel Team

Daily Managed Print Industry Notes from Around the World!

Downers Grove, Ill., September 20, 2011 – With demand for workplace printing expected to grow or stay at current levels for the foreseeable future, more organizations are taking a closer look at managed print services, according to a new study by CompTIA, the non-profit trade association for the information technology (IT) industry. Though four out of five firms surveyed by CompTIA say becoming a “paperless office” is a...read more

Columbus, OH – Questex Media Group LLC, specifically the Technology Group, which includes the ITEX National Expo and Conference and imageSource magazine, has joined the Managed Print Services Association (MPSA) as the newest Foundation Member. Questex is a global,...read more

Columbus, OH – September 20, 2011 – General Data, NER Data, and PartsNow! are among the companies renewing corporate memberships with the Managed Print Services Association (http://yourmpsa.org/).  The association provides a means for organizations of all kinds to play an active role in the development and direction of the fast growing managed...read more

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., Sep 19, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Developed to facilitate the ability of dealers to offer comprehensive MDS services to their customers, Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, today announced new professional services support and a new Partner Transformation Program. The new professional services support offerings leverage Canon's enterprise document systems and...read more

Historically, Japan has led the imaging industry in developing and manufacturing products that print, copy, scan and fax our ever-growing mass of documents. Japanese firms have had such a strong position in the market, that seven of the top 10 equipment providers are headquartered in Japan, and the Num. 1 brand (HP) even relies on a Japanese firm (Canon) for their laser printer ‘engines.’ Japanese firms have benefited from this strong and highly profitable business, as they have captured a dominant portion of the highly profitable toner and ink supplies being sold into this market..read more

-=Good Selling=-

Daily Copier & MFP Industry Notes from around the World

The Board of Aldermen is considering a $4.375 million printing contract with Xerox that would save the city at least $1.5 million over five years, according to Purchasing Agent Mike Fumiatti. The deal would involve the replacement of all the city’s copy machines, along with...read more

TRUMBULL, Conn., Sept. 19, 2011 - Oce, a Canon Group Company and an international leader in digital document management and printing for professionals, announced today that it will be placing an Oce Arizona® 360 GT UV...read more

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Supreme Court case known as "the copier" suit because of the hilarious Abbott & Costello routine over what a photocopier is has just received a jolt of cash from Cuyahoga County. The county's executive board of control authorized spending another $30,000...read more

 

 Xerox Corporation has launched a new printer, the DocuColor 8080 Digital Press, which handles jobs ranging from direct mail and calenders to booklets and collateral.

Productivity apps, low gloss dry ink, and Automated Colour Quality Suite (ACQS) core to the DocuColor...read more

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Managing documents and reducing costs just got easier with Xerox Corporation ’s newest DocuShare® enterprise content management (ECM) software. DocuShare 6.6 automates the entire lifecycle of documents, images and forms...read more

What started more than 40 years ago as two men selling used copiers out of an apartment building has turned into a profitable copier, facsimile and printer business in North Canton. Officials at Copeco, 3874 Highland Park NW, say the company has not ...read more

Core Facts • Canon Europe, world-leader in imaging solutions, today announces the launch of uniFLOW Version 5.1, extending the industry’s first single platform to manage print and scanning processes to mobile devices including smartphones, tablets and netbooks • The solution has been developed in partnership with customers in response to specific...read more

UXBRIDGE, U.K., Xerox has added two new digital print systems to its industry-leading colour portfolio – bringing sophisticated colour management technology to more than just high-speed devices. The company also expanded the functionality of a popular light-production model, the Xerox Colour 550/560 Printer. The advancements...read more

-=Good Selling=-

MFP Scan2Cloud Poll from the Print4Pay Hotel

I'm watching the Giants lay waste to the RAMS, hopefully it stays that way!  In the mean time, a few months ago we posted a poll on the Print4Pay Hotel forums titled "Scan2Cloud Poll".

 We asked "Please vote on your estimation of what cloud-based solution integration would best help you in the field to capture additional business?

With many manufacturers having or ready to release scan2cloud services, we figured we'd ask the guys and the gals in the field what they would like to have.  I always like to see these polls turnout because I feel that the salespeople on the street have a better grip on what their customers want and not some wishy washy product manager trying to come to grips of what customers want.  Tell me when was the last time a product manager was in the field trying to sell a solution to an end user?  NEVER!

"Please vote on your estimation of what cloud-based solution integration would best help you in the field to capture additional business?


