print4pay Hotel's "MFP Solutions Blog"

Weekend Copier & MFP Updates for 1/29/2012

2012-01-29T20:02:00.003-05:00

Superbowl week is upon us GO GIANTS!!
For those who delve deep into the forums, there is so much awesome content from the p4p members.Please make sure you read all of the new links and then pick and choose what interests you! For those readers that are not members please use this one time lifetime FREE registration link!

Print4Pay Hotel's Production Print Certification Testing! That's right now posted on P4P U Certifications & Testing are the first five tests in a total of ten tests. There will be a new test posted each month for the next five months!

Please take advantage of the sales documents, quotes, proposals, rfp's, rfq's, uploads, leads, p4p library, downloads and all of the additional forum features that are enabled with a Premium Membership!

Recent Blogs of NoteRicoh A4 MFP vs Canon A4 MFP "Who Wins with Scanning"?
Selling Copiers & MFP's "First Contact"
Selling Copiers & MFP's "The Tax Man Cometh"
Selling Copiers & MFP's "Where's the Hard Drives?"
I Want My....I Want My..... SMART MFP

Interesting & Most Viewed P4P Forum ThreadsITEX 2012 OFFERS COMPREHENSIVE DEALER EDUCATION INCLUDING
Winning Proposal Generator for MPF's or MPS
Ricoh SP 5200 Series A4imageRUNNER 1700 Series
New Units from Ricoh 1st quarter 2012
Keyboard for Ricoh MFP's
End of 2011 Sales Quota Poll
Global Imaging Systems Names...
Lexmark and Anheuser-Busch ink MPS deal

NEW! Uploaded MFP Docs in P4P Document Library5 Tips 4 Using the Web4Prospecting the “First Contact
Reduce_Costs_through_Printer_Consolidation
Multifunction-Printer-
Ricoh Staple cost analysis
Ricoh Black Laser Cost Per Page Yield Analysis

Press ReleasesKyocera Mita America Multifunctional Products and Printers Named ...
Océ Outlines Five Key Attributes to Consider When Purchasing a Wide Format ScannerXerox Reports 14% increase in EPS on Flat Revenue
Ricoh is one of the world’s most sustainable companies for the eighth year
Konica Minolta to Exhibit Award-Winning Solutions and IT Services at LegalTech

P4P Poll QuestionsNew Color Cost Per Page Poll for 60 ppm plus
New Color Cost Per Page Poll for 30-44 ppm COLOR
New Color Cost Per Page Poll for 45 - 59 ppm COLOR

New Leads, RFP's & RFQ's Uploaded!Need a Lease of 62 Copiers in......
Copiers Need for Fort ______ School District
Health Support Services Needs Color COpier
200K copier Bid in Meid West USA
3-Year Copier Lease

Uploaded Pricing Proposals & QuotesKyocera 3500 Quote
"Pricing on the Street" Canon 3245i
"Pricing on the Street" KonicaMinolta bizhub423
"Pricing on the Street" Xerox WorkCentre 5150PTQ.pdf
Ricoh Production Print Cost Per Page "Consumables" Analysis

-=Good Selling=-

Ricoh A4 MFP vs Canon A4 MFP "Who Wins with Scanning"?

2012-01-29T14:05:00.001-05:00

In recent days I had the chance to get additional information about the Ricoh SP5200 A4 MFP and the Canon 1750if A4 MFP. My last blog titled Ricoh A4 MFP or Canon A4 MFP "That is the Question" mentioned some of the plus and minuses for each system. So, let's consider this as a follow up for the additional information I've been able to find out.

Scan Speed
Ricoh touts a scan speed of the SP5200 series over 30ipm at 200dpi, while the Canon 1750IF has a scan speed of 52ipm at 300dpi. When it comes to scan speed we'll give the advantage to the Canon 1750IF since the Ricoh SP5200 will slow down even further when scanning at 300dpi.

Document Feeder
The Canon 1750if will hold up to 100 originals compared to 50 originals for the Ricoh SP5200 series. However, Ricoh does have a "batch mode" this is used when the user has more than 50 originals. Thus you could scan 100 pages but would have to baby sit the scanner. At this time I'm not sure if the Canon has a "batch mode" for scanning. Advantage to Canon 1750IF again.

Searchable PDF
It's standard on the Canon 1750IF and searchable .pdf is not even an option on the Ricoh SP5200, you'll need to buy a third party solution. Canon 1750IF Advantage.

Scanning of Mixed Size Originals
Let me start with the Ricoh SP5200 series first, you can't load mixed letter and legal documents in the scanner and expect to have letter and legal size .pdf's when they are scanned. We tried this at the office and they all scanned as letter documents when we opened them up with Adobe Reader. You would either have to copy all letter size and then make a setting change on the MFP to scan legal size.

Personally I see the market for these types of the devices the Canon 1750if and the Ricoh S5200 series for legal, title, mortgage, health and municipalities. Why even bring a device to market that can't Scan mixed sized originals. Seems Ricoh choose to use an inexpensive document feeder that is not capable of reading documents larger than letter size. Could this be directly related to the Ikon aquisition, meaning that Ricoh is not enabling R & D like they did before the Ikon aquisition?

On the other hand, I put this out there for a few Print4Pay Hotel members to see if the Canon 1750IF is capable of scanning mixed size originals and I'm waiting to hear back from them (we get all of our information from guys and gals on the street who are selling these devices). However from viewing the brochure of the Canon 1750IF it seems that there is a sensor on the rear end of the document feeder tray. Thus, the Canon 1750IF should be able to scan mixed size originals. Major Advantage Canon! UPDATE!! I've heard back from two Print4Pay Hotel members and both stated that the Canon 1750if will scan mized sized orginals.

Scanner ease of Use
This is going to be a tough one, however I'm a big fan of "the bigger the better" and the Ricoh SP5200 series does have an impressive LARGE COLOR LCD user interface. The Canon 1750IF has a monotone black/gray display and the LCD is half the size of the Ricoh SP5200 series. Take if from me the large color user interface on the Ricoh is a pleasure to use. Advantage to Ricoh.

Scanning is a large part of every day use of these types of devices. Typically if I scan more than 50 pages every time I walk to the device, then I'd rather have a machine that can drop the documents in and then walk away. Same with speed, under 2 minutes to scan 100 pages or over three minutes on the Ricoh device. But there will be users that don't ever scan 50 pages at a time? Thus the 100 page document feeder may not play a critical role in the assessment of the device. The same can be stated for mixed size documents, there may be some companies that just scan letter and have no need to mix letter and legal. And then how about searchable .pdf? Yup, it's a nice feature, and yup I would like to have it, but what about the everyday user that just wants to save the image and will never ever do a search when they open the document.

When it comes to speeds and feeds the Canon 1750IF looks like a clear winner, IF the user has a need for all of those features. IF not, then both systems are a lot alike. We'll need to sit down and see what's best for the user, what makes the best sense, will it be ease of use of features that are never used. You can then look at cost per page, and total TCO.

I had fun with this and I hope you enjoyed it also.

-=Good Selling=-

Selling Copiers & MFP's "First Contact"

2012-01-24T21:54:00.001-05:00

A Star Trek flick from 1996 had the crew of the Enterprsie travel back in time to undermine the Borg attempt to stop Earthlings from making "First Contact" with the Vulcans.

The last few days I've been busy on the phone prospecting for new accounts, new opportunities, new upgrades and what else... more the "first contact" and more sales. It seems every year it gets some what tougher to get a hold of Mr. or Mrs. Right, for those of us that consider ourselves Professional Prospectors we get used to these types of responses when we know the name of Mr. or Mrs Right:

"Sorry so and so just left for lunch"
"He just stepped out"
"So and so is on the phone right now"
"He or she is busy"
"We're not interested"
"So and so just stepped into a meeting"

So what are we to do, well as one Print4Pay Hotel member stated many years ago we need to be "smarter than the average bear". We've all heard these before but here's a few for a refresher:

Vary the time that you call on that account
Call early in the AM
Call late in the afternoon
Call on a Saturday
Call on another employee in the company and ask to be transfered to the DM

It used to be that on-site Cold Calling used to work well, however at least here in the NY metro area it's hard to gain access to building since 9/11. Doors are locked, security cameras are in place and sales people are left to other means to find out who the DM is. By the way, why is it that when you make the call and ask who the DM is, it's seems like you're sentencing that person to ten or twenty lashes??

One such person got so nasty with me when I was being very polite and I asked for the name of the person that makes that decision (true story). I told that I had hoped that a camel would walk through her bed at night. It just came out....I should have been more professional, yup... however sometimes you get so fed up, hey we're just trying to do our job also.

The web is a wonderful place and I've found creative ways to seek out those first contacts when the gatekeeper does not want to give me any information. So here's a list of resources I use for the web, if you'd like to know how I use each one to my advantage then send me an email, join the p4photel (it's free) and I'll send you in detail how I use each one. art@p4photel.com

Manta
Linkedin
Contact Us
Box Approach
Google

-=Good Selling=-

Daily Managed Print Service Industry Notes from Around the World!

2012-01-24T21:15:00.001-05:00

Newport City Council (NCC) has cut its print-related costs by more than 25 per cent, resulting in nearly £90000 savings, by applying the same Managed Print Service (MPS) tools and techniques Xerox uses to save millions for large enterprises.

NCC is undergoing a major IT transformation initiative focused on improving technology infrastructure across its 50+ sites to increase business efficiency and support flexible working practices. Xerox’s managed print service is helping the council realise this vision and has also helped significantly reduce the IT support resources required and lower direct printing costs. you can read more here

Level Platforms, one of the pioneers of managed services in the channel, is expanding beyond its remote monitoring and management software products to include managed services delivered to and on behalf of its MSP partners.

As part of its upcoming multi-city road show and the release of its Managed Workplace 2012, Level Platforms is unveiling comprehensive network operations center and help desk services. The new offerings will provide Level Platforms’ partners with an outlet for offloading many managed services tasks and provide a new level of support within the vendor ecosystem.

Level Platforms has been developing its NOC and help desk services for more than a year, opting to build from the ground up internally rather than cobbling together off-the-shelf software and outsourcing management to a third-party provider. CEO Peter Sandiford calls the new services a natural evolutionary step in the development of Level Platforms’ product and service offerings. you can read more here

Jan 24, 2012 IRVINE, Calif. – Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc. (http://business.toshiba.com), announces the debut of the world’s first Self-Encrypting Drive (SED) equipped with proprietary wipe technology for multifunction printers (MFPs). This new Toshiba technology allows users to determine a range of security settings, including the invalidation of encryption keys and data invalidation when a drive is removed from its housing or connected to an unauthorized host system.

“As the needs of our customers constantly evolve, Toshiba is committed to remaining at the forefront of product innovation,” said Joseph Contreras, director, Product and Solutions Marketing, Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc. “Toshiba’s new SED security technology improves data security and reduces the risk of sensitive information stored on copiers and printers leaving your company. When the SED is removed or stolen from the MFP and installed into another device, the data is invalidated automatically. If the SED is returned to the MFP without being installed into another device, data will not be invalidated and is accessible.” you can read more here

-=Good Selling=-

Selling Copiers & MFP's "The Tax Man Cometh"

2012-01-20T17:05:00.001-05:00

I really, really hate this time of year, usually after the first of the year we'll start seeing the commercials for H&R Block, Hewitt, and Turbo Tax. This year started early, a week before Christmas I started seeing the tax adds! OMG, please no more reminders!!

Over the years there's some years were I win (get cash back) and some years where I lose (gotta pay up). Since the Great Recession, well, let's say it's been interesting to say the least.

For those of us that get spiffs from manufacturers these all come with a price tag, and it's hefty if you haven't planned for the tax man. We forget about $150 here and $300 there and $50 here, and by the time you look at the statement, you're getting 1099'd for over $10,000!!!

There was one year in particular where I won a trip to Japan (on ricoh) and a super duper TV, surround sound, VCR, DVD, you name it and I got it (on ricoh), turns out I for 1099'd for all that stuff plus my spiff points, arrggh, I ended up owing a mid 4's to the feds.

So, over the years, I created a list a must do's when it comes to paying my fair share of taxes. I'm not going to post them here in an open blog, however log on the Print4Pay forums and see my ten points that can help you reduce your exposure....

So feel free to add to this discussion, but here's a few things that I do to maximize my take home pay (especially when it's commission time)and minimize my taxes. Go here to fill in the blanks.

First and Foremost:

I keep .....................

I keep an accurate.............

Instead of going to the office first thing in the AM,..................

Samething with on..............

I'll buy..........

I run...........

I join......

I have a.............

When I go to...........

Plus, I pay..................

-=Good Selling=-

Selling Copiers & MFP's "Where's the Hard Drives?"

2012-01-16T21:53:00.000-05:00

Almost 30 years ago, Clara Peller screamed "Where's the Beef?" to American and Canadian TV viewers. "Where's the Beef?" was a popular slogan in the Eighties to lure hamburger eaters from the likes of McDonald's and Burger King over to Wendy's.

In recent weeks, Copier Dealers have been asking "Where's the Hard Drives?". Severe flooding in Thailand has affected shipments of MFP's to the US. The flooding from October 23rd left many hard drive factories under water.

Pictures that were posted on the Print4Pay Hotel forums showed massive flooding in several industrial parks. Just about three weeks after the flooding almost 1,000 Hitachi HDD workers went on strike and further disrupting the supply chain.

Later in the month of December came the announcements from many Copier and Printer Manufacturers that there would be disruptions to the supply chain. There were some reports of disruptions that may last 3 - 6 months. In a recent post on the Print4Pay forums a Hitachi VP claimed that it will take almost a year for the Global Hard Drive industry to recover from the impact of the flooding.

"Where's the Hard Drives?", seems that 4 hard drive manufacturers have 90% of the market, Western Digital, Seagate, Hitatchi and Toshiba. Almost thirty three percent of all hard drives are manufactured in Thailand. Read more here

When I first heard about the floods in Thailand, I really didn't think there would be that much of an issue with MFP's in the US. Goes to show you how much I know. In recent weeks, I've been alerted to the back order of MFP's due to the flooding. Again, I thought no big deal a few extra days here and there and it won't be a big thing. The lasted is that we have four or five MFP models that are projected with 3-6 month back orders, one particular model had a June back order. Dam, I had just sold 5 of these to one of my accounts! "Where's the Hard Drives?" Now, I'm hearing from other reps from other manufacturers that they're now seeing additional MFP's models placed on longer than usual back orders.

Even though Thailand manufacturers almost one third of the worlds hard drives it might be a good bet that they supplied at least or more than 50% of the hard drives to Copier manufacturers (this is just a guess) and that's the reason for the shortages. Least we forget about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan last year and it seems we've had a perfect storm to really wreak havoc with the Copier Industry.

What good is a digital copier without a hard drive, it's like having a hamburger without the meat, it just doesn't work! Which leads me to this short story, many years ago, we had a local Jack in the Box (just like a Wendy's MickyD's or BurgerKing), however you had to drive up, place your order with a giantic clown head. One night in particular, I placed my order, got my burgers and to my surprise all I got was the *&($#(* bun!

-=Good Selling=-

Weekend Copier & MFP Updates for 1/15/2012

2012-01-15T14:01:00.001-05:00

With the Giants game fast approaching I had to get this blog out early for everyone. Some good stuff this week.

Stethos USA will be holding weekly webx on how to look for opportunities with their Enhanced Laser Printing Solution, I've got a couple in the works and it's a lot less than Planet Press, make sure you sign up for the webx, see if below on the links.

Another nice Blog form Vince McHugh titled "Who makes Xerox Copiers \ MFDs???", and then some awesome cost per page analysis that I did for assorted Ricoh hardware, you can check these out in the Print4Pay Library forums.

There's a cool link in the Premium Members section for a FREE Cost Per Page Analysis for Printers, and MFP's, we're adding more information as we go.

P4P Hotel's Production Print Certification Testing! That's right now posted on P4P U Certifications & Testing are the first five tests in a total of ten tests. There will be a new test posted each month for the next five months!

Please take advantage of the sales documents, quotes, proposals, rfp's, rfq's, uploads, p4p library, downloads and all of the additional forum features that are enabled with a Premium Membership!

