Bidvest company, Konica Minolta South Africa, has announced the availability of its new digital monochrome multifunctional printer (MFP) models in the bizhub series, the bizhub 42/36 - Konica Minolta's first A4 monochrome MFP on the market.According to Andrew Griffith, product manager for office products at Konica Minolta South Africa, the bizhub 42/36 fills an important need in the bizhub line-up, bolstering Konica Minolta South Africa's Optimised Print Services (OPS) prowess by providing a solution to customers seeking an optimised document output infrastructure.
“In offices large and small, cutting costs without sacrificing quality is an essential concern. The bizhub 42/36 easily integrates with colour A3 MFPs, creating an office environment that encourages increased monochrome output and colour only as needed. This leads to reduced operating costs and more efficient performance. At the same time, its compact size and stylish design make it even more attractive for offices interested in saving space and improving office appearance,” he says.
In addition to its high functionality and strategic positioning, the bizhub 42/36 has also been recognised for its innovative design, having received Japan's coveted Good Design Award, presented by the Japan Institute of Design Promotion (JDP), to encourage and promote product design excellence.
“By using Konica Minolta's exclusive PageScope Enterprise Suite and PCounter Document Accounting software, as well as its inherent Open API functionality - which facilitates the possibility of integration into almost any third-party application, administrators can consolidate the management of all colour and monochrome bizhub MFPs on the network. Additionally, limits can be set on maximum output levels, while the optional non-contact IC card user authentication can be used to increase efficiency and reduce the number of administrative processes required,” adds Griffith.
While the bizhub 42/36 is a monochrome MFP, its image-processing engine is based on that of a higher-level colour MFP, ensuring exceptional print quality, even when printing a colour document in monochrome.
Furthermore, Konica Minolta's exclusive Simitri HD toner features a smooth surface to increase transferability, resulting in detailed reproduction of gradations in fine text and lines and photographs. The toner also emits up to 40% less CO2 emissions during operation than conventional toners.
To increase functionality, an optional inner finisher can be installed, enabling staple and shift functions. Colour scanning is also available, so users can scan and save documents in their original colour. To accommodate large print runs, an optional two-tiered cassette tray can be added, enabling a maximum paper capacity of 2 150 sheets. As a measure to maximise output speed, duplex (double-sided) copying can be performed at 100% productivity.
“The bizhub 42/36 offers a high level of environmental performance that maximises both ecological consideration and office comfort. Noise reduction measures have made the bizhub 42/36 quieter than competitors' A4 devices in the same class,” says Griffith.
He explains that in terms of energy consumption, the bizhub 42/36's TEC values, which represent an electrical product's typical weekly electricity, clear the standards, set forth by the International Energy Star.
“Power consumption has also been significantly reduced in Sleep Mode. Other environmental measures include use of biomass plastics and plant-based toner, and a toner loop mechanism that re-circulates toner to prevent waste,” he says.
The bizhub 42/36 comes equipped with a host of security features to keep data and output safe. The Encrypted PDF function protects PDFs made at the bizhub 42/36 from being opened by unauthorised third parties. Also, restrictions can be placed on functions such as copy, scan, fax, print and external memory to further improve security.
Konica Minolta South Africa
Konica Minolta South Africa, wholly owned by the Bidvest Group, stands at the forefront of business solution providers as the principal importer and distributor of the innovative and award-winning Konica Minolta range of bizhub digital multifunctional colour and black and white devices, laser printers, fax machines and business solutions, into South Africa as well as Namibia, Malawi, Botswana and Swaziland. Konica Minolta South Africa's head office is based in Johannesburg, and 14 branches and 43 dealerships support its distribution network. With an operational stance of consultative business partnering, the group provides clients with holistic document management solutions: through pre-sales analysis, audits to sales, installation, ongoing onsite technical and software management, as well as the supply of spare parts and consumables.