Scan2Microsoft SharePoint/Microsoft exchange server/Mircosoft 365/OCR & searchable pdf/Scan2Print (unlimited users)  50%

Scan2Fax Documents/multi cloud fax numbers (unlimited users) no mfp fax modem require 17%

Scan2Cloud/Documents stored offsite 33%

Scan2Evernote/Scan2box.net/Scan2google docs/Scan2email w/ OCR 4 Word & Excel/Scan2print (2 users) 0%

Scan2Evernote/Scan2email w/OCR & searchable .pdf 0%

There you have it, what I can tell you is that the first two poll questions are features that come with the UDOCX solution, 67% of our members felt that this was the best choice for them.

The third solution is a basic scan2cloud that is now being offered by a few different companies and last but not least are the last three.  But, key in a 4 & 5, this is a cloud solution soon to be released by one of the Big 4 (Xerox, Ricoh, KonicaMinolta and Canon) and not one member voted for that solution.  I can tell you upfront that the product being offered with those features will BOMB.

So you wanna know who?  Well, I ask you to log on to the Print4Pay Hotel forums and we'll show you which on eof the Big 4 it is.

-=Good Selling=-

Daily Managed Print Industry Notes from Around the World!

Redwood City, Calif. and Ramsey, N.J. - September 13, 2011 - All Covered, a division of Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. (Konica Minolta) focused on delivering high‐performance Managed IT Services to small‐ and medium‐sized businesses, is pleased to announce that PMV Technologies, a leading Managed IT outsourcing company based in Detroit, MI, has joined All Covered...read more

Different managed print services provider rolesWhen it comes to managed print services, companies may seek these solutions out to serve a number of different requirements. Depending on the size of the ...read more

7 Integrated Approaches to Reduce Printing | MPS Insights ...One of the successes from the field resulted in a 40% reduction of print. Then they partnered with a Managed Print Services provider to support the refreshed ...read more

15 September, 2011, Midway, KY– The European managed print services (MPS) market is poised for stellar growth. According to the market forecast by Photizo Group the European MPS market will, by 2014, surpass North America to become the largest region in this US $68 billion MPS global marketplace. Photizo’s 2011 European MPS Conference will take place October 11th – 12th in Berlin, Germany. The...read more

It’s not all that uncommon for an enterprise looking at the possibility of outsourcing its print management needs to hear a prospective vendor say, “We can definitely manage your print environment, but we’ll need to replace all of your existing devices with our devices.” read more

West Caldwell, NJ, September 15, 2011 - Ricoh Americas Corporation, a leading provider of digital office equipment and advanced document management solutions and services, today announced the availability of the Aficio SP 4310N monochrome laser printer, engineered for busy offices and workgroups. Advanced features and workflow tools, such as genuine Adobe® PostScript®3™, a 4-line LCD panel...read more

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What gives with the Copier Industry?

Recent months have seen major execs leaving the industry, either by their own accord or they got the boot (we may never know).  It seems to me after 32 years in the business that the industry is in turmoil.

Consolidation has taken it's toll with the likes of Canon, Ricoh, Xerox and KonicaMinolta.  However others like Kyocera and Sharp have been affected as well with the departure of McLaughlin (Sharp) and Pietrunti (Kyo). 

Focus....where is the focus, most still rely on revenue from box sales and consumables. The reduction of paper in the office seems to be taking it's toll thus the reason that the Big 4 have ventured into Managed Print Programs, Print Production and Healthcare document applications.

Just today Ricoh lost another Top Notch Exec (read my blog on this here).... that's at least 7 or 8 guys in the last three months that have been shown the door, retired or left for other opportunities from either Ricoh, Sharp, and Kyocera.

Where does that leave us, are we painting a picture of our own demise for the printed page?  The Big 4 continue to launch solutions that will reduce the amount of paper that printed and copied.  Kinda crazy for companies that rely on revenue from the printed page right? 

Will there be additional consolidation?  Not in the near future, I could be wrong but I'd bet dollars to doughnuts nothing major for the remaining months of 2011.

Remember to go to the Print4Pay Hotel forums to read about the latest exec to leave one of the Big 4.