Please support our Advertisers by clicking their links and giving them a call! LCA Leasing Corp, Stethos USA, Jetmobile, Polek & Polek, UDOCX, Print Audit, & Cybercon Dealer Services, sfSCAN

Recent Blogs of NoteCopiers & MFP's "The Hidden Cost of Staples"
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Selling Copiers & MFP's "Add Value to You Web SIte"
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Who makes Xerox Copiers \ MFDs???
Top Ten Copier & MFP Industry Predictions for 2012

Uploaded Pricing Proposals & QuotesX700XV Xerox X700i Digital Color Press (FREE)
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"Pricing on the Street" Xerox WorkCentre 5150PTQ.pdf
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Why is single clicking an 11×17 on a “copier” legal?

Press ReleasesCanon launches the industry’s fastest USB-powered portable scanner for small offices
Ricoh is the world’s best performing business for sustainability performance among IT
Konica Minolta Updated Free App "PageScope Mobile" Adds Cloud Connectivity to
Fuji Xerox Launches New Eco-Friendly Monochrome Digital Multifunction Devices for SMB
KYOCERA MITA achieves ISO Certification for latest TASKAlfa series of colour and black mfp's

NEW! Uploaded MFP Docs in P4P Document LibraryRicoh Staple cost analysis
Ricoh Black Laser Cost Per Page Yield Analysis
Ricoh Cost Per Page Analysis for Black SOHO MFP's
Ricoh Production Print Cost Per Page Analysis
Ricoh Wide Format Cost Per Page Analysis for Consumables

P4P Poll QuestionsNew Color Cost Per Page Poll for 60 ppm plus
New Color Cost Per Page Poll for 30-44 ppm COLOR
New Color Cost Per Page Poll for 45 - 59 ppm COLOR

New Leads, RFP's & RFQ's Uploaded!Large copier Bid in California
One Wide Format Monochrome Plotter, Copier and Color Scanner Device
State of North Carolina
200K Copier Bid in Illinois

-=Good Selling=-

Do You Trust the Cloud

2012-01-12T18:56:00.001-05:00

Actually the thread that was posted on the Print4Pay Hotel forums was "Can you Trust the Cloud" which was derived from a Xerox white paper that was posted many months ago. Below I'd like to post some snippets from the threads that we had posted. This thread was one of the more popular threads on the forums and continues to be read and additional threads posted.

From SSG: A good white paper from Xerox XGS.
xgs_whitepaper_cloud_computing.pdf

From SSG: I am learning about scanning to the cloud from any MFP via email by opening a free account at www.box.net and....

From SSG: A real interesting concept from Lexmark https://smartsolutions.lexmark.com/ssds/
You can basically upload dozens of free.....

From TXEAGLE: If only they would offer this on their B2B laser MFP's.

From AP: Most of my customers do not trust the cloud, those who do already have something working.

From Constanze: You can even scan directly and securely to the cloud from your Ricoh MFP(to Microsoft Online, Office 365 BPOS, SharePoint). Just take a look at www.udocx.com or at our....

From CASHGAP: This pretty much sums it up...http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2009-11-19/

Look forward, reason back. How many of us have big generators in the parking lot because we like to be in control of our own electrical uptime? Very.......

From JASONR: I totally agree, "not trusting" the cloud is an irrational fear.

From SSG: I just watched a video from the investment website called Motley Fool. They are stating that Cloud Computing is the next big thing to invest in. http://www.fool.com/shop/newsl...rce=irbsitlnk0000141 and point out the big three .....

From ANON: Buy an LG phone and get 50 GB of free Cloud storage on www.box.net .

http://storagenewsletter.com/n...l/lg-box-partnership

From SSG: Is 2012 the begining of the end for File Servers as more companies move to Cloud Storage? http://storagenewsletter.com/n...-egnyte-file-servers "Forrester found that 41 percent of information workers surveyed were using.......

There's may additional replies to this thread. According to the Xerox white paper the we're pretty much going to have to trust the cloud. The white paper even spoke about intellegent documents that would update themselves with new content.

Personally, I'd like to see more MFP's? Copiers have browser units in them that would allow us to use the MFP more open applications, meaning you would not have to use the "Ricoh, Xerox, Canon or KonicaMinolta" scan2cloud offerings. You could use the solution that works best for your document workflow and one the fits your financial concerns.

-=Good Selling=-

Copiers & MFP's "The Hidden Cost of Staples"

2012-01-11T21:10:00.000-05:00

Have you recently bought a new multifunctional copier with a finisher/stapler? If so, can you remember if the staples were included in the cost per page or not included in the cost per page.

Very rarely have I ever seen staples included, and I never though much about the cost of staples and to tell you the truth neither did any of my customers. I tell em staples are NOT included and they say OK! No BIG deal right? Heck what does a box of staples cost, I know it's cheap and you know it's cheap but how cheap are staples when you buy em at STAPLES. A generic box of 25,000 staples will set you back a whopping $4.99. Let's dig a little deeper, what is the actual cost per staple, well based on the yield and the cost, the price of each staple would be .0001996, let me see that's.......ah...ah well its not that much. When we think staples we're thinking I could toss em in the garbage and it's no big loss.

Tonight was a lot like any other night and I needed to get some new information on the print4pay hotel forums for the members. I make sure there is new information posted daily that is related to the industry. So, I decided to investigate the REAL cost of staples for copy machines. To say the least I was amazed at the cost per staple when I did the math.

Let's take one of the BIG 4 Copier Manufacturers (Xerox, Ricoh, KonicaMinolta & Canon), and look at the cost of the more popular staple cartridges. In this case this one particular staple cartridge will fit most of the models from 40 pages per minute to 90 pages per minute. The cost for 5 cartridges which have a yield of 25,000 staples is $210. So with 25,000 staples the cost per staple is a whopping .008426 per staple. Which is almost 500% higher than the cost of the staple that you buy at the Office Super Store. That's a pretty step increase for a staple, but I'll say that most of the manufacturers present a fancy delivery system for the staple. When using staples to make booklets the cost can be as high as almost two cents to staple the booklet.

I understand we're talking about pennies and fractions of pennies. But what about the high volume users who are stapling 10,000 booklets, did anyone tell them that cost of the staples alone would cost almost $173 per month. How about the church or school that staples 5,000 tests or bulletins or reports, was there a mention the staples would cost an additional $42 per month? Heck, that's almost $500 a year in staples.

In addition the finisher/staplers don't come cheap. You can expect to pay anywhere from $1,000 to $6,000 per unit. True story I was in a Municipality looking at some old equipment, in particular one copier had a finisher/stapler unit. The cost of the finisher/stapler unit when they made the purchase was some $2,300. Over the course of 5 years they only used the stapler 476 times (true most systems will give you a report of how often the stapler was used). In this case the it cost the Municipality $4.83 cents to produce 476 stapled reports, and lets not forget the cost of the staple at .008. I recommended getting a new system without the stapler and keeping one nearby the system.

Something as mundane as staples, who woulda thought that the cost was so high, I guess it's the price we pay for ease of use and technology. Geessh, I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel when I have to write about staples!

-=Good Selling=-

Weekend MFP & Copier Industry Updates

2012-01-08T17:14:00.001-05:00

Just a few notes for everyone this week.

I wanted to put this out there for all members, if you're looking for a way to make any additional revenue for next year, please contact me. I'm looking for a few good people to see if they would be interested in selling banner ads for the P4P Hotel. It's a good way to pick up some extra cash and you may have some contacts that I don't have. We can give a nice commission rate also and just think it would be a renewable income!

Take the time to set your goals for the new year, make a few that are short term and a couple of long term. What I did last year was to super impose a picture of the number one rep in our office in a bullseye. Had it hanging up all year! I'll have all the numbers in a few days, point of the matter is that we all need to have something to drive us. For me after 32 years even I need to do this, and I'm making a point of setting my goals again for this year!

P4P Hotel's Production Print Certification Testing! That's right now posted on P4P U Certifications & Testing are the first five tests in a total of ten tests. There will be a new test posted each month for the next five months!

Please take advantage of the sales documents, quotes, proposals, rfp's, rfq's, uploads, p4p library, downloads and all of the additional forum features that are enabled with a Premium Membership!
Please support our Advertisers by clicking their links and giving them a call! LCA Leasing Corp, Stethos USA, Jetmobile, Polek & Polek, UDOCX, Print Audit, & Cybercon Dealer Services, sfSCAN

Recent Blogs of NoteWhy is single clicking an 11×17 on a “copier” legal?
Selling Copiers & MFP's "Add Value to You Web Site"
Selling Copiers & MFP's "3 Short Follow Up Stories"
Top Ten Copier & MFP Industry Predictions for 2012
Selling Copiers & MFPs "1 Awesome Way to Increase Profit through Knowledge"

Uploaded Pricing Proposals & QuotesX700XV Xerox
X700i Digital Color Press"Pricing on the Street"
Canon 3245i"Pricing on the Street"
KonicaMinolta bizhub423"Pricing on the Street"
Xerox WorkCentre 5150PTQ.pdf

Interesting & Most Viewed P4P Forum ThreadsCompetitive Info Xerox Workcentre 7500 Series
End of 2011 Sales Quota Poll, End of Month, End of Quarter
Both HP and Lexmark increase prices Jan 01 2012
kyocera taskalfa 3050ci - What can you tell me about it?
Big Shake Up at XEROX!!!
Awesome FREE Widget for laser printer TCO
Ricoh MP2550B Shortage from Thai Floods
Got A Situation! What would ou do? (10 responses)

Press ReleasesCanon to build new MFP/Copier factory in Thailand
ACS, A Xerox Company, Helps Iowa Modernize the Way Physicians Share Patient Information
Mergers and Acquisitions: 7 MSPs Acquired Since New Year 2012
Minuteman Press Printing of Lansing, Ill., Grows Business With Help of Ricoh Pro C651

NEW! Uploaded MFP Docs in P4P Document Library
Ricoh Full Line Sell Brochures
New Ricoh SP 5210SR A4 MFP Brochure "New 15 additional threads!"
New Ricoh MP 2352_2852_3352_Brochure
research-managed-print-service-for-government-agencies

P4P Poll QuestionsNew Color Cost Per Page Poll for 60 ppm plus
New Color Cost Per Page Poll for 30-44 ppm COLOR
New Color Cost Per Page Poll for 45 - 59 ppm COLOR

New Leads, RFP's & RFQ's Uploaded!Health Strm / Lease Color Copier
Printers/Projectors/Shredders/Plotters/Copiers
Countywide Multifunction Device Copiers/DUE DATE CHANGED TO 1/26/12/ADDENDUM
Lease of 389 copiers for.......
716 Copiers needed for.........

The Staff at the Print4Pay Hotel

Selling Copiers & MFP's "Add Value to You Web SIte"

2012-01-08T12:33:00.002-05:00

More often your potential customers and current customers are using the web to do research long before you get a phone call. They'll do much of the leg work on what they need or what they would like by searching google, reading blogs or going to web sites such as yours. What's the problem with most web sites in the office equipment industry? There's no interaction for the for the potential new customer or the existing customer. Let's face it, your customer or potential customer will call you when they have questions that can't be answered by your web site, however if another site answers that question you may be losing opportunities.

Web sites need to have current information and something that they can interact with on a daily basis. There are some very nice office equipment web sites out there, and they incorporate a current blog, current press releases via feedzilla and there are those that have interactive polls along with widgets that can help a customer decide on what product would be best for them. Office equipment dealers that have web sites with these attributes will stand the best chance of having the customer call them and they are either ready to order or have some additional questions for the rep to answer.

I found a neat widget from the folks at Pahoda Imaging that will enhance your web site. Best all of the widget is free. You can get three different widgets that you can put on your blog and web site, these widgets will allow your customers to compare features and TCO for different manufacturers and models.

1. Compare HP, Lexmark, and Xerox Printers
2.Compare HP, Lexmark, and Ricoh Printers
3.Compare HP, Lexmark, and Kyocera Printers

Keep in mind that these text link say printers however they also have MFP's in the links also. What I like best is the ability have something that is quick, reliable and something that will help my customers understand that we are leaders in our market place and have the resources to educate them on the total cost of operation. I'm sure these widgets can be customized also, so you if you support Ricoh, Lexmark and Kyocera you'll be able to have a widget for that also (this may not be free).

-=Good Selling=-

Selling Copiers & MFP's "3 Short Follow Up Stories"

2012-01-04T22:12:00.000-05:00

1) Just a short story for everyone today. Back in December of last year I was asked to quote on a copier for a local company. Not a big unit or sale, but a 25ppm monochrome device.

The company new and credit was extremely hard to get approved, after six weeks of trying off and on, we finally got it done. I called the customer and they didn't have the time to wait and had negotiated with another company (sort of like a sub lease).

I had stayed in touch with them and called every four months as a follow up. Just the right thing to do, even if you lose the sale right?

Almost two years had passed and I got a call from the same company that they had kicked out the old vendor and needed another system. Just goes to show you that you need to persevere and still make the calls because anything can happen.

Numbers two and three are posted in the Print4Pay Hotel forums, take a trip here P4P Hotel, get registered (it's free) to read the rest and collaborate with your peers.

The 3 D's represent Desire, Dedication and Determination. Desire to succeed, Dedication to your profession by being a professional sales person and not someone who slings mud at either the competition or the other sales people, Determination to be the best at your craft and to always have the zeal to learn as much as possible!!

-=Good Selling=-

Ricoh Innovates with Scan2iPhone & Scan2iPod App

2012-01-02T22:18:00.000-05:00

I've had an iPod touch for awhile, but never had the chance to play around with it. Over the last week or so, I've been having some fun with all of the different apps and games. I'll have to admit I love some of the games but hate the fact that they give you the opportunity to pay for additional features. Whatever, the game cost .99 cents and I think I dumped $20 bucks or so on upgrades, kinda wish I had that opportunity with PACMAN when I use to sit at the bar for hours dumping quarters into the machine.

Anyway, I downloaded the app for Ricoh Innovations for scanning documents on my iPod touch and this will also work with the iphone, not sure about the new droid phones.

So, under some not so good light at my desk I used the app to scan some pages. It's easy!!! You open the Ricoh app, take the picture and you'll then have the opportunity to deskew the document, clean the document or keep as is. When you're done you can them export to all these Google docs, email, Evernote, Dropbox, or export to your picture gallery. When exporting to everything but your picture gallery you send as a .pdf or .jpeg.

Within a minute or less I had the document in my Google docs and then sent to my email account. One of the nice features that I noticed is that once the document is sent it's not deleted, this enables you to send the document to another if needed. It kinda almost felt James Bondish, being able to take a picture of the document and have it captured and secured with one of my accounts.

The image quality is good. Keep in mind that you can tap the screen of the iPod or iPhone and you'll be able to focus and then see the AE lock on the screen. I did not have the chance to export as a jpeg to see that quality. Keep in mind it's more for documents, sketches and stuff like that. Once I opened the doc, of course it was readable, but the quality kinda reminded me of a poor quality fax (but, I then realized that the document I captured was printed via inkjet printer and it was taken from an image from the web, thus 72dpi). I printed the document to my printer and it printed exactly what I scanned.

I'm thinking a better quality document will produce much better results and I really didn't have the time to run out to the car to get some good originals nor did I want to print from the inkjet. When I'm back in the office I'll give this a shot with some clean documents.

So, I'm thinking this is an awesome app, especially for those of us in the field. Instead of using scan2email or faxing the documents to the office. I can take a picture of them and email them or upload to my Google docs (this way I always have a copy of the documents).

It's the sizzle that sells the steak right? I'll going to incorporate this app into my presentations, and I was just thinking a neat demonstration would be to have email2print setup at the office and then just email the scanned page to the MFP's email address. That would be the sizzle!

Dam, I couldn't wait till I got to the office so I went to the car and pulled a clean original and processed through the Ricoh app. You know it did a very good job, not A1 perfect, but good enough for FREE and good enough to read and process documents!!!

-=Good Selling=-

Selling Copiers & MFPs "1 Awesome Way to Increase Profit through Knowledge"

2012-01-02T13:49:00.001-05:00

What happens when you have no one to turn to about a specific solution on a piece of hardware? You know what I'm talking about, there always seems to a question or two that you know the exact spec or the workflow involved.

I'll give you a scenario, you were at the customers office and had a great meeting, however some additional questions came out of left field about an "xyz" solution. You could tell the client was hot on this and if your system had the capability you would have a better chance to demo the solution, propose the solution and close the sale. To add fuel the fire the client wants the answer asap since they are making the decision within the next 24-48 hours. Typically you'll call your manager, or someone within your organization first, and it's not uncommon that they won't be available (seems to happen all to often) or do not have the answer. You'll then try the manufacturers dealer or direct channel rep, most times it can be a hot and miss here also especially with the recent reductions in staffing. Plus what happens when you need the answer the next day coming off a late afternoon appointment?

