Sharp scoops six awards
Sharp Electronics has won an impressive six awards for its range of colour multifunction systems from Buyers Laboratory Inc. (BLI), the world's leading independent evaluator of document imaging products and solutions.
The awards, which are highly valued by manufacturers and industry experts, are given to the best printers on the market as measured across a wide range of key features and performance factors.
BLI gave the following ‘Pick of the Year, Spring 2009' awards to Sharp in recognition of products that demonstrate outstanding performance in their specific market segments:
Outstanding Segment 2 Business Colour MFP - awarded to the Sharp MX-2600N
Outstanding Segment 3 Business Colour MFP - awarded to the Sharp MX-3100N
Outstanding Segment 4 Business Colour MFP - awarded to the Sharp MX-4101N
Outstanding Segment 4 Business Colour MFP - awarded to the Sharp MX-5001N
Outstanding Mid-size Workgroup Colour Multifunction Printer MFP - awarded to the Sharp MX-C311 (also sold as Sharp DX-C311)
Outstanding Network Device Management Solution - awarded for Sharp's Printer Administration Utility 5
Tom Primett, group product manager Sharp Electronics UK, said: "We're extremely proud to be honoured with these prestigious awards. Excelling in BLI's rigorous testing validates our commitment to delivering products that provide a winning blend of performance, quality and reliability."
Sharp's 26 pages per minute (ppm) MX-2600N won an Outstanding Segment 2 Business Colour MFP accolade (the category for MFPs within the 21 - 30 ppm range), and its sister product - the 31 ppm MX-3100N - was recognised as Outstanding Segment 3 Business Colour MFP. Segment 3 MFPs are in the 31 - 40 ppm class.
The MX-2600N and MX-3100N, which share the same highly reliable engine, both scored very high marks in nearly all aspects of performance during BLI's rigorous two-month lab test. Their image quality, ease of use and advanced scanning functions were all applauded by the researchers.
"While both of these Sharp models offer very good print quality and ease of use, their exceptional scan functionality in particular places them ahead of many of their competitors," said BLI managing editor Daria Hoffman.
The 41 ppm Sharp MX-4101N and the 50 ppm Sharp MX-5001N were each recognised as an Outstanding Segment 4 Business Colour MFP. Again, performance and ease of use were crucial.
"We put these models through their paces and they passed with flying colours," said Lynn Nannariello, BLI's assistant managing editor. "These highly reliable devices offer an array of features that make them very easy to use."
BLI's Outstanding Mid-Size Workgroup Colour Multifunction Printer award went to Sharp's 31 ppm Sharp MX-C311 for its robust feature set, ease of use and superior productivity, which combined to elevate it into a class of its own.
"The MX-C311 is unlike anything we've seen in our testing of A4 colour MFPs, providing outstanding multitasking, robust scanning, superior colour output and exceptional ease of use," said BLI manager of laboratory testing, Pete Emory.
Buyers Lab researchers also evaluate software as well as hardware in its ‘Pick of the Year' awards, and this year awarded their Outstanding Network Device Management Solution to Sharp's Printer Administration Utility (PAU) 5. PAU 5 reduces the burden of administration by letting support staff remotely monitor the status of devices, receive automatic e-mail alerts of potential problems, perform remote firmware upgrades, distribute drivers, ‘clone' device settings, and more.
"Sharp's Printer Administration Utility has always been an asset, making Sharp MFPs among the easiest to administer," said Emory. "The enhancements in PAU5 further strengthen the solution, giving it some unique abilities compared to other management solutions."
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