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Daily Copier & MFP Industry Notes from around the World

Chicago, IL  September 11, 2011 Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta), a leading provider of advanced imaging and networking technologies for the desktop to the print shop, today announced the Konica Minolta Color Care Suite, an efficient software application package to define, achieve and maintain product-specific quality standards for the award-winning series of ...read more

The new Bourg BSFx Sheet Feeder will demonstrate high-efficiency finishing connected to a new Bourg JDF-enabled BDFEx Document Finisher in Xerox Booth #400. Certified initially by Xerox to operate in-line with Xerox Nuvera 100, 120, 144, 200 and 288 Production Systems, the new dual-mode Bourg BSFx Sheet Feeder is equipped with an onboard bypass paper path that transfers printed covers and page content directly from the Xerox Nuvera print engine...read more

Xanté has teamed with Memjet to unveil its first wide-format press, the 42in wide Excelagraphix 4200 colour inkjet printer, which is also the first 42in device based on Memjet technology, at Graph Expo in Chicago...read more

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Print Audit Secure $1.00 per month per...

Tonight I was able to get a sneak preview of Print Audit Secure before the official launch tomorrow.

Here's what I can tell you, if you're not selling it, then your competitor is!

Print Audit secure allows for secure printing to MFP's and Printers. Plus it can be released via pin, swipe or passcode from any browser enable device! That's right, your smart phone, your iphone, your tablet, your andriod, and blackberry. Plus if you have a browser unit in the MFP, the print job can also be released by accessing the browser of the MFP.

What's the most popular reason people will give to hold on to their printers?? We've all heard and replied with a golly or a schucks, that reason would be, "I print confidential financials", or "we print HR documents all of the time". With Print Audit secure there's no more excuses especially with "follow me" printing. I'm at the mpf or printer on the 3rd floor, no problem I can release the prints via my smart phone on the printer I'm at!

What's one of the most annoying and wasteful items in the office? Well, it's those darn prints that were never picked up. Wasted paper, wasted toner, wasted time, lost pages, shredded pages, what happened to my document and let me re-print it again! Print Audit Secure solves it, the page is never printed unless it's released and there's a really nice purge feature if the document is not released in "x" amount of time.

Another outstanding feature is that Print Audit Secure is OEM neutral, that means all of us can sell it!!

Ok, ok, you may say but I've got locked print and I can do the same thing right? Well kinda, but wouldn't you much rather have a cool knockout feature, a different talk track, follow me printing, and excellent support (and we all know what support is like know from the manufacturers)for $1.00 per device per month! What!!??? Thats's what I said.

Print Audit Secure seems to be at the right place at the right time.

Here's a few webinar dates, I suggest everyone take a real good look at this game changing lockout solution!!

Be one of the first to check out Print Audit Secure!

Beginning September 15th, Print Audit's President and CEO, John MacInnes, will be conducting weekly informational webinars to introduce Secure.

Please register now at http://www.printaudit.com/securewebinar

Introducing Print Audit Secure!

Introducing Print Audit Secure! On September 15, Print Audit will be launching its highly anticipated pull-printing solution, Print Audit Secure. Join a free webinar to learn how Secure will help you drive more volumes to your machines and win more deals. Benefits Enables users to release their print jobs from any device with their smartphone or a web enabled computer. Easy to install with no reliance on print servers, print queues or port monitoring, which means no modifications to your customer's print environment. Low-cost per-device pricing model which makes it easy to bundle with your service and MPS contracts. Integrates with Print Audit 6 to maximize cost savings for your customers. Be one of the first to check out Print Audit Secure! Beginning September 15th, Print Audit's President and CEO, John MacInnes, will be conducting weekly informational webinars to introduce Secure. Please register now at http://www.printaudit.com/securewebinar

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Daily Managed Print Industry Notes from Around the World!

Printer vendors turn SMB savvy: Go gaga on MPS SolutionsThe most-talked trend at the moment is Managed Print Services, which many of the vendors are looking at to attract the attention of the SME crowd with the cost saving factor. According to a study, an enterprise/ SME invests about 1- 3 percent of its ...read more

New independent research has investigated the benefits of Managed Print Services (MPS) for medium-sized businesses - highlighting contract-managed opportunities for the sales channel. The report by IT research and analysis specialist, Quocirca found that escalating print costs and demand on employee resources are driving the demand for Managed Print Services for...read more

Manchester, UK and Berlin, Germany – 13 September 2011 – John Taylor, CEO of M2, will address how to deliver real customer value through managed print services (MPS), The Independent Way, at the third European MPS Conference on 11 October 2011. M2, the UK’s leading Independent MPS company, will be available to the forum to prove how customers benefit from independent consultancy...read more

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Top Five Short Notes for MFP & Copier Industry

Sometimes you'll have the ability to rattle off 500 to 600 words with a blog and sometimes you're just left with a  little bit of this and a little bit of that.  Thus this brings to me my Top Five Short Notes for the week or the last two weeks.  If it's popular I'll try and continue for everyone. 