My golden rule is the more knowledge you have the better you chance to close additional sales and increase profit from your knowledge with hardware and solutions.

Let's face it, there are not that many guru's (docusultants) in the copier and MFP business. These are the guys and gals that eat, sleep and breath the industry. You could also refer to them as the "geeks" of imaging.

Back in 2003 I created a loose knit group of copier people within MSN communities, probably eight or nine of us to start, and we grew and grew. Today sees the Print4Pay Hotel forums as the only forum of it's kind that allows copier & mfp people to share information, discuss hardware, software solutions, comp plans, new products, price quotes, leads, new trends, new solutions along with daily threads on new products in a secure closed forum. There's a "core" of copier and MFP guru's that help each other, with no strings attached. There's also a handful of solution manufacturers that monitor the site and provide support through the forums. The best part about the forums is that they are FREE. The Print4Pay Hotel has over 3,000 followers in the industry.

So, the one awesome tip is to click this link Register for the Print4Pay Hotel forums and get timely information on products and solutions that will help you add value, add profit and close sales. Here's another link for our testimonial page. Enjoy and have an awesome New Year!

-=gOOD sELLING=-

Top Ten Copier & MFP Industry Predictions for 2012

2011-12-29T21:19:00.002-05:00

Whoa! What a year for the industry with the earthquake/tsunami in Japan, the floods in Thailand, the continued devaluation of the dollar vs the yen, Xerox dumps wide format, Global Imaging Systems has taken over all of the SMB business from Xerox, and major copier manufacturers finally produce their own A4 MFP systems.

Speaking of Xerox, word on the street is that Xerox may be bought (this coming from a Print4Pay Hotel Member on the forums), a recent blog stated that the dancing partners maybe HP, Dell and IBM. You just never know in this business. I just though about this scenario today, Dell buys Xerox and keeps ACS and then spins off the imaging division! You never know.

Last year saw these predictions Top Ten MFP Copier Industry Predictions for 2011. I'm not claiming to be a soothsayer, not when you get 6 out of 10 wrong, however we were right with Kodak on the verge of Bankruptcy (stock is at .65 cents), Samsung did introduce the A3 MFP in the US, it was announced in 2011 that the IKON brand will disappear in March of 2012, and Copier Manufacturers did make the move and purchased MPS related companies.

What can happen in 2012?

1. I'll go out on a limb, Xerox will be bought by....well someone

2. Kodak files for Bankruptcy or is bought "A picture is forever, Kodak is not"

3. Ricoh USA finally comes clean and announces that Ricoh Americas Corp has moved to Malvern, PA

4. Sharp bows out of the commercial MFP business similar to what Panasonic did three years ago, however they will still continue to market A4 devices through distributors and the web, no more dealer and direct channel.

5. Chinese Manufacturer Siene Technology introduces first MFP and looks to establish USA dealer network.

6. Toshiba Business Systems withdraws from the copier/print hardware business, instead they focus on giving the hardware away for free to capture the clicks.

7. One of the Big four Xerox, Ricoh, Canon or KonicaMinolta will buy Auxilio, who ever does takes a major leap of faith in MPS.

8. Managed Print Services......the hype continues

9. Xerox announces additional layoffs in the US

10. USA MFP Copier manufacturer sees the introduction of the first segment 5 A4 MFP.

Some of these are meant to be light hearted and have no chance of coming true, so please take some of this as entertainment and figure out what could happen and what's not going to happen. Above all I hope you enjoyed this!

-=Good Selling=-

Daily Managed Print Service Industry Notes from Around the World!

2011-12-29T20:07:00.001-05:00

Fifteen Trends at Managed Services Conferences: This blog offered insights from the Kaseya Connect User Conference, HTG Dallas and the Managed Print Services Conference. 7. Cloud Computing is Big Business for Small Business: This guest blog, ...go here for more

And our managed print services are helping them keep those costs under control. The other thing we're hearing about is process improvement. With Perceptive, and now Pallas Athena, we help them understand better what their processes are. ...go here for more

I’ve spoken with industry analysts, listened to co-workers and read plenty of IT prophecies form an opinion about what the New Year will bring. In my opinion, the two hottest managed services sectors entering 2012 are managed document services (MDS) and go here for more

Dec 27, 2011 Scottsdale, AZ. – MWA Intelligence, Inc. (MWAi), a leader in enterprise-class M2M (machine to machine) and M2P (machine to people) solutions and services, has been named as one of the Top Managed Print Services Organizations of 2012 by Greg Walter’s The Death of The Copier blog...read more here

-=Good Selling=-

10 Tips for "More Light With Less Current"

2011-12-27T23:36:00.000-05:00

The information below was derived from a pamphlet that I found while cleaning out the attic. The pamphlet was printed in 1941 and was titled "800 Ways to Save and Serve", which was designed to help Americans with the World War II effort.

Times have changed this is for your enjoyment and nothing else.

You can reduce those electric bills by-

1. Eliminating colored bulbs. The greatly lessen the actual light you get.

2. Replacing dark shades and shade linings with light ones.

3. Using one high wattage bulb in place of several smaller ones. A 100 watt bulb gives 50% more light than four 25 watt bulbs, yet uses the same amount of current.

4. Dust the bulbs and the linings of the lamp shades. Wipe off parchment shades, inside and out, with a damp cloth (Turn off electric before dusting).
5. Wash light bulbs occasionally, but be careful not to get the metal section wet. Dry thoroughly before replacing. Be sure electric is OFF while replacing.
6. If after washing the bulbs still look very dark, get new ones.
7. When you leave a room for more than 5 minutes, switch the light off.

8. If your rooms are due for a repainting, consider the lower electric bills you will enjoy by painting walls white or some pastel shade, thereby requiring less artificial lighting.

9. "Bargain" light bulbs are usually and extravagance. They dim quickly, but consume as much electric as good ones. Play safe by using the standard brands.
10. If you spend much time working in the basement, spare your eyes by whitewashing the walls so they reflect more light. If the joists overhead are exposed, you can increase the amount of illumination from the ceiling fixture without changing to a larger bulb. Simply nail several white painted boards or cardboards to the joists around the base of the fixture.

-=Good Selling=-

Selling Copiers & MFP's "9 Tips to Start the Year Right"

2011-12-26T19:52:00.001-05:00

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

Even me with 32 years in the "down the street" sales can still learn a few things. Over the last few years I've made the effort to schedule vacation time a few days before Christmas and then the week after Christmas. I don't go anywhere, will do a few things around the house that need attending, take some longer naps (I need em), get some of the odds and ends done that I've put off like re-registering the car.

More importantly, I'll take this time to recharge. Things that I like to do during my time off that will help me with next years sales.

1. Re-read a few chapters of my favorite sales books. (you've got to stay on top of your game, there's nothing new in sales, so it's always good to review and make sure you're doing all of the right things)
2. Make a list of my goals for next year. (I'll make one or two major and then 5 or 6 minor ones).
3. Update my data base in our CRM software. Out with the crap and in with the new. (In my case, just like the old index cards, some accounts will get lost in the shuffle. I'll take this time to make sure every account gets a call)
4. Make a list of 20 "Net New" Companies that I'd like to get as accounts. (Kinda my wish list for accounts that I'd like to get into for the new year)
5. Educate myself about what my competitors have to offer for hardware & software. (Sometimes we get so caught up with prospecting, researching, quoting and closing that we find ourselves not knowing about new products and software from the competition, I'll take a trip to their web site to review)
6. Make some follow up calls to make sure I have some January business. (There's always some loose ends that need to be taken care of)
7. Review pipeline for first quarter. (What can I say, you always need to know what you need to do to make things happen and have the business that will pay you the big bucks)
8. Relax (My most favorite, this will also include power naps, mindless entertainment, and a few good flicks)
9. Family Time (Other than relaxing I'll make sure I help the wife or the kids with something special, if it were not for them I might not have the desire, determination or dedication to be the best at what I do)

The industry has been good to me and I'm pretty sure it's because I've always worked hard. With out hard work and passion I probably would have wilted many years ago. But, after 32 years there's always something new and something new to learn.

-=Good Selling=-

Ricoh's New SP5200SR Copier MFP Review

2011-12-22T22:14:00.000-05:00

Whoa! It's been four days since I posted a blog, just goes to show you what the end of the month, the end of the quarter and the end of the year can do to you when you're still selling!

I'd like to put my thoughts down about the new Ricoh S5200SR series, pretty much what I like, what I don't like and some of the unknowns that I see about the new product.

Over the last 3 or 4 years I've been a big fan of A4 Copier/MFP devices. For years I couldn't fathom why major manufacturers like Xerox, Ricoh, Canon and KonicaMinolta (The Big 4) were not developing their own A4 strategy. I'm thinking the proliferation of MPS (Managed Print Service) in recent years changed the mind set of the Big 4 to enter the A4 MFP marketplace with their own home grown devices.

Ricoh SP5200 series

One of the most confusing aspects of this series is the model number, there is a laser printer version and an MFP version. The model numbers for the laser printers are SP5200DN and SP5210DN. The SP5200DN prints at up to 47 pages per minute and the SP5210DN prints at up to 52 pages per minute. D represents Duplex, white the N represent Network .

Here's where it gets confusing, in the MFP series we have an SP5200S, SP5210SF, and the SP5210SR.

The SP5200S prints and copies at up to 47 pages per minute and out of the box offers print/copy/color scan/store. While the SP5210SF offers out of the box configurations with print/copy/color scan/store/fax and an inner one bin tray (for fax receptions), and has a print speed of up to 52 pages per minute.

The flagship of the series is the SP5210SR offers the same out of box configuration as the SP5210SF except that the fax is an option and the 1 bin tray is replaced with an internal 50 sheet stapler (50 pages for letter and 30 pages for legal). What ever happened to keeping it simple. When talking about the systems it's crucial to make sure that you know the difference between the DN, S, SF & SR versions of the device.

For time being I'm gonna put the laser printers on the back burner and from here on I'll be writing about the MFP version in general.

Read more »

Ricoh USA Website in Countdown Mode to......

2011-12-18T20:48:00.000-05:00

For the last ten days if you paid a visit to the Ricoh USA web site the main banner was replaced with a banner of a "cloaked" product and a picture of a color GUI (Graphical User Interface) that is placed on their copiers. As of Friday or it might have been Thursday the countdown was down to 1 day left. I'm thinking it was Thursday when the one day was left. I didn't have the time to visit the site on Friday, nor Saturday, but had the chance today to pay a visit and see what the hype was.

I'm thinking I knew what the hype was, the delayed launch of the SP5200 A4 series multifunctional products. The SP5200 multifunctional series is much needed to compete with the Canon 1700 series. We were suppose to see it here in the US in November.

However, I bit at the banner ad and was expecting to see something on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Well, the countdown banner is gone, the old banners are back up and there is no press release. Heck, maybe they'll post it on the overnight or first thing in the AM. It's not surprising since.....

Read more »

12 Gas Saving Tips "800 Ways to Save & Serve"

2011-12-17T11:24:00.000-05:00

Your Gas, Electric and Phone Bills

The information below was derived from a pamphlet that I found while cleaning out the attic. The pamphlet was printed in 1941 and was titled "800 Ways to Save and Serve", which was designed to help Americans with the World War II effort. Times have changed this is for your enjoyment and nothing else.
Ideas on keeping them "down to earth"

Conserve Cooking Fuel

1) Fuel is a victory essential. Conserve your bit by lowering the hear once the watter is boiling. It will remain at this tempature. Buy an oven thermometer so that the roasting and baking can be done at the most economical, recommended temparture.

2) Don't heat a whole tea kettle of water when all you need is two cups.

3) Remove sediment in your tea kettle.

4) Cook most vegetables in the smallest possible quantity of water - this saves vitamins and minerals too!

Read more »

Digital A3 Envelope Press from Ricoh? I Think....

2011-12-14T21:02:00.000-05:00

I've been around this business long enough to know a good thing when I see it. My roots are in the Print4Pay market of the office equipment business. My first introduction to the Print4Pay business was when I began selling the Minolta 450Z analog copier to print shops, advertising agencies, newspaper and basically any company that needed to reduce or enlarge a document by 1/10th of 1%. Gosh darn those where the good ole days right?

In the past few years dedicated "digital" envelope presses have emerged from the likes of Xante, Oki and a few other third party suppliers. If you're not familiar with these devices I'll make it short and sweet, it's a tweaked OKI Color LED (Laser Emitting Diode) print engine with A3 (up to 11x17 print) print capability. These LED (technically not laser, but is laser quality or better, depends on who you ask) are then married with an envelope feeder attachment and then an exit conveyor attachment. The feeder feeds envelopes into the by-pass area of the paper feed system. There you have it, a digital press that can produce 4 color envelopes with for consumables of about 2 cents each.

Price...., the systems are pricey, with most models that will range from $16k-$22k per system. You have to see a whole lotta envelopes to make up that kinda cash. If the price was right for these systems, I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that every print shop and CRD would have one. The fact is the price is not right and not every print shop has one or can afford to have one.
Read more »

120 Ways to Save on Food "8 Tips on Vegetables & Fruit"

2011-12-12T22:22:00.001-05:00

Copier & MFP Color Cost Per Page Poll

2011-12-12T21:52:00.001-05:00

Over the years the Print4Pay Hotel has conducted many "secure" polls that are only available to registered members on our forums.

Just yesterday we started our Second Annual Color Cost per page poll. Within the forums we allow our members to click the Color Cost Per Page that they are charging end users. The poll is anonymous so no one knows who clicked what cost per page and what monthly volume. After two days we've already posted 156 page views.

It's essential that we as sales people, Dealer Owners, and the Direct Channel can get a view of what is being charged for the Color Cost Per Page. Here you can see the average cost per page, the low cost per page and the high cost per page, plus you can match them with monthly and quarterly volumes.

In recent days 67% of our members stated that the Color Cost Per Page on a 50 page per minute color MFP doing 5,000 pages per month is below .........yup gonna have to be a member to get that information. Membership is FREE, you just gotta put up with a weekly email of updates on the latest industry threads from our members. Keep in mind that our forums are secure, no end users, no bs registrations. So if you can take a trip here, become a member of the worlds largest group of copier, print and mfp professionals in the work.

Here's a sample of one of our Second Annual "Color Cost Per Page Polls"

Question:
Please check your average color cost per page for 10,000 plus pages per month.

Choices:
.08
.075-.079
.070-.074
.065-.069
.060-.064
.055-.059
.050-.054
.045-.049
.040-.044
.035-.039
under .034

Question:
Please check your average color cost per page for 7,000-10,000 pages per month.

Choices:
.08
.075-.079
.070-.074
.065-.069
.060-.064
.055-.059
.050-.054
.045-.049
.040-.044
.035-.039
under .034

Question:
Please check your average color cost per page for 4,000 - 7,000 plus pages per month.

Choices:
.08
.075-.079
.070-.074
.065-.069
.060-.064
.055-.059
.050-.054
.045-.049
.040-.044
.035-.039
under .034

-=Good Selling=-

Daily Managed Print Service Industry Notes from Around the World!

2011-12-06T21:08:00.001-05:00

Mission Viejo's AUXILIO Inc., a managed print services (MPS) provider for the healthcare industry, is holding an informal webinar on Friday, Dec. 8 at 8 am hosted by Modern Healthcare. ...read more here

NEWSBYTE, Dec. 6, 2011 - Lexmark International, Inc. (NYSE: LXK) has enhanced its offerings for the public sector by combining the power of Lexmark multifunction product (MFP) technology with ImageNow from Perceptive Software. To save valuable time when submitting documentation for services, the Lexmark MFP and ....read more here

Despite CEO Meg Whitman saying that 2012 would be a year of balance sheet rebuilding, HP(HPQ) announced another acquisition Monday, purchasing German software company, Hiflex Software GmbH. HP spent more than $11 billion in 2011 making ....read more here

The lawsuit was filed in US District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of all HP LaserJet owners by David Goldblatt of New York, who recently purchased two of the printers. The lawsuit accuses HP of violating California's consumer ....read more here

Brother strengthens senior sales team with print industry veterans

Printer manufacturer Brother has expanded its sales team with the appointments of two senior managers. Cathy Ellis (pictured) joins from Dell, where she was the UK head of its printer business for three years. She will take up the newly created position of head of sales, online partners, developing Brother’s online partner network, and ....read more here

-=Good Selling=-

Document Capture Workstations "Is the Time Right"?