1.  Seems traffic at Graph Expo in Chicago was excellent for Monday and Tuesday of this week, however Sunday was no where near as good with 9/11, and the Bears game.

2.  Ricoh seems to have a definite hit on their hands with the new Ricoh C651 series print production color system!  Traffic was awesome and reviews were just as good.  I for one am chomping at the bit waiting for us to get our first system in the door.  More to come on this unit very soon!

3. Even though I run the Print4Pay Hotel forums, and I'm still out on the street selling, I still find the time to make the forums work for my customers.  I had an issue with postscript printing of booklets, and internally I had no one to turn to that could help me.  With the recent downturn of support and this goes for all manufacturers, I turned to the P4P forums and found a workaround that a fellow P4P'er had posted a few months ago.  I turned the customer onto the workaround, it worked and all was good for the account.  As one P4P'er stated a few years ago, "The service you have and are providing is INVALUABLE. Any RFG consultant/rep worth their salt should be utilizing your site. I would highly recommend you charge a reasonable fee for these services, as the information you provide from around the world cannot be packaged adequately by the manufacturers. Other associations from other industries charge for memberships; this is a very small investment that provides tremendous "edown-in-the-trenches" resources to the members."  BTW, the Print4Pay Hotel has a FREE basic membership.

4. I just read an article about Kodak and about how they are reinventing themselves as a digital player for print production and printers.  I'm thinking this was a recycled article and I'm thinking they've been trying to do this for years.  About a year ago Kodak was high on my list to sell their print production business, however with Ricoh still struggling with IKON, Canon still trying to join two different cultures with themselves and OCE, Xerox, ACS and Global still buying dealerships, KonicaMinolta???  Anyway you slice it, seems like no one may have the cash to pull off something big.

5. When will it start,  meaning it's not a matter of if it's going to happen, however when and by whom.  I see Auxilio as a prime target to be bought by like the likes of Ricoh, Canon, Xerox, or KonicaMinolta, hey maybe even Lexmark or Okidata.  To me the writing is on the wall. With the BIG 4 focusing on health care, government and law, Auxilio is fruit that's ripening on the vine and ready to be picked!

Well that's for those thoughts that have been pounding around in my head for the last few days, enjoy, comment if you wish but above all good selling to everyone!!

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Daily Copier & MFP Industry Notes from around the World

Konica Minolta to Highlight Corporate Initiatives at Graph Expo 2011 ...Read 'Konica Minolta to Highlight Corporate Initiatives at Graph Expo 2011' on Yahoo! News. Provides Production Print Customers with Valuable Resources ...read more

Konica Minolta Donates Award-Winning bizhub Press C8000 to ...Read 'Konica Minolta Donates Award-Winning bizhub Press C8000 to Printing Industries of America' on Yahoo! News. Next Generation Color Digital Press ...read more

Xerox, Customers Receive Industry Accolades at Graph Expo 2011Digital printing systems and software from Xerox and XMPie were awarded eight honors in the annual "Must See 'ems" award program, and 12 Gold Ink Awards recognizing exceptional digital printing technology in commercial print and graphic arts industries ...read more

New Fiery XF proServer Maximizes Throughput of EFI VUTEk Superwide Inkjet Printers CHICAGO, Sept. 12, 2011 GRAPH EXPO -- EFI, a world leader in customer-focused digital printing innovation, today launched Fiery® XF proServer...read more

ROCHESTER, N.Y., – At Graph Expo 2011, KODAK Technology is featured in more than a dozen booths throughout the show. These offerings, from workflow automation to print finishing solutions, are used to create a range of innovative applications and...read more

CHICAGO—Sept. 12, 2011—Océ, a Canon Group company and an international leader in digital document management, today announced that GRAPH EXPO 2011 marks the public debut of the Océ ColorStream® 3500 system in North America. Unveiled at Canon Expo in...read more

ROCKVILLE, MD--(Sep 12, 2011) - MarketResearch.com has announced the addition of the new report "U.S. Peripherals 2011-2015 Forecast and Analysis" to their collection of Computer Equipment market reports. For more information,...read more

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