2011-12-04T19:45:00.001-05:00

A few days ago I was flipping through the MFP Report and there was an interesting article on an HP device listed as a "Document Capture Workstation". The MFP Report states that the HP Scanjet Enterprise 8500 fn1 was previewed at Innovation Impact in Shanghai a few months ago.

I'm all over this technology! Many years ago I mentioned that Hi Speed Network Scanners Stations are needed in the office, but you'd have to spice them up with some additional features like:

Scan2email
Scan2folder
Scan2ftp
Scan2sharepoint
Ability to run third party software such as ecopy, digidoc flow, NSI, etc....
Network Fax
Cloud Fax
Scan2Print
Scan2fax

What is Jetmobile?

2011-12-01T19:14:00.001-05:00

Recently Jetmobile signed on as an annual supporter of the Print4Pay Hotel. I'll admit I knew little about Jetmobile and what they did until I spoke with Stoney Tuckness Director of Business Development. So without further ado, I've posted the first Print4Pay Hotel Interview with Stoney @ Jetmobile. Please go here for online demo.

Stoney what is Jetmobile?

Jetmobile is an ISO 9001 certifiedcompany with 17 years of experience developing enterprise-class softwaresolutions for the printing industry. Jean Francois d’Estalenx establishedJetmobile in 1994 in Paris but has since grown into a global company withstrong representation in all 3 major regions; Americas, EMEA, APJ. Jetmobile headquarters are located in Nampa,ID, Paris, France & Singapore. Jetmobile is nearing 70 employees, 45 of which make up our research anddevelopment department and quality control. This reach and scope allowsJetmobile to tailor our already flexible software based on regional needs aswell as offer technical and sales support 24/6 in local languages.

What type of Jetmobile products are there?

Jetmobile offers 3 major products;SecureJet, MicrDIMM, and BarDIMM. These products are sold as either OEMproducts from major printing manufactures or through indirect channels.

What are the benefits of each product?

Jetmobile’s BarDIMM turns your HPLaserJet printer into a barcoding expert. BarDIMM supports over 90 barcodingformats, numerous manufacturing symbols in multiple languages, is fullyscalable, and supports color.

Jetmobile’s MicrDIMM allows for adhoc dynamic check printing including signature lines, logos, and addresses, removesthe need for pre printed check stock, and minimizes security risks of preprinted checks or third party check printing services. Our flagship product is SecureJet. SecureJetis a security, mobility and traceability solution for print devices. SecureJet isa next generation, enterprise-class, fully scalable, security, mobility, andtraceability, solution. SecureJet allows customers to minimize printing cost,increase security, and prove utilizations and efficiencies as well as providingknowledge for actionable print environment optimization.

What Happens When You're Numero Uno in Copier & MFP Sales

2011-11-29T22:53:00.001-05:00

Every now and then I like to have a little fun with the blog. Today, I had a few chuckles at Ricoh 's expense and a few others.

If you're number one, it always seems you're going to take some heat about something. In 20 or 30 years it would be interesting to see what the likes of Ricoh, Canon, Xerox and KonicaMinolta are doing and how they got there.

I'm thinking the past 4 years and the next 4 years will define how companies like Ricoh, Xerox, KonicaMinolta and Canon will be moved forward or backwards.

I need to get to the chuckles right? I was speaking with an RICOH person today just chomping it up about us being in the business for a long time and that person made a statement that they had to travel to Malvern for a corporate meeting, with that statement I could tell there was some, well...let's just say it was evident with the tone that Malvern is the NEW HQ as GMAN's (Member of Print4Pay Hotel) been stating for sometime! First chuckle!

But, even more unsettling was that I received a "ricoh" document the other day. Nosey me, I clicked on all of the TABS and found out that what I thought was originally a "ricoh" document was actually a document developed by IKON many years ago and then converted to Ricoh. Hey, there was the second chuckle of the day.

Sometimes I wonder....did Ricoh Americas buy IKON or did IKON get paid to take over Ricoh Americas? Ha!! Another chuckle, you really gotta laugh at this stuf.

Here's another, I follow Canon and Oce. Since the Canon take over, the web is flooded with OCE Press Releases, yet I get almost nothing coming from Canon. What gives?

What about this, how the heck can Toshiba, Sharp, or Kyocera Dealers and Direct Branches feel about their manufacturers marketing programs when there are virtually ZERO Press Releases for MFP, MPS or copier related products?

I have alerts set for all four and I see more from Kyocera, less from Toshiba and a minuscule from Toshiba and Sharp. By far the most press releases are in this order Xerox, Oce, Ricoh and KonicaMinolta.

As my father in-law always stated "what do expect from a pig, but a grunt". True, you can take a visit to the Toshiba, Sharp and Kyocera....and where the heck are the mfp's and or copiers?? You really have to get down the page or dig deep to find them.

Thank you to Ricoh for sticking to MFP's and Copier for now, Hoping I'll be around in 30 years to see how all of this shakes out!

-=Good Selling=-

To Ricoh "What I Want for Christmas" 2011

2011-11-27T20:51:00.001-05:00

The tradition of burning a Yule log actually has its roots in ancient Scandinavia. Supposedly the Yule log was a source of good luck and its remnants were saved to inspire good fortune throughout the year. It was such a widely held belief that people even threw the ashes in wells to make the water safer to drink.

It was once believed that any woman who went under a mistletoe and was not kissed would not marry the coming year.

Thanx to Interesting Christmas Facts for these.

I did a wish list for Ricoh last year, Here's what I want for this Christmas from Ricoh Americas for 2011:

Dedicated A3 Color Envelope Printer with or without a Fiery
60-90 page per minute A4 MFP's
Increased Mono & Color Scan Speeds for Segment 4 A3 MFP's
A4 MFP's with an A3 "Cost Per Page Model"
Embeded Browser Units on all MFP's so I can sell the heck out of UDOCX
Duplexing A3 (11x17) Digital Duplicator
4 PPM Wide Format MFP with Color Scan
Network Scanning Station: All of the Scan Features of the Ricoh MP5001 with NO print engine!
Wide Format MFP that will Color Print/Color Scan and Color Copy
Stop laying off good Ricoh people in favor of IKON people!

I'm sure there's a few more I could think of however these are on the top of my list!!

-=Good Selling=-

Selling Copiers & MFP's "Beancounters Enable More Sales"

2011-11-27T20:30:00.001-05:00

Last month saw me not being able to maintain my monthly quota, and that really sucks! Our month is suppose to close on the 24th of each month, however due to Thanksgiving and being closed on Friday and then the weekend we would have had until the 28th of the month.

Heck, I was good with that since Wednesday the 23rd is travel day before Thanksgiving and the 28th would have been a full business day to close additional business! Thus I had the month of November at 23 Selling Days!! Dam, just what I needed and extra day right?

Kinda, and not so fast, on or about the second week into the month we had a notice that we're closing the month on the 23rd which is the busiest travel day in the US.

Basically means that you'd have to have all your sales completed by the 22nd of the month. So what was to be a bonus day, turned into one less day in the selling month, that's just like losing 10% of the month. I'm not making excuses, however let me see some of those dam beancounters do my job and then let me take away a couple of selling days here and there, right!

But, you know, there is a shining light at the end of the tunnel. When I'm back to work on Monday the 28, I'll still have 3 days left in the calendar month. So, I'll be back in the swing of things trying to get business closed with urgency before the calendar "end of the month". In essence the beancounters need to close the month early gives me an additional "end of the month" closing tool.

Looking back, I kinda like having two "end of the month" opportunities, it gives me the additional desire to close things up and start the "new month" on a high note.

With that, we're into the last month of the year. I had a lot of business push to December and I'm hoping I can get it all done by the 14th, cause after that I'm closing shop until the end of the year!

Just a side note here from 1/20/2012, I was not able to finish the month by the 14th. I was working all the way until the 23rd of the month. For those that give up a few days before Christmas and pack it in. I was able close almost $100K in business on the 22nd and 23rd. Just goes to show you that everyone is in buying mode around the Holidays!!!

-=Good Selling=-

Selling Copiers & MFP's "Alternatives to Discounting"

2011-11-23T17:10:00.001-05:00

It's that time of the month again. I reached out to "Old Glory" a Print4Pay Hotel Member and asked Jim Parker if he'd being willing to write something for us. As always Jim came up BIG! It's always good to talk to someone else who has been selling in the industry for some time. Special thanx to Jim Parker for this this! Jim is a Premium P4P Member and his input is always welcomed, take the time to become a Print4Pay Hotel Member, you'll be glad you did!

Alternatives to Discounting

Particularly when I am upgrading a current customer, Ipretty much never let the current lease go full term AND pretty much never eatthe whole cost of a buy-out and neither does the customer. I add the remainingmonths to the term of the new lease. If there are three months left on a 60month lease, I tell the customer that the remaining obligation just becomes apart of the new lease. Instead ofback-to-back 60 month leases, they end up with a 60 month lease that only goes57 and a 63 month lease...same 120 months. The extra funding that the 3 monthlonger obligation gets me comes close to paying the buy-out on the originallease. May not be able to do it again next renewal but I’ll worry about thatwhen the time comes.

If you are hearing anything akin to “We’d have a deal if…”The first question needs to be, “Do you prefer to buy from me?” If the answeris yes then consider the following before giving in to discounting:

· “Would you consider a longer term in return forthe lower payment?” Earlier this year I placed 23 machines by matching thecompetitors 36 month payment by telling the prospect that I could match thecompetitors payment if they wouldn’t mind committing to 48 months instead of36. They plan on always having a payment and never owning the equipment so doesit matter that much whether the equipment stays 36 months or 48 as long as wekeep them happy?

· What about a step lease? “Mr. Customer, wouldyou be willing to pay a little more in years 2 and 3 in return for the lowerpayment in year one?”

· What about a deferred payment? “Mr. Customer,what if I could arrange for you to be able to go without a payment at all for afew months. Would that be helpful?” This will cost a small amount in fundingbut may be far less than the discount they were asking for.

· If you are accustomed to -0- in advance leases…“The only way I can get you that payment is if are willing to pay a two paymentsecurity deposit. You’ll get it back in the end.”

Daily Managed Print Service Industry Notes from Around the World!

2011-11-22T23:33:00.001-05:00

University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) has announced a seven-year deal with Xerox managed print services through which it aims to save £1.2m. The deal, part of a wider project by Logica to create an intelligent back-office infrastructure for the Trust, means that UCLH will now have only one print supplier to manage. Before....read more here

Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc. (TABS), a leader in managed print services (MPS) that help organizations reduce cost by printing smarter, working safer and maximizing their green savings, continues leaving its mark in multifunction printer (MFP) innovations with the introduction of the....read more here

In 2012 what we’re focusing on is enabling our partners to sell more than just the box. While our core hardware business is very important to us, Lexmark, through a number of acquisitions over the last couple of months and through our own research and development, has come up with a number of tools to enable us help our channel partners go outside that normal channel sell. It’s very important for us as a print vendor to provide a compelling reason to partner with Lexmark, and we....read more here

Reading, UK, 22nd November 2011: Kyocera Mita UK Ltd is delighted to announce that it has successfully retained its Carbon Trust Standard certification following an audit by the Carbon Trust. The retention of the certification indicates that Kyocera Mita UK has continued to improve its carbon efficiency since the Standard was initially awarded in 2008. During a period of significant growth for Kyocera Mita UK, the company has achieved a....read more here

-=Good Selling=-

Daily Managed Print Industry Notes from Around the World!

2011-11-21T22:26:00.001-05:00

Midway, KY– The managed print services (MPS) market continues to make great strides and grow in this tough economy, according to the 2011 MPS Market Size, Share and Forecast Study from Photizo Group, the leading research and transformation firm for the MPS market. With a 27 percent year-on-year growth in 2010 revenue, the MPS market indicates a....read more here

Managed Print Services give your business the tools that you need to succeed. MPS offers a variety of benefits that range from increasing the productivity within your office to reducing costs and helping improve the environment. In part one of this three part series, we will be discussing the benefits of Managed Print Services on Office Productivity....read more here

Manchester, UK – 21 November 2011 – M2’s independent managed print IT services (MPS) has helped one of the UK’s leading regional law firms, Pannone to reduce its spend on print and unnecessary print consumption....read more here

-=Good Selling=-

Daily Copier & MFP Industry Notes from around the World

2011-11-21T21:53:00.001-05:00

Contex Group has signed an agreement to sell its subsidiaries Z Corporation and Vidar Systems to the American company 3D Systems Corporation. The enterprise value amounts to USD 137m. In connection with completion of the deal, a large part of the bank debt in Contex Group will be....read more here

LEXINGTON, Ky., Nov. 21, 2011 -- Lexmark International, Inc. (NYSE: LXK) has announced the opening of a new regional office in Moscow to help meet increased demand in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Since 1994, Lexmark was represented in the region through a distribution....read more here

The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University’s (NMMU) Bulk Printing Facility has a print output of just over 2 million A4 images a month. Being a strategic business unit that receives no subsidy from the University and with stringent SLAs in place with its internal customers, the Bulk Printing Facility has a tight business case to fulfil. During a recent open tender process, the University appointed Xerox to replace its ageing fleet with new high speed digital 4127 Copier/Printers and a Xerox 700 Digital Colour Press....read more here

Nov 21, 2011 London – Ricoh Europe, a specialist in office solutions, managed document services and production printing will be working with the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London this week to make document processes at the high profile tennis tournament more sustainable. The activity forms part of Ricoh’s commitment to providing carbon neutral document management to all its sponsorships through its award-winning....read more here
Nov 18, 2011 Ricoh employees, members of Sunnyfield’s Day Options Program and their carers gathered together at Ricoh’s Head Office in French's Forest to launch the Sunnyfield Buddy Program on Friday 4 November, 2011. Ricoh’s Sunnyfield Buddy Program is designed to provide an opportunity for staff to share their interests and develop....read more here

-=Good Selling=-

IKON brand Copiers & MFP's to Disappear

2011-11-20T17:01:00.001-05:00

Once upon a time there were three Independent Copier Companies in the US andthe time came for them to leave home and seek their fortunes.

Before they left, their Stockholders told them “Whatever you do, do it thebest that you can because that's the way to make your shareholders lots ofmoney.

The first Independent Copier Company built their brand by acquiringdealerships, the second Independent Copier Company built their brand withKonica and Canon, and the third Independent Copier Company built their brandwith Sharp, Canon & Ricoh.

Then in the course of two to three years, there were THREE large wolves, whodearly loved to gobble up copier companies. The first wolf swooped in devouredup Global, the second wolf feasted on Danka and the third wolf barbequed onIkon.

There's no happy ending here, and that’s a shame, the likes of Xerox,KonicaMinolta and Ricoh thought they needed to preserve market share andinstead of supporting dealers, they went out and bought market share.

So, with April 12th fast approaching another iconic brand will disappear.Ricoh will drop the IKON name as of April 2012. Those branches will now carrythe Ricoh Americas Corp banner from here on.

For those who don't know, I'm still in the business of selling copiers,actually going on my 32nd year in 2012. I've sold for a Minolta, Mita, Adler Royal, and Ricoh dealerships inthat time.

Weekend Copier & MFP Industry Threads

2011-11-18T23:49:00.001-05:00

Thought I'd just take the time to share some of the interesting threads that have been posted on the Print4Pay Hotel forums in the recent week. If you're not familiar with the site, the Print4Pay Hotel forums designed for the Imaging (copiers, mfp, printers, mps) Professionals to seek information, gather knowledge and collaborate with Industry Peers in a secure setting. To date we have over 2,300 registered members from all almost every country in the world. Visit the Print4Pay Hotel and then click on the link for forum access (it's FREE).

Most Viewed Threads
Monocomponent vs. Dual Component
Comments on the Canon 1730/1740/1750 Models
Sharp MX-2310U/MX4111N
Western Digital Factory Under Water
Question for everyone..... with leasing are any of
Kodak & Possible Buyers?
Rumor has it.....
New Rep needs encouragement

Most Popular

Ricoh SP5200 Brochure
Top Color Production Systems?
Check this ^%$^ out!
Cloud Poll
HDD Wiping/Reformatting
Toner Save Software to Get MPS CPCs Down
Q. How does your company handle networking charges?

Request for Proposals

Purchase of one (1) unit Taskalfa Kyocera-Mita
Pennslyvania
New Mexico
South Carolina
STATEWIDE IT PROCUREMENT OFFICE (NC)

Read more »

Welcome to Friday @ Print4Pay Hotel

2011-11-18T23:19:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Friday...!!!
With the fourth Thursday in November less than a week away, we are pleased to bring you this Thanksgiving-themed installment of "Happy Friday from the Print4Pay Hotel."

But, did you ever wonder... why the fourth Thursday... or why do we traditionally serve turkey... or who else was with the pilgrims on the Mayflower...? We won't keep you in suspense any longer. Here are some fun and interesting facts that you may not have known about "Turkey Day."

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving to everyone...!!!

Now, for some stuff you may not have known.

Sarah Josepha Hale, the author of the nursery rhyme "Mary had a Little Lamb," is credited with convincing President Lincoln to make Thanksgiving a national holiday... which he did in 1863 as a way of trying to unify the country after the stress of the American Civil War.

Hale's letters to President Lincoln also included some "suggested family recipes" to be used during Thanksgiving dinner... many of which are now considered traditions, such as turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.

Prior to the addition of Thanksgiving, the only national holidays celebrated in the United States were President Washington's birthday and Independence Day.

President Roosevelt (FDR) once changed the traditional date of Thanksgiving to extend the Christmas shopping season by a week... in an attempt to boost the economy. After some disagreements, Congress stepped in and officially set the date as the fourth Thursday in November.

With more than 280 million sold annually, about 91% of Americans serve turkey on Thanksgiving.

More than 20% of all cranberries consumed in the US per year are eaten on Thanksgiving.

Of the 102 people that arrived at Plymouth Rock on the Mayflower, only about half of them were what became known as "Pilgrims." The others passengers, who were called "Strangers," were recruited to govern the colonist.

BTW, I borrowed his from our companies blast email, hope they don't mind!

-=Good Selling=-

800 Ways to Save & Serve: "How 2 Take Out Spots & Stains"

2011-11-17T21:11:00.001-05:00

The information below was derived from a pamphlet that I found while cleaning out the attic. The pamphlet was printed in 1941 and was titled "800 Ways to Save and Serve", which was designed to help Americans with the World War II effort.

(Caution: In the long run, there is only one safe rule to follow when removing spots and stains from non-washable materials. Take them to a reliable dry-cleaner. The special solvents and cleansing agents needed make it impractical to attempt the job at home).

ADHESIVE TAPE MARKS

As a rule, these come off easily with a few dabs of non-flammable cleaning fluid.

ALCOHOL PAINTS AND STAINS

Sponge with turpentine; launder.

BLOOD STAINS

Lady MacBeth never knew that blood stains could be easily removed by soaking in plain cold water, then washing. If stain remains, soak in ammonia water (1 1/2 tablespoons ammonia to one gallon of water); then wash.

CHEWING GUM

Hold a piece of ice directly under the stuck-to part. This freezes the gum, which can then be picked off easily. Sponge with non-flammable cleaning fluid.

COLD LIVER OIL

Sponge with non-flammable cleaning fluid; then launder. If stain remains, use chlorine bleach, unless color of fabric is affected by bleach.

COFFEE

Read more »

Copiers & MFP's A4 vs A3 Model "The War has Just Begun"

2011-11-15T21:51:00.001-05:00

This question or statement was posed on one of the Print4Pay Hotel forums just yesterday. I didn't think that I was in the mood to write tonight until I viewed this thread.

"I am interested in hearing feedback on the recently introduced Canon IR 1730/1740/1750 models. These look to be similar to the Ricoh A4 B&W models introduced at the beginning of 2011 - the Ricoh models appear to be slow sellers. Wondering if these Canon models will be accepted better than the Ricoh models..."

My response

The Ricohs have been slow sellers is not because of end user needs or wants. Basically ours is a quota/revenue driven business from the top to the bottom.
The preferred compensation model for commissions is that of a revenue based plan with commissions. Why have a GP driven comp plan for your sales people when your Dealership or Branch has a revenue based quota plan from the manufacturers? It just doesn't make sense....

Read more »

800 Ways to Save & Serve: "5 Tips for More Heat from Less Coal"

2011-11-12T23:27:00.001-05:00

The information below was derived from a pamphlet that I found while cleaning out the attic. The pamphlet was printed in 1941 and was titled "800 Ways to Save and Serve", which was designed to help Americans with the World War II effort.

Consumer Quiz: When do you add coal to the fire?

Answer: After poking but before shaking for adding the coal AFTER the shaking hinders combustion and is wasteful.

Variety in the coal bin means savings in the budget. Always buy two sizes of coal, using the larger in the very cold weather, and the smaller, mixed with the larger, on warmer days.

Black diamonds in your own furnace await your discovery. Sift your ashes, and you'll be amazed at the amount of coal that is good for another burning. Salvaging those extra pails of coal will help you face the fuel shortage with a warm, as well as a stout, heart.

In hand-firing, observe these shortcuts to maximize heat at the minimum cost:

1. Keep the ash pit clean. Piled up ashes interfere with the draft and burn out the grates.

2. Keep the firepot full. It is not economical to run a low fire bed.

3. The fire door is for feeding only. Don't waste fuel by using it as a draft regulator.

4. If your coal is too fine, it smothers the fire. If too large, it burns uneconomically. Check with your coal merchant and get the right grade.

5. Don't invite costly troubles by using your furnace or boiler as a garbage dump.

-=Good Selling=-

Daily Managed Print Industry Notes from Around the World!

2011-11-11T15:35:00.001-05:00

Nov 14, 2011 Ontario, Canada. — PrintFleet Inc., a global leader in managed print software announced today that it has launched its latest PrintFleet Enterprise software version, Impact. PrintFleet is pleased to announce that after a year of focused R&D and substantial investment, its next series of product has been launched. As with all recent....read more here

IT solution providers report that more businesses these days are open-minded about managed print services that consolidate printing and related document management costs. Demonstrating those cost savings is a key component of managed print sales. ...read more here

James Laszko, CTO for managed services provider Mythos Technology, talks about his success with managed print in this excerpt from the webinar "Do You Own Your Customers' Entire IT Environment?" Mythos implemented its managed print services just two ....read more here

Tim Brien, director of managed print services for OKI Data, and James Laszko, CTO for managed services provider Mythos Technology, discuss reseller success with managed print in this excerpt from the Q&A session of the webinar titled "Do You Own Your ...read more here

Will managed print services contracts cannibalize machine and supplies sales for traditional printer manufacturers? Will managed print services contracts cannibalize machine and supplies sales for ....read more here

C3 Office Solutions, a value-added service provider of document imaging, copiers, printers, managed print services and digital display solutions, has moved to new offices in Irvine with expanded ...,read more here

HP joins as first Platinum Sponsor November 14, 2011 -- Midway, KY -- Photizo Group will lead the print services market in a new direction at the Transform 2012 Global Conference in Orlando, Florida on May 24-25, 2012. Transform 2012 is the next evolution of the popular Global Managed Print....read more here

-=Good Selling=-

Veterans Day 11/11/11

2011-11-10T23:09:00.001-05:00

Daily Managed Print Industry Notes from Around the World!

2011-11-10T19:47:00.001-05:00

In its annual report on MPS, Gartner provides insight gleaned from global customers into the benefits and challenges of implementing managed print services, and criteria for identifying and evaluating providers. "We consider it both an honor and a ...read more here

TOKYO — Ricoh Company, Ltd., a worldwide leader in digital office equipment and advanced document management solutions and services, today announced Ricoh Managed Document Services™ (Ricoh MDS) 2.0, born from an in-depth analysis of customer engagements and focused on measurable results. MDS 2.0 represents significant....read more here

The TAFE, which services over 60,000 students, turned to HP's managed print services division to help slash its fleet of light production printers from 2,200 to 1,020. TAFE NSW's John Myles, who managed the project, said the overhaul has saved in waste and costs and created a "much more professional print experience". "TAFE NSW's Sydney Institute....read more here

New managed print services with existing Xerox clients could cannibalize equipment and post-sale revenue by reducing printing costs by up to 30%, potentially offset by cross-selling opportunities for other Xerox products and services. ...read more here

WALNUT CREEK, CA, Nov 10, 2011 -- ARC, one of the leading document solutions companies in the U.S., today announced it has been positioned in the October 2011 Magic Quadrant for Managed Print Services, Worldwide, by Gartner Inc., the world's leading information technology research and advisory company. In its annual report on MPS, Gartner provides insight gleaned from....read more here

-=Good Selling=-

Daily Copier & MFP Industry Notes from around the World

2011-11-09T21:48:00.003-05:00

ROCKVILLE, MD, Nov 08, 2011-- Notable Solutions, Inc. (NSi), a leading developer of distributed content capture and workflow solutions, announced today that a leading Canadian manufacturer of plastics and chemical products will integrate NSi's AutoStore(TM) with the company's mixed fleet of 250 MFPs in business divisions across a wide range of geographic locations. The value of the contract to NSi is $300,000....read more here

Xerox India, a part of Xerox Corporation participated in PAMEX 2011 to showcase its technological strengths through a wide range of revenue-generating applications, digital presses and solutions. Among the key attractions at the Xerox booth this time were innovative application zones on photo applications & 3UP A4 applications enabled by the recently launched Xerox iGen4 EXP with the 14.33” x 26” print size capability! Speaking on Xerox’s participation at PAMEX 2011, Pankaj Kalra,...read more here

Nov 08, 2011 TOKYO — Ricoh Company, Ltd., a worldwide leader in digital office equipment and advanced document management solutions and services, today announced Ricoh Managed Document Services™ (Ricoh MDS) 2.0, born from an in-depth analysis of customer engagements and focused on measurable results. MDS 2.0 represents significant early progress in the evolution of the services-led business model Ricoh unveiled in January 2011,....read more here

Nov 08, 2011 Ramsey, N.J. - Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta), today announced Konica Minolta's placement in the Leaders Quadrant of the "Magic Quadrant for MFPs and Printers, Worldwide"1 published by Gartner, Inc. "We are proud that Gartner has recognized the Konica Minolta Group as a global leader in the highly competitive MFP and Printer marketplace," said Rick Taylor, President and Chief Operating Officer, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. "The year 2011 has been....read more here

Nov 08, 2011 Ricoh Europe, London – Ricoh Europe has welcomed new research by analysts Quocirca* which reveals that businesses are taking unnecessary risks by employing a fragmented approach to document security. According to the research, a significant 70 per cent of businesses surveyed have suffered one or more accidental printing-related data breaches but only 15 per cent are concerned about data loss through printers or multi-functional products. The findings align with a study commissioned by Ricoh where....read more here

-=Good Selling=-

Dude, WTF is up with the USA Copier Direct Channels?

2011-11-08T21:26:00.000-05:00

A little harsh you might say.....naw just disappointed again.

A Print4Pay Hotel Member emailed me a Quote/RFP that he received for a School in...... The quote was presented for a Ricoh MP6001SP with all of these awesome features:

SR 4030 Stapler/Finisher
DOSS (Data Overwrite Security Unit)
Super G3 Fax (there's actually no Super G3 fax listed on Ricoh price sheet, there is a fax option type 9001 and a G3 option to add a second line. I'm thinking the rep just added the type 9001 option but added some hype with the SUPER.)
Power Filter

Keep in mind that these are all options and not the main frame. The MSRP list for the MP6001SP is $21,500, add up the accessories at $4,765 and we have a total of $26,264, not included delivery and installation.

So, what's so spectacular about this quote?

Read more »

800 Ways to Save & Serve: "10 Tips Caring for your Rayon Flimsies"

2011-11-07T23:02:00.001-05:00

The information below was derived from a pamphlet that I found while cleaning out the attic. The pamphlet was printed in 1941 and was titled "800 Ways to Save and Serve", which was designed to help Americans with the World War II effort.

More care, less tear.....more mending. less spending

BTW, yeah I know this is a blog about copiers , MPF's and MFP Solutions, however these are some really good reads and insights from years gone by.

The Art of Caring For Your Rayon Flimsies

With silk off to war, you will be relying more and more on rayon for your pretties and utilities. These pointers will save you money, trouble and disappointment in your rayon handling:

1. Because rayon threads are from 40% to 60% less resistant when wet, rayon garments should be handled with special care in laundering. Never wash a rayon garment that does not carry a "washable: label. Certain weaves shrink, stretch or mat. Read the label - it is a dependable guide.

2. Hard water is hard on rayon and is likely to leave mineral deposits on the fabric, which weakens the fibres. Use a softener if the water requires it.

3. Don't soak rayons at all because soaking permanently dulls delicate shades. Wash quickly and carefully in lukewarm suds made with mild soap. Follow with throughly rinsing in several lukewarm waters to remove all traces of soap. which tends to weaken the fabric if not washed away.

Read more »

Daily Managed Print Industry Notes from Around the World!

2011-11-07T22:30:00.001-05:00

OKI will be demonstrating the company's proprietary Managed Print Services (MPS) solution Total Managed Print™ (TMP) within their booth (#302), and will be discussing the solution's value to the channel during a breakout session entitled “The 30-Day ...read more here

"We wanted to get control of our costs, make genuinely positive green decisions and refocus our IT resources on core functions and services." Sydney Institute adopted HP's Managed Print Services, which offered automated supplies, reporting functions ...read more here

TRUMBULL, Conn., Nov 07, 2011 -- Oce, a Canon Group Company and an international leader in digital document management, today announced the Document Printing Systems division of Oce North America has begun selling the Canon imageRUNNER 1700 Series of monochrome, multifunctional office devices. These compact, yet effective systems will easily integrate with existing MFP and printer fleets and allow users to control their devices in a flexible and convenient print solution....read more here

-=Good Selling=-

Selling Copiers & MFP's "I'm Thinking this is Not for Me" Ask Art

2011-11-06T20:50:00.002-05:00

We (Print4Pay Hotel Members) try to help whenever we can. Ours is not an easy business and we can all agree to that. Since the Digital revolution of copiers, the new Digital systems offer companies endless opportunities to enhance work flow, reduce paper, scan 2 ERP systems and much more. But, I wanted to get to the the matter in hand. Yesterday this thread was posted on the Print4Pay Hotel forums.

I've been selling MFP's for 9 months. I've only gotten a commission once. I'm starting to get discouraged. Questioning if this is the right industry for me. Can't see me supporting my family on base alone. I guess I'm looking for encouragement, words of wisdom etc.

One P4P'er (thats our short name for members) posted this today:

Quit selling MFP's and start selling solutions.
"You can get anything you want in life if you just help enough other people get what they want."
Zig Ziglar

Read more »

Daily Managed Print Industry Notes from Around the World!

2011-11-03T23:01:00.002-04:00

EFI, a world leader in customer-focused digital printing innovation, today launched PrintMe® Mobile, a new mobile print solution available to IT resellers and managed service providers. PrintMe Mobile can help resellers with mobility practices, office technology solutions or managed-service businesses increase revenue opportunities and deliver new value-added services by meeting customers’ mobile printing needs. PrintMe Mobile provides SMB to,,,,read more here

There's now a new service provider in the Managed Network Services (MNS) sector and growing Managed Print Services (MPS) sector. Agiliant is officially open for business and is targeting customers looking to optimize their overall network performance, ....read more here

Pitney Bowes has launched its Managed Print service – a core element of the wider Marketing Lifecycle Services http://www.marketinglifecycleservices.com/ suite - designed to help marketing departments execute the print process more efficiently, more affordably and with uncompromising quality. Recent Pitney Bowes research reveals that European private and public sector....read more here

FRAMINGHAM, Mass., Nov 03, 2011 -- The explosion of color printing represents lots of green for imaging vendors reaping the rewards of high aftermarket profitability when compared to monochrome printing. According to survey results delivered through a new study from International Data Corporation (IDC), users of color devices reported that 47% of their weekly print volume contained color on the....read more here

....read more here

-=Good Selling=-

NEW YORK, Nov 02, 2011 -- Oce, an international leader in digital document management and delivery, announced today that the company has been placed by Gartner, Inc. in the Challengers Quadrant of the 2011 Magic Quadrant for Managed Print Services (MPS) Worldwide.*

800 Ways to Save & Serve :7 Well-Dressed Tips on a Rationed Wardrobe"

2011-11-02T23:21:00.002-04:00

The information below was derived from a pamphlet that I found while cleaning out the attic. The pamphlet was printed in 1941 and was titled "800 Ways to Save and Serve", which was designed to help Americans with the World War II effort.
More care, less tear.....more mending. less spending

For Durability's Sake

Conserve materials. By with the fore thought and put off the need for replacement. These shopping secrets will help you get the most out of your purchases:

1. The best flannels, cheviots, jerseys and tweeds are those which are closely woven. Looser weaves are likely to get baggy.

2. To judge the quality of woolen material (in case you have that opportunity), squeeze it in your hand. It should feel smooth, rubbery, springy, when you open your hand. If it has a rough feeling, the grade is inferior.

3. Suits made of worsted will hold their shape better and wear longer than those of wool.

4. Fabrics with light colored dots or figures often wear out quickly because the dots have been bleached.

5. Think twice before selecting a dress or a skirt made on the bias. Remember, such clothes are more difficult and costly to alter and make over.

6. Buy dresses on which the material has been cut the long way. Crosswise cutting betrays skimping. In the long run, the most economical dress to buy is one in which is made up of pieces cut with the grain of the material. If they are cut against the grain, the dress will get out of shape easily.

7. Dress the youngsters in cotton as much as possible. Cotton is cheaper, and survives constant laundering. Also save yourself time by selecting children's clothes that haven't too many buttons and buttonholes to be replaced and repaired. The closely woven cottons wear the best, Seersucker needs no ironing.

How can you tell whether clothes linings are color-fast? Try this little trade secret: Rub a handkerchief over the lining. If any color shows on the handkerchief, look for another lining.

Care for your dresses pays in dollars-and-cents, and keep you looking "like a million". Keep your eye on the little things. Careful darning will often hide snags, worn places, little cigarette burns. Matched patches hardly show on a print dress. Sometimes a little reinforcement of the seams and buttons on a new dress will save mending bills later. Check buttons and other trimmings before sending to the cleaner's, and sew on any loose ones, It pays to have burns and tears re-woven by the invisible process, if the garment is in good condition otherwise.

Clothes tossed or draped over chairs quickly loose shape, require more pressing and mending, wear out long before they should. Precaution: hang them up or fold neatly and put away!

-=Good Saving=-

Daily Copier & MFP Industry Notes from around the World

2011-11-01T21:45:00.001-04:00

The world’s struggling economy made events worldwide in 2009 a damp squib. It had little effect on India’s print industry and on Pamex 2010. And this year’s event is set to be no different. If you have still not thought what to do after the Diwali festivities are over, listen up, because between 1-4 November something important is happening in New Delhi...read more here

CEO Lawrence Gamblin indicated in court papers filed Monday that his company intends to stick to its intention to withdraw a longstanding contract with Eastman Kodak Co. and directly supply ink to most Kodak's Versamark printer customers. ...read more here

At PAMEX 2011, Kodak will showcase its wide portfolio of innovative products and services for printers, publishers, and packaging professionals. Visitors to the Kodak booth, Hall 4, will learn about a variety of KODAK Products ranging from thermal CTP devices to digital printing presses, as well as workflow and packaging solutions. "Visitors come to PAMEX....read more here

Alleroed, Denmark -- November 1, 2011 -- Contex, the world's leading developer of wide format scanning and imaging solutions, today announces the all-new HD Ultra wide format scanner. The HD Ultra is the market's most advanced wide format scanner, featuring unmatched productivity and versatility. Built with Contex's next generation xDTR2, its exclusive extended data transfer rate with...read more here

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., Nov 01, 2011 -- Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced the availability of the EFI(TM) PrintMe(R) mobile print solution for Canon imageRUNNER ADVANCE multifunction office products (MFPs). Developed by EFI utilizing Canon's MEAP platform, EFI PrintMe provides an intuitive method for mobile device users to send documents through EFI's PrintMe Service for output on Canon imageRUNNER ADVANCE MFPs. Offering significant...read more here

-=Good Selling=-

Countdown to the 1,000th Copier & MFP Blog

2011-11-01T20:59:00.003-04:00

What started as a way to vent, turned into an aspiration to share informative information among my peers in the Copier and MFP Indsutry.

In the last 5 years I've met some awesome people and keep in touch with many awesome P4P'ers (that's our short name for forum members) that I've never met. In short most or all of these people have helped me sell more, become more knowledgeable and continue to inspire me!

I started the MFP Solutions Blog in January of 2007, I can't believe it's been five years! The Blog title was Has Ricoh Under Estimated Color Scanning? With this blog we'll have 952 with 48 left to reach the 1,000th Blog.

Over the years, I've tried to get readers of the MFP Solutions Blog to migrate to the Print4Pay Hotel forums. With the forums we have a closed secure way of sharing just about everything related to the Imaging Industry. To date the Print4Pay Hotel has over 3,000 followers via the forums, twitter, feedblitz, and Linkedin.

This year marked a milestone where the Print4Pay Hotel and Forums hit the ONE MILLION page view mark in late October of this year. October of this year also saw our highest page views ever on the forums at 143,000 page views!

On some other notes, our advertisers have benefited also, October of this month readers of the blog and forums produced almost 10,000 click through to one advertisers, while 5 others came in at close to 4,000 click through, and one new advertiser came in at over 3,000. If you like information about advertising with us please send me an email art@p4photel.com

Our revolver map shows visits from 171 countries in the last year.

Also I've posted a short list of our most viewed Blogs from the last 5 years:

Copier Sales Forums

Oct 15, 2007

3,272 Pageviews

I Want My....I Want My..... SMART MFP

Jun 21, 2011,

2,892 Pageviews

HP LaserJet Pro CM1415 Color "What's the Total Cos...

Sep 29, 2010,

2,143 Pageviews

Print4Pay Hotel's Copier Forums "Weekend Updates"

Apr 3, 2011

1,833 Pageviews

"MFP Weekend Industry Updates" P4P Hotel forums

Apr 10, 2011

1,576 Pageviews

Panasonic Copier Division Dumps all but a Handful ...

Feb 14, 2009,

1,525 Pageviews

Special Kudos to all, thank you for taking the time to read what I post and write on the forums and the blog.

-=Good Selling=-

Daily Managed Print Industry Notes from Around the World!

2011-10-31T22:43:00.001-04:00

Since Asia Pacific MPS Conference was help in Australia. In traditional Greg Walters style, I thought Greg would appreciate this awesome Aussie lass.

Photizo Asia Pacific MPS Conference, Sydney, AUSTRALIA, 31 October 2011:Fuji Xerox Printer Channel today announced the launch of Streamline, the Asia Pacific region’s first training program designed to help channel partners capitalise on the growing interest in Managed Print Services (MPS) by the SMB sector. According to Photizo, the Asia Pacific MPS market will....read more here

LAKE SUCCESS, NY, Oct 31, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Canon USA, a leader in digital imaging, today announced that the Company has been placed in the Leaders Quadrant of the 2011 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Managed Print Services Worldwide(1) report. ...read more here

Lexmark was recently named a leader in several fields by acclaimed research firm Gartner Inc. Gartner positioned Lexmark as a leader in its "Magic Quadrant" analysis of printers, multi-function printers and worldwide managed print services. ...read more here

Last autumn,lection of interesting MpS players who brought something good to the Ecosystem. I chose individuals or companies who in my opinion, contributed to the MpS cause in a positive manner. For instance, last year, Constellation 1 included, MT Business Technologies, Ken Stewart, Robert Newry, and Photizo. So how did these stars fare over the past 12 months? read more here
-=Good Selling=-

Selling Copiers & MFP's "5 End of Year Sales Tips"

2011-10-31T20:17:00.000-04:00

Before you know it, we'll be in 2012.....funny how it all goes so fast. My Mom once told me that life is like a roll of toilet paper, the closer you get to the end the faster it goes. True....

So, for all of us that need or want to finish the year strong, yup the carrots been dangled, we bit and we need to reach the monthly, quarterly and year end bonuses. Here's a few tips to use, to help close and find business.

1. Find those companies that have made a profit (gee, is there really some of those left), for those that have, they need to reduce their tax burden and one of the best ways is to purchase office equipment.

2. Customers on the edge? Looking to lease however they are holding back? Inform them of Section 179 of the IRS Tax Code, it just may be enough to put them over the edge or better yet have them buy from you!

3. The harder you prospect NOW, will pay off in December. Typically in December we'll hear statements like this "Call us back after the New Year", "We're just to hectic to make any decisions right now", " My boss got ran over by a Reindeer last night".

Read more »

800 Ways to Save & Serve "Pamper the Sweet Tooth in Wartime"

2011-10-28T09:37:00.002-04:00

The information below was derived from a pamphlet that I found while cleaning out the attic. The pamphlet was printing in 1941 and was titled "800 Ways to Save and Serve", which was designed to help Americans with the World War II effort.

"Pamper the Sweet Tooth in Wartime"

Saving sugar means more sweets for your boys at the front. You can save, without discomfort, if you remember these waste-savers;

1. Stir the sugar thoroughly in your tea or coffee.

2. Try using less sugar with beverages, fruits, puddings and sauces. (You maybe surprised to find you really like them better that way).

3. Sweeten fruits after cooking.

4. When sweetening cooked fruits, add a few grains of salt.

5. Save the syrups from canned fruits for sauces on hot puddings and deserts.

6. Sweeten beverages with molasses, corn syrup, maple syrup, or honey.

7. Eliminate waste when measuring molasses by greasing the cup lightly.

8. When stewing rhubarb, cover with boiling water and let stand for five minutes. Drain and cook as usual, but with much less sugar.
Read more »

Selling Copiers & MFP's "1 Awesome SellingTip"

2011-10-27T22:05:00.000-04:00

"Sell Quarterly Payments….today"

It's with great pleasure that Scott Murr allowed the Print4Pay Hotel to share "Sell Quarterly Payments....today". It's a good read and has it's place in our talk tracks about financing. Enjoy!

In today’s market we have seen gross profits shrink and every deal is extremely competitive. Price is a key component of every solution. Sales reps often come in with similar solutions and look to win a deal based on being the lowest price.

The majority of sales professionals out there offer a custom solution in terms of products but then offer a cookie cutter lease product to go along with it. While the product is critical, how the payments are designed can be the deciding factor on who wins the business. You listen to your customer when it comes to the applications they need from their business solution, but do you ask the questions and craft solutions based on how they would like to pay for your solution?

What is a customer’s biggest pain point aside from an asset not performing to the customer’s expectations? The answer is billing. If you sell a 60 month lease, that means you are taking 60 chances for your customer to have a bad experience with your solution. 60 times for cash to be applied wrong. 60 times for a customer to be billed incorrectly and incur late fees. 60 times for a bad experience with the lessor’s customer service department. You can cut that down by simply selling quarterly payments. If you go quarterly, now you only need the lessor to bill it correctly 20 times.

Read more »

Selling Copiers & MPF's "The Perfect Storm"

2011-10-26T22:10:00.000-04:00

Since 2007 our industry has been tested with the Great Recession, many of the companies we did bsuiness with are now out of business or just fighting to stay alive.

Some say the Great Recession is over, I'm not buying it, I think we've never come out of it.

The Great Recession is one part of the Perfect Storm that's humbled our industry. Years ago, talk was that the copier industry was always the least affected when there was an economic slowdown. Those days are gone...probably forever.

In early March the Great Tohoku Earthquake of 8.9 devastated Northern Japan with a Sunami, failure of the Fukushima Nuclear reactors and caused severe supply chain issues for companies like Ricoh, Canon, Toshiba, Fuji Xerox along with all of the secondary tech companies that supported the copier/printer industry. We're still feeling the effects of certain MFP models that are on the "constrained" list. Some toner supplies are still in short supply and some key factories were closed in Northern Japan to never open again.

Just last week, seems I was not even aware of this until a Print4Pay Hotel member posted a thread on the forums about the sever flooding in Thailand. A quote for Storage Newsletter "The HDD industry never encounters such a natural disaster in its history. Earthquakes in Japan had a minor effect compared to what's happening in Thailand."

25% of all Hard Drive assembly plants are located in Thailand, 95% of all Copiers and MFP's are equipted with Hard Drives. The shortage looms on the copier industry again, in addition another company named Nidec was hit hard. Here's a thread from a Print4Pay Hotel member about Nidec "And everyone better hope that Nidec's factories that were hit by the flood were not its printing related factories. Few know Nidec, but they make a solid portion of the motors and brushes found in copiers."

I admit I knew nothing of the flood, and how devastating the flood is for the people of Thailand and the effect on the Bang Pa Industrial Park.

It seems it been one thing after another, the economy, the devastation in Japan and now the historic flooding in Thailand. I'll be watching the situation with Nidec and the Hard Factories closely and I'm sure there will be additional threads posted on the Print4Pay Hotel forums from other P4P'ers.

Anyone have anything they can add on the situation in Thailand??

-=Good Selling=-

Daily Copier & MFP Industry Notes from around the World

2011-10-26T20:57:00.000-04:00

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Oct 26, 2011 -- As a rule, Hall-of-Famers are rock stars or sports legends, but this week, Xerox Corporation became one for a different sort of success: customer service.

Xerox has earned a coveted spot in in the J.D. Power and Associates Certified Technology Service & Support (CTSS) Hall of Fame...read more

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., Oct 26, 2011 -- Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, today announced that it has been placed in the Leaders Quadrant of the 2011 Magic Quadrant for MFPs and Printers, Worldwide report(1). "We believe Canon's position in the Leaders Quadrant reflects our commitment to developing leading-edge products and...read more here

WEST CALDWELL, N.J., Oct. 26, 2011 -- Ricoh Americas Corporation, a leading provider of digital office equipment and advanced document management solutions and services, today announced that Gartner placed Ricoh as a Leader in its Magic Quadrant for multifunction products (MFPs) and printers worldwide.(1) Gartner's Magic Quadrant serves as a guide for midsize to large organizations to identify and evaluate technology providers that can match their global footprint, become their partners in helping them reduce...read more here

NORWALK, Conn., Oct 26, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Xerox Corporation has been placed by Gartner, Inc., in the Leaders Quadrant in the "Magic Quadrant for MFPs and Printers." A proprietary research tool developed by Gartner, the Magic Quadrant offers visual snapshots of a market's direction, maturity and participants, and evaluates companies on completeness of vision along with the ability to execute...read more here

-=Good Selling=-

800 Ways to Save and Serve "The Staff of Life"

2011-10-25T20:31:00.000-04:00

The information below was derived from a pamphlet that I found while cleaning out the attic. The pamphlet was printing in 1941 and was titled "800 Ways to Save and Serve", which was designed to help Americans with the World War II effort.

"The Staff of Life"

Bread will stay fresher longer, and keep from molding in humid weather, if it is wrapped in moisture-proof paper and kept in the refrigerator or in a well ventilated bread box. Home-made bread should be cooled before storing.

All-purpose flour can be used in recipes calling for cake flour. Use 7/8 cup of all purpose for 1 cup of cake flour.

Always soft before measuring and pile it lightly in to the cup without jarring. Otherwise you use too much flour, which is wasteful, and the finished product is not as good.

When the recipe says "dredge with seasoned flour" don't waste flour. Put a little in a paper bag, drop in the food and shake together thoroughly. The food will be evenly coated, and much less flour is used.

Flour can be substituted for corn-starch. Use twice as much.

Pastry won't stick to the board if you have thumb-tack waxed paper to the board before rolling out the pastry.

Rolls and muffins which have hardened to the "can't be et" stage are easily freshened. Sprinkle the rolls or muffins with with water, wrap in brown paper bag and warm in a hot oven for a few moments.

Who's too proud for day old bread! It's not only cheaper and just as nourishing, but actually better for the teeth and gums.

Did you know that day old bread makes better toast than fresh bread?

-=Good Selling=-

Daily Managed Print Industry Notes from Around the World!

2011-10-25T20:11:00.003-04:00

The company went to tender and the incumbents won against Ricoh and Fuji Xerox with HP's Managed Print Service provided by Laser Plus. “We were trying to get most of our gear on multi-functional devices,” Watson says. “That took away some of the ...read more here

"Our revenue growth for the quarter was once again stronger than expected, highlighted by core growth of 10 percent year on year driven by a double digit increase in high end hardware, supplies and managed print services," said Paul Rooke, ...read more here

In total 1200 dealer partners from across Europe, including a significant number of UK dealer partners, attended the event where they were able to learn about the Konica Minolta managed print service offerings, a range of new products and green ...read more here

Equipment sales are up sequentially as well, reflecting progress we've made in reducing backlog, creating demand for new products and the effectiveness of our growing Managed Print Services. There is no doubt that we have industry leadership in MPS, ...read more here

Cedar Rapids, IA) – GreatAmerica Leasing Corporation released a new website today Collabrance LLC, a GreatAmerica subsidiary that will help independent telecommunication, office equipment, and information technology (IT) dealers provide IT services to their small and medium size business customers. Collabrance LLC will assist dealers in providing a comprehensive managed services solution to their customers under ...read more here

-=Good Selling=-

120 Ways to Save on Food "Part III"

2011-10-23T00:14:00.000-04:00

Dude Where's My Copier Leads "Ask Art"

2011-10-22T23:36:00.001-04:00

From time to time I'll get emails from a rep in the field. I just go this one the other day and thought it would be a good read for everyone.

From Anon in Maryland:

Art

I'm hoping you can help with this. I've been in the business for a few years and I'm doing fairly well. In our office we have four reps, from time to time we'll get leads and all seems to be good. However, in the last two months it's apparent to me that our sales manager is actually giving sales (signed deals that he closed) and extra leads to one rep in particular with no rhyme or reason. It's kinda of frustrating since I'm doing my work and could use a solid lead every now and then. Is there something I should do or say?

Anon:

First, are you doing your work? Meaning are you........
Read more »

Daily Managed Print Industry Notes from Around the World!

2011-10-20T21:54:00.000-04:00

Calgary, Alberta - October 19, 2011 – With nearly 7,000 employees and a new facility being built, NHS Hospital’s IT Management team was tasked with developing a plan to move the entire IT infrastructure to the new location in a timely and efficient manner. However, the team had little visibility and understanding of the print environment as its current print tracking tool only provided a high level overview of network printing. “Looking at the overall IT requirements of the move, it was important we understood the printing behaviour of both users and departments, a more powerful and robust tool was required,” recalls Mohandeep Randhawa, Technical Services Officer,...read more

After looking at the aspects of cost, security and control, the IT team decided that it was more feasible to opt for a Managed Print Services (MPS) model, and outsourced these services to Canon. Canon evaluated the printer landscape at MindTree, ...read more

Is Dell making another move to enter the managed print services market? Several announcements made today indicate that Dell is certainly taking on a more solutions focus with their new product lineup. Dell announced version 2 of OpenManage Print Manager (OPMP), a printer fleet management tool to monitor, manage and report on the status of networked printers. The tool is available online and can be accessed from any Windows-based PC. Updates in version 2 include an easier-to-use interface, increased security; expanded functionality in regards to bowser and OS support and optimized discovery performance. OPMP is a no-cost, brand agnostic tool available for download online....read more

A report published by research firm IDC in November 2010 predicted that companies the world over will spend more than £2.5bn a year on managed print services (MPS) by 2014, with 20 per cent of UK companies employing 500 or more staff already using MPS. While those figures imply growing interest in outsourced printing services, it is important to remember the model does not fit every firm’s requirements: plenty of IT departments still either prefer to keep control of their own print environment, or just do not print enough pages to justify outsourcing management and maintenance to a third party....read more

-=Good Selling=-

Japanese Printer Companies in WWII "Part II"

2011-10-20T21:41:00.000-04:00

Brother during World War II was know as Nippon Sewing Machine Manufacturing Company in 1934. Prior to 1934 they were known as Yasui Sewing Machine Co, and was founded by Kaneschi Yasui.

When the started in 1941 Nippon Sewing Machine Manufacturing Company aka Brother Sales Ltd had to switch from manufacturing commercial sewing machines to industrial sewing machines. Not much information was available if Brother produced any additional products for the war effort. However, it was noted that many of their factories received extensive war damage.

Epson started in 1941 as Daiwa Kogyo LTD and was located in Suwa, Nagano, Japan. Not much information was available for Daiwa Kogyo during the war effort, however Daiwa Kogyo was part of the Sieko conglomerate. Sieko like many other Japanese companies were ordered to produce military items such as timing fuses and ammunition.

Now, here's something I never knew in doing some research on timing fuses.

"From late 1944 until early 1945, the Japanese launched over 9,000 of these fire balloons, of which 300 were found or observed in the U.S. Some guesswork gives the total number that made the trip at about 1,000. Despite the high hopes of their designers, the balloons were relatively ineffective as weapons, causing only six deaths and a small amount of damage, and they survive in memory mostly as an ingenious and dangerous curiosity."

Geez, I wonder if this can still happen today, could these balloons go undetected?? Want to read more about the Fire Balloon!

Hitachi started in 1910 by Namihei Odaira, they specialized in manufacturing small 5 horsepower electric motors. In 1920 the name was changed to Hitachi, LTD.

"The rise of the Japanese military government in the 1930s forced some changes at Hitachi. Although Odaira struggled to maintain corporate independence, his company was nonetheless pressured into manufacturing war material, including radar and sonar equipment for the Imperial Navy. Odaira, however, was successful in preventing Hitachi from manufacturing actual weapons.

World War II and its aftermath devastated the company. Many of its factories were destroyed by Allied bombing raids, and after the war, American occupational forces tried to disband Hitachi altogether. Founder Odaira was removed from the company."

-=Good Selling=-

Living off the "Fat of the Land" Part II

2011-10-19T23:00:00.001-04:00

The information below was derived from a pamphlet that I found while cleaning out the attic. The pamphlet was printed in 1941 and was titled "800 Ways to Save and Serve", which was designed to help Americans with the World War II effort.

I find the information refreshing and sheds a little light on how my parents and family coped with the war. Enjoy!

Save milk, too. When emptying a milk bottle, rinse with water the milk that remains and use it for cooking, in gravy, or other foods.

To enrich milk for the kiddies, make it a practice, when empty¬ing a cream bottle, to rinse out the remains with milk (not with water), then pouring it into the milk bottle.

If milk sours, it can be used in baking, even if the recipe calls for sweet milk. Just add t, l/2 tea¬spoon of baking soda for each cup of sour milk and deduct 2 teaspoons of baking powder.

Don't buy a quart of sour milk or buttermilk because you need a cupful for a special recipe. Just add 2 tablespoons vinegar to 1 cup of sweet milk and stir. Pres¬to! Sour milk.

Swiss cheese, muenster, American and similar cheeses are still tastily edible, even when dried out. Simply grate and use with spaghetti, soup or vegetables.

You'Il not waste cottage cheese during hot weather it you wrap a damp cloth around it, before put¬ting in the refrigerator. This will keep it fresh for at least five or six days.

To determine whether you are getting your money's worth when buying fresh eggs, you should know that:
1. A fresh egg sinks in water.
2. The shell should be dull and rough.
3. The yolk should be in the center. (Hold egg up to light).
4. The contents should not shake back and forth loosely.
5. The color of the egg shell has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of an egg. Buy brown or white eggs, whichever are cheaper. Don't wash eggs before storing.

Water destroys the protective film that keeps out air and odors.
Save spoilage, too, by keeping eggs in an open bowl or wire basket, and in a cool place.

Eggs kept at room temperature deteriorate rapidly. They belong in your refrigerator away from foods with penetrating odors.

Cracked eggs can be cooked in water without waste. They are just as good as any
other eggs. Add a teaspoon of salt to boiling water, immerse the egg and the contents will not ooze out.
To keep egg yolks fresh for several days, cover with cold water and store in refrigerator.

To use up leftover egg yolks, poach them till firm, then cool and put through sieve. Nice for salads, soup garnishes, canapes.

When eggs are scarce and costly, don't use them to thicken a mixture such as a sauce. Instead, use 1/2 tablespoon of corn-starch or 1 tablespoon of flour for each of the eggs required by the recipe. WARNING-don't substitute if eggs are used for leavening.

-=Good Selling=-

Daily Managed Print Industry Notes from Around the World!

2011-10-19T21:41:00.000-04:00

Most managed print service (MPS) contracts rely on hardware and software recommendations made by the supplier, so it pays to check the specifications of the device and applications offered as part of the deal to make sure they represent the best fit for any one company’s print environment. For those looking for the maximum environmental credentials, all printer and MFD manufacturers make claims for proprietary technology that reduces ink and toner usage compared with...read more

COLUMBUS, OH. – October 19, 2011 – Treeno Software, a leading provider of Electronic Document Management systems, is one of the newest Corporate Members of the Managed Print Services Association (MPSA). Here’s a look at MPS from Treeno Software’s perspective: Treeno Software: MPS from Top to Bottom
Treeno Software provides enterprise document management (EDM) and workflow systems that can be deployed...read more

It took a critical report by the National Audit Office (NAO) to prompt the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to take a long hard look at how it could optimise its poorly managed document supply chain, including print services. The NAO judged that a lack of centralised control, a proliferation of suppliers and document types, a lack of visibility into stock or spend, and slow processes prone...read more

-=Good Selling=-

Daily Copier & MFP Industry Notes from around the World

2011-10-19T21:25:00.000-04:00

So, how about being a St. Louis Cardinal fan! World Series underway Cardinals lead 2-0 game 1.

A workflow automation solution designed for small business operators that want business process without the IT headaches has been introduced by Fuji Xerox Australia. Known as Automate, the solution arrives as an appliance that uses network architecture and business rules to automatically route documents through defined workflows...read more

Law360, New York (October 18, 2011, 5:47 PM ET) -- BarnesandNoble.com LLC on Monday settled its declaratory judgment suit against Xerox Corp. in New York, ending a dispute over whether the bookseller's website infringed four Xerox patents related to document storage and other communications technology...read more

Manufacturing workers at Xerox's Wilsonville campus have given their union the authority to call a strike after voting down the company's latest contract proposal last Thursday. The union says no work stoppage is imminent, however, and the two sides are meeting again tomorrow to try to hammer out a resolution to a sticking point over short-term disability payments...read more

ROCKVILLE, MD, Oct 19, 2011 - Notable Solutions, Inc. (NSi), a leading developer of distributed content capture and workflow solutions, today announced that through one of its partners it has been awarded a $3.5 million contract with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The DoD will utilize NSi's AutoStore(TM) to support enterprise capture capabilities for its Healthcare Artifact and Image Management Solution (HAIMS) project...read more

Unisource Document Products, a 24-year-old Lenexa office equipment technology company, has sold to a similar St. Louis firm for an undisclosed amount. which does business as Datamax of Kansas City, closed Oct. 3, creating a roughly 110-employee Kansas City-area operation with $19 million in annual revenue...read more
The deal between locally based UDP and Sumner Group,

-=Good Selling=-

Daily Managed Print Industry Notes from Around the World!

2011-10-18T20:45:00.003-04:00

It World Series time and what you're not a Rangers fan?

Irvine, Calif. – June 15, 2011 - Netaphor, a provider of managed print services (MPS) software, today announced the release of SiteAudit On-Site v4.4. The release provides fleet managers with enhanced MPS Services capabilties by tracking, alerting and reporting departmental and location printer moves, new supplies metrics and alert thresholds and expanded metering. SiteAudit On-Site aligns it capabilities with specific MPS services partners offer users. Enhancements to MPS services include...read more

LEXINGTON, Ky., Oct. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Lexmark International, Inc. (NYSE: LXK) today announced the acquisition of Netherlands-based Pallas Athena in a cash transaction, valued at approximately $50.2 million. Upon completion of the transaction, the Dutch company will become a part of Perceptive Software, a stand-alone business unit within Lexmark. Pallas Athena's chairman and chief executive officer, John Hoogland, will report directly to Scott Coons, Perceptive Software's president and chief executive officer and Lexmark vice president...read more

The Managed Print Services Association (MPSA) has committed to be the first association sponsor of the new Lyra MPS Forum. The half-day event will take place on Wednesday, January 25, 2012, from 12:30-5:00 p.m. at the Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa in Rancho Mirage, California. The event follows the 15th annual Lyra Imaging Symposium, which is scheduled for January 23-25, 2012, and complements the Symposium’s...read more

COLUMBUS, OH – October 18, 2011 – One of the newest Corporate Members of the Managed Print Services Association (MPSA) approaches the MPS industry from a service-oriented perspective. This requires an approach that uses collaboration and coordination with other partners to provide a complete package for each customer. Here’s a look at MPS from the service-centric perspective of Prism Pointe Technologies..read more

The Ultimate Managed print Services in a Box - "Ink Subscriptions" from HP. This is why we cannot define MpS as simply toner and service, Stage 1 & 2. ...read more

-=Good Selling=-

Ricoh A4 MFP or Canon A4 MFP "That is the Question"

2011-10-17T23:22:00.002-04:00

It doesn't happen that often....that you'll have two major manufacturing going to market with the same type of devices within a month or two of each other. Canon is set to launch their Black A4 MFP on or around 11/7/2011 and Ricoh is set to launch their Black A4 MFP in November also.

The Canon 1700 series will have six different models ranging in speed from 32 pages per minute to 52 pages per minute. These six models will be the 1750/1750if, 1740/1740if, and the 1730/if. The if version comes with standard PCL 5e/6 and PostScript 3 drivers, the ability to create searchable PDFs, along with a fax module. Color Send, is included with the imageRUNNER 1700 but you'll have to pay more for the better featured Universal Send.

The BIG deal with the Canon, it seems Canon 1700 will be the first to follow the A3 model cost per page in an A4 device. For those of you that are not familiar with this, the A3 model cost per page model is when you do not have an AIO (All in cartridge) that houses the toner, the drum, the cleaning blade and the waste toner hopper. The Canon 1700 will have a separate toner and drum cartridge that should support a low TCO (Total Cost of Ownership). I haven't seen the cost per page yet, however I'm hoping this is the case.

The market is ripe for the picking if the cost per page is in line with Canon A3 MFP devices. I don't think the imageRUNNER 1750 (52 ppm) will have the same cost per page as it's bigger brother Canon A4 MFP's that are 50 pages per minute. I thinking it may be close, and if it is I see Canon with the ability to capture and take away clicks from the likes of Ricoh, Toshiba, HP, Sharp Konica Minolta, Kyocera and Xerox.

Some initial drawbacks for the Canon imageRUNNER if would be Postscript emulation, a non color GUI (Graphical User Interface) and only one paper tray and one by-pass tray is standard.

Make no bones about it this system will be a force to be reckoned with, especially if TCO comes into play.

Right, this is a blog and I can't get too lengthy, so off we go with Ricoh....

Read more »

LIVING ON THE "FAT OF THE LAND"

2011-10-16T20:02:00.001-04:00

The information below was derived from a pamphlet that I found while cleaning out the attic. The pamphlet was printing in 1941 and was titled "800 Ways to Save and Serve", which was designed to help Americans with the World War II effort.

I find the information refreshing and sheds a little light on how my parents and family coped with the war. Enjoy!

LIVING ON THE "FAT OF THE LAND"
It is estimated that, before the war, we threw about two billion pounds of kitchen fats into the garbage pail. We cannot afford that any more. Save all the vegetable and animal fats you don't need - drippings from deep fat frying, meats, bacon grease, etc. Melt, strain free of extraneous particles and store in tin cans not in cardboard containers. Keep in a cool place. When you have accumulated one pound or more, sell it to your butcher at the prevailing price. This fat is urgently needed for explosives.

To avoid waste in measuring shortening, use the water-level method. For example, if you need 1/2 cup shortening, fill a measuring cup to the 1/2 mark with water. Drop in shortening, push it under the water; continue until water reaches the I-cup mark. Drain off the water. For 3/4 cup of shortening, start with 1/4 cup water; for 1/3 cup, start with 2/3 cup of water, etc.

IMPROPER CARE SPOILS SEA FOOD
Don't spend money on good sea food only to waste it through im¬proper care before cooking. At room temperature fish and all other sea foods spoil in a few hours. Cook at once or wrap in waxed paper to keep odor from other foods, and store in the cold¬est part of your refrigerator.

THE DAIRY COUNTER
Save the butter! When you mix a sandwich spread, mix the butter with the spread, instead of putting it on the bread first.

Turn one pound of butter into two with the magic of gelatine. Here's how: Cut one pound of butter into small pieces. Let stand at room temperature until soft enough to beat. Soften one envelope of unflavored gelatine in 1/4 cup of cold water. Dissolve over hot water. Add dissolved gelatine and 1/4 cup cold water to one can (14-1/2 oz.) evaporated milk. Gradually whip milk into butter with egg beater or electric mixer until milk does not sepa¬rate. Add coloring if desired. Use as a spread-not for cooking.

Here's another "butter-stretcher": One pound butter plus two cups evaporated milk equals two pounds of butter, believe it or not. Bring the butter to room tem-perature and beat to a cream¬your egg-beater will do fine! Add two cups of evaporated milk, a lit¬tle at a time. Keep on beating until all the milk is absorbed. Chill to a solid, and you're twice as butter rich as before you read this.

You can get more cream from your milk by heating it lukewarm, then chilling it suddenly. More cream will come to the surface.

No more whipped cream? Nonsense! Light cream will whip if you can afford to spend a little time. Here's how: Dissolve 1-1/2 teaspoons plain gelatine in 1/4 cup cold water; dissolve over hot water. Pour 1 cup thoroughly chilled light cream into a fairly deep narrow bowl (deep enough so that cream covers 3/4 of the beater blades). Stir dissolved gel¬atine into cream slowly. Set bowl in pan of cracked ice and water; let stand for 5 minutes, stirring around edge several times. Leave bowl in ice and water; beat 5 minutes with rotary egg beater. The cream will be light and fluffy, but not stiff enough to peak. Let stand 2 minutes; cream will stiffen enough to peak. If stored in re-frigerator, stir with a fork before using.

-=Good Selling=-

Top 20 Copier & MFP Discussion @ The Print4Pay Hotel

2011-10-12T19:54:00.000-04:00

Just thought I'd give everyone a quick update on the latest threads on the Print4Pay Hotel forums.

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 2,000 systems in the past three months!

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!!

P4P Document Library
Dealer vs Direct Pitch Document
Production Print Glossary II
Specification, BK5010e System Ricoh
Legality of Digital Image Copies.
Sizzle off the Press - Xerox ColorQube 9300 series

Interesting P4P Forum Threads
Check this ^%$^ out!
Chester C makes the Hall of Fame!!
Energy Consumption Specs
Ricoh C2057
ECI and Digital Gateway join forces

Most Viewed P4P Forum Threads
Is giving away free stuff to the DM (built into your cost) ethical?
copier_1700Srs_Short_Launch[1]
Canon iR2525 is Killer!
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Adobe X not working with Konica Twain Scanning

New Leads, RFP's & RFQ's Uploaded!
Copier Lease and Maintenance in Arkansas
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Indiana MPS
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The Print4Hotel Team

Daily Copier & MFP Industry Notes from around the World

2011-10-11T22:24:00.001-04:00

SOME of the biggest brands in the printing sector are being tipped as suitors in a high-stake bidding war for Darwin-based managed IT services specialist CSG.

Sources are reporting that majority Japanese-owned Fuji Xerox and Canon's office division are the two main players behind bids that value the company at about $420 million.CSG provides managed print services and operates a managed IT services division. It already has partnerships with...read more

PLEASANTON, Calif., Oct 11, 2011 -- Visioneer, Inc., a leader in intelligent document imaging solutions announced today the launch of a new philanthropic program that will help worthy organizations across the globe that provide assistance to people and places in need. For every customer who registers a Visioneer or Xerox(R) DocuMate(R) scanner,...read more

NEWSBYTE, Oct. 11, 2011 - Lexmark International, Inc., today announced the new Lexmark Patient Admissions and Registration Solution, which simplifies paper-intensive admissions and registration processes. The Lexmark solution enables healthcare providers to electronically capture, organize, route and access patient documentation quickly, accurately and securely, so they can spend more time focusing on patient care instead of processing paperwork...read more

TOKYO—As Japan's major exporters struggle to absorb the impact of the strong yen on their earnings, Canon Inc.'s finance chief said Tuesday that any substantial rebound in the euro against the yen is unlikely, as the euro zone's "structural problem" may take several years to solve. "Unfortunately, we can't hope for any quick recovery in the euro," Chief Financial Officer Toshizo Tanaka said in an interview. His comments came as the euro was showing a modest gain against the yen...read more

Oct 11, 2011 LONG BEACH, Calif. – Epson America, Inc., today announced a new line of superior performing printers for small and home-based businesses - the WorkForce® 435, 545, 645 and 845. The new all-in-ones deliver the world’s fastest print speeds(1) and mobile printing capabilities through Epson Connect(2) to ensure easy, hassle-free printing. Each model in the series offers a range of functionality and intuitive operation at an affordable price...read more

-=Good Selling=-

My 2nd Reason Why Managed Print Services is a Loser

2011-10-10T20:15:00.001-04:00

My first reason for Why Managed Print Services is a loser was waste and maybe that was to broad of a reason. Waste can come in many different forms, such as waste in energy, waste is resources, waste in consumables, waste in landfill, waste of space, and waste of time!

As the second reason, I'd like to focus on waste of energy. Think about it, 50 lasers printers firing up everyday, heating and cooling all day long. It's gotta take it's toll on energy consumption. For those of you who are not aware of the laser engine technology, I'll make is real simple for you. Toner is needed to make a print, in most laser printers toner is housed in the print cartridge. Toner is fine plastic resin particles. In order for the toner to adhere to the paper it must be heated and fixed. All laser printers have a heat roller or heat belt that melts to toner. In order to have the printer print quickly most of these devices maintain a temperature threshold.

So, lets be bold and say we have 50 laser printers firing up and staying on all day wouldn't it be smarter to have 5 work group Multifunctional Copier Devices that could support every ones printing.

Gesh, what would it cost on energy to run let's say a certain "Q" color laser printer?

Read more »

120 Ways to Save on Food Part II "Meat Extenders"

2011-10-08T10:42:00.001-04:00

I was going through some items that had been my parents and came across boxes full of media from the late 30's through the 70's. One pamphlet that I found was printed in 1942 and suggest on "Ways to Save and Serve" during the wartime effort.

I enjoyed reading this and thought that other P4P'ers might enjoy the read and get a better handle on what their parents or grandparents went through during WWII.

120 Ways to Save on Food

MEAT "EXTENDERS"
The biggest way to save on meat costs is to get your money's worth through waste elimination.

These tips will help:
1. Not only because you want our fighting men to have all the meat they need, but to save money and maintain a balanced diet-at meat conservatively and get more of the other foods into your diet. Authorities hold that four ounces of lean meat per day are enough for average protein needs.

2. Unwrap meat and store in your refrigerator the moment you bring it home. The bacteria that cause spoilage grow rapidly when raw meat is closely covered, but cooked meats should be covered.

3. Chopped meat spoils more readily than plain cuts. Use as soon as possible after purchase.

4. Uncooked smoked meats will stay fresh and sweet for a long time if you do this: Saturate a clean cloth with vinegar, wring out, and wrap the bacon or ham in this damp vinegar cloth. Then wrap again in waxed paper and store in your refrigerator.

5. Use meat trimmings to add flavor to dressings, stuffings and casserole dishes.

6. To make a little meat go a long way, combine it with meat extenders, such as rice, macaroni, spaghetti, noodles, crumbs, vege¬tables and ready-to-serve cereals.

7. Simmer meat bones to make stock for soups, gravies or sauces.

Use pork or lamb liver instead of beef or calf liver, and pocket the difference. The only reason you pay so much more for calf liver is the greater demand for it. Food value is the same.

Bones from smoked meats such as ham hocks can be made into a yum-yummy soup stock for lentil, navy bean or split-pea soup.
When buying meat, ask for the trimmings and "collect a bonus." Simmered with vegetables and well seasoned, they make delicious, nourishing soups.

If you have small amounts of leftover meat and vegetables, grind them together and mix with mayonnaise for a tasty, nutritious spread.

Here's another meat-saver:
Read more »

P4P Hotels Look Back at Special War Time "Ways to Save and Serve"

2011-10-08T09:39:00.001-04:00

I was going through some items that had been my parents and came across boxes full of media from the late 30's through the 70's. One pamphlet that I found was printed in 1942 and suggest on "Ways to Save and Serve" during the wartime effort.

I enjoyed reading this and thought that other P4P'ers might enjoy the read and get a better handle on what their parents or grandparents went through during WWII.
120 Ways to Save on Food
A Word to the Wise

Government study has shown that Americans waste fully 20% of their food through spoilage and over-generous portions which are "pecked at". Practice the food savers in this book. Serve moderate helping first, second helping if wanted. This sensible practice minimizes unusable leftovers-and moderate servings look more appetizing. If your food bill is $10 per week, you can save about $100 a year, according to the Government, merely by adopting this conservation corps habit.

Don't be too bashful to add up your grocery and butcher bills before paying them. To err is human, but don't let the error be at your expense.

Plan your meals by the week with a careful eye to ration values, as well as prices. The savings you will make by such foresight will buy many a war stamp.

Canned Good Facts

Now that the lid is down on canned goods, drop your prejudice against lower-grade markings. Higher-priced markings some¬times indicate only larger, better¬shaped and "matched" contents, not greater food value.

Bulging ends on tin cans are a danger signal. The contents have probably begun to ferment and spoil. Nothing wrong, though, with cans that are merely dented.

Use the liquid from canned vegetables in soups, sauces, stews, gravies, casserole dishes, and for making white sauce for creamed vegetables.

Note from Art:

Since I'm one of those late boomers. I now realize maybe where the phrase "make sure you finish your dinner" may have come from. The line that states over generous portions are "pecked" at. Please all comments or stories are welcome.

-=Good Selling=-

My Thoughts on KonicaMinoltas Aquisition of Officeware

2011-10-06T20:45:00.001-04:00

I had an email last night from a P4p'er that wanted to know my thoughts about this acquisition by KonicaMinolta.

I took a visit to the Officeware web site and was surprised with the MPS tone and strategy of the site, but as I dug a little deeper I realized that the copier dealer message was still embedded in the web site.

In a blog I posted at the end of 2010, I had predicted that copier manufacturers like Xerox, Ricoh and KonicaMinolta would start to buy MPS organizations. Officeware seems to be one of those hybrid dealers that is playing in both worlds (MPS & Copiers) and there's nothing wrong with that because I firmly believe Hybrid dealers like Officeware can make a difference with a MFP's and MPS.

Who loses? Canon and Ricoh as far as placements, Officeware customers for support as the company starts to sell and support more of the KM product.

I'm sure there are some disgruntled employees, but you'll get that with any changeover. KonicaMinolta Business Systems wins a major portion of coverage from Midwest central Ohio, all of central Indiana and Midwest Illinois. I'm just guessing, but I'm thinking one of the reasons they purchased Officeware is because there was not enough coverage of KM in this area.

At this time I believe the entire Copier Industry is still changing through acquisition, it's the only way to grow and the only way to preserve market share. With that I believe all of the manufactures are spread very thin with support and this purchase at this time could be challenging for the buyer and the seller.

As you can tell, I really don't have a lot on this. The competitors of Officeware that carried either Ricoh, Savin or Canon will be delighted to see the acquisition and give them a chance to secure the customers who are brand loyal to Canon and Lanier (Ricoh). As with all purchases from a manufacturer tomorrow will be no different from yesterday, but as time rolls on turmoil will mount with parts support, tech support and solutions support from Lanier (Ricoh) and Canon. It's no doubt that Officeware will do it's best to get the major portion of the non KM systems out of the field in a short amount of time.

Our industry is…well…driving our own demise so to speak. We’re selling MFP hardware to reduce clicks, reduce cost per page, those dealers that are not the Hybrid (Professional services, MPS) or do not have a plan for a Professional Services model will sell themselves out of business.

-=Good Selling=-

Daily Managed Print Industry Notes from Around the World!

2011-10-05T21:09:00.002-04:00

Lloyd Bryant still leads the imaging and printing group (IPG) at HP Canada (NYSE: HPQ) as vice-president and general manager, but a number of the executives under him now hold new positions following a series of staffing changes announced last week that come into effect on Nov. 1. “We're excited to announce several changes in our IPG business management structure that will create multiple synergies for...read more

Cummins has 40,000 employees and global operations throughout 200 countries and territories. With such a vast distribution of locations comes the challenge of selecting, deploying, managing and maintaining technology – even output devices. Its existing fleet of printers, copiers, fax machines and...read more

Channelline CEO Robert Cohen talks with Gary Gillam, VP North American Channel Operations at Xerox, talks about where the printing industry is headed today, and where the opportunities are for partners, especially managed print services. Gillam also discusses how VARs can deal with an issue managed services raises, the loss of the constant contact with customers that comes from selling print supplies, that has been so important to printing VARs in the past...read more and video

-=Good Selling=-

Selling Copiers "Are you Selling the RIGHT Solutions?"

2011-10-04T21:10:00.002-04:00

We all know we can't make any money with a box to box situation. So, where can the profit be made? Usually it's made in non competitive situations that will produce an immediate ROI for the customer.

One of the keys is to know everything about your customer. You may be able to see the hardware when you do a walk through, however if you don't ask how do you do this or how do you do that, you don't get, get what? INFORMATION!!!

We need to ask what do you print on that printer or this printer. With this you'll get a better understanding of the media they are using. Plus, you can then add questions like:

Read more »

Daily Managed Print Industry Notes from Around the World!

2011-10-03T21:22:00.000-04:00

TRUMBULL, Conn., Oct 03, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Oce, a Canon Group Company and, an international leader in digital document management, today announced that Managed Print Services (MPS) has been added to Oce's GSA Schedule 36 Contract, allowing Oce North America, Document Printing Systems to sell MPS to the federal government. MPS focuses on the proactive management of existing fleets of...read more

Faced with slowing growth in developed markets, HP could be considering a radical step to pull in more enterprise IT business: a move to monthly subscription-based printing services. On Friday, Vyomesh 'VJ' Joshi, head of HP’s imaging and printing group, told ZDNet UK the company is looking at a new business model that should be coming "soon — very soon". He would not be drawn about the model, preferring to confirm guesses. Here's how the conversation went, at an event for press and analysts in Dublin:VJ: Let me give you a hint. Think about what changed the DVD market. What did Netflix do? ...read more

-=Good Selling=-

Selling Copiers "Is Your Dealership Prepared for the Future?"

2011-10-02T21:31:00.001-04:00

The blog below was posted some time ago on the Print4Pay Hotel forums. It was intended for P4P Members on how to gauge the type of dealership or direct channel that they are working for and if they should continue or look elsewhere.

Mike K had written this for us and has since left the industry and he worked for one of the largest direct dealers in the US. Do I need to say more? Anyway it's good stuff and it's a good read. ENJOY!

Are you working for a dealership prepared for the future of Office Technology?

This might sound like I am making a big deal out of nothing, but I am not. You are making good money and the deals are closing, but you are losing some of the bigger deals, people in immediate need and you cannot compete in bids or large deals. Your dealership could be a sinking ship and you better be one of the first out and not the last because your reputation will be tarnished.

I had asked myself these exact questions a year ago. My answer was mostly no for each one. Below are questions that you should answer yes for at least 80% of them. Questions with the # next to them are “a must.”

#Does your dealership have inventory?

-What good is a sale if you have no product!!!

Does your dealership have demo/loaner inventory?

-You need to show and make sure it is the correct solution.

#Does your dealership have Certified Network Engineers?

-What if something happens while doing network install?

Does your dealership have a software solution expert?

-You need someone with completely understands all possible software.

#Does your dealership have delivery staff?

-You need to be selling and not delivering!

#Does your dealership have a real retirement plan that they contribute?

-The dealership should invest in the well being of their employees.

Does your dealership have a gated commission plan for each deal?

-This way you or they will not lose money later on.

#Can your dealership pay you all you commissions on time?

(Ex: March commissions paid by April 30^th)

Does your dealership have an internal bonus program?

-They need to invest in the strongest reps and keep them happy.

80/20 rule applies here!

Does your dealership have President Club Trips?

-They need to invest in the strongest reps and keep them happy.

Not to Dealer Sales Meetings!

80/20 rule applies here also!

10 Reasons Why Managed Print Services is a Loser

2011-09-29T22:59:00.001-04:00

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!

2011-09-29T22:43:00.001-04:00

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

2011-09-29T22:01:00.001-04:00

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

2011-09-27T19:59:00.002-04:00

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

2011-09-26T23:22:00.000-04:00

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