Weekend Copier Notes from 06/15/08

WEEKEND MFP INDUSTRY NOTES
6-15-08

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


- Xerox launched two new free downloadable programs:
o Mobile Express Driver, which allows:
 Lets mobile office workers print to any available printer, even if it is not a Xerox
 Users plug into network, and the driver identifies any and all available printers
 Users simply pick a printer and print
 Works with PostScript printers
 Allows use of MFP or printer features
 For example, can choose to only print in b/w and on both sides of paper
o Global Print Driver
 Helps enterprise IT departments in managing print drivers
 Eliminates need to qualify each new print driver
 Can pre-configure default settings before distributing them to end users
 Works with any brand of device
 Supports PostScript, PCL 5 and PCL 6
 Users see a consistent interface no matter what device they print from

- Xerox started a new ad campaign, using direct mail and e-mail to offer customers new low pricing on color MFPs and the chance to win a Nintendo Wii game system. Pricing shown:
o WorkCentre 7232 for as low as $133/month
o WorkCentre 7328 for as low as $191/month
o WorkCentre 7655 for as low as $354/month
o 60 month FMV lease
o Includes free 250 color clicks per month

- Xerox sold an iGen3 110 production color system to Prepress Graphic Professionals, a print shop in Shawnee, Kansas.

- According to the Printing Industries of America (PIA), in the first quarter of 2008, print shops had offset print work decline by 0.1%, however, digital toner jobs increased 5.8%

- Oce’ gave out pricing details on its new high speed color inkjet printing systems, the JetStream series:
o Model 750, single engine, 600x600dpi, running at 750ppm for $1.9 million
o Model1100, single engine, 600x600dpi, running at 1100ppm for $2.7 million
o Model 1500, dual engine, 600x600dpi, running at 1500ppm for $3.75 million
o Model 2200, dual engine, 600x600dpi, running at 2200ppm for $5.4 million
o Model 3000, dual engine, 480x480dpi, running at 3000ppm for $6.4 million
 All are 2 bit, or 4 shades of a color per pixel
 Use printheads made by Brother & Kyocera
 Takes technician one hour to replace inkjet head
 Inkjet head life of 3000 hours
 Uses rolls of paper only
 Built-in digital camera checks for printhead failure
 All are actually made by Miyakoshi of Japan
 Products are geared at newspaper publishers

- Oce’ is now shipping more relabeled versions of bizhub color MFPs. The C253 will be called the cm2522 and the C353 will be called cm3522.



- More details on what transpired at the recent Sharp national dealer meeting:
o when dealer owners arrived at resort, they used Sharp color MFPs to check in
o the Sharp MFPs were programmed to act as checkin kiosks
o they were equipped with webcams, so picture of guest was taken
o after entering info on the color MFP’s LCD touch screen, a color name badge printed out with the guest’s picture
o Sharp’s president, Ed McLaughlin, stated that “Sharp was no longer in the copier business, but selling imaging devices and solutions portals”. He also claimed that Sharp would be number one or two in the MFP business in 5 years.
o Claims to have sold over 1,000 production b/w units worldwide (85ppm, 95ppm and 110ppm)
o New MFPs will have a pullout full size keyboard, that slides out from underneath the color LCD so end users can more easily enter data
o Two new color MFPs to be released are MX-2600N and MX-3100N
 26ppm and 31ppm respectively
 The color LCD is high resolution, and is capable of showing video

- Details on Hewlett Packard’s new inkjet cartridge plant in Singapore:
o Plant produces 100 million cartridges per quarter, or 1 million per day
o These are the only printer related products that HP makes directly
o Employs 2300 people

- Hewlett Packard announced it had won a bid to supply the 3M company in Minnesota with a fleet of MFPs, and eliminating 47% of the existing MFPs and printers.

- Hewlett Packard introduced a new color computer monitor that is 10 bits per pixel, or 30 bit. This means it can produce over 1 billion colors. The new product, called DreamColor LP2480zx, will sell for $3499.00.

- Panasonic named William Brennan as national sales manager for its copier division.

- Toshiba is apparently abandoning 8 bit printing with its new color laser MFPs. The new models, the eSTUDIO 2830C/3530C/4520C models offer a resolution of 1200x1200dpi, but only 2 or 4 bits per pixel. Speeds offered are 28, 35 & 45ppm. However, all three offer on-the-fly toner replacement, which is normally only available on models that are 45ppm or faster.
o The new lineup of Toshiba color laser MFPs, are based on three different print engine platforms:
 eSTUDIO 281C, 351C and 451C are based on a single OPC drum design, using a spinning toner carousel, and a multiple pass paper path, where color speed is only 11ppm, but black speeds are 28, 35 & 45ppm respectively
o eSTUDIO 2500C, 2830C, 3520C & 4520C are all based on a 4 tandem OPC drum design
 2500C offers 25ppm color and 35ppm b/w
 2830C offers 28ppm color and 35ppm b/w
 3520C offers 35ppm b/w or color
 4520C offers 45ppm color or b/w
o eSTUDIO 5520C, 6520C & 6530C based on larger 4 tandem OPC drum design, with on the fly toner replacement
 5520C offers 55ppm b/w or color
 6520C offers 65ppm b/w or color
 6530C offers 65ppm color and 75ppm b/w

- During the DRUPA show in Germany, here is a sampling of the slogans used:
o “Progressive, profitable printing” = HP
o “Print is Powerful” = Kodak
o “Connect With Opportunity” = Xerox
o “We Speak Image” = Canon
o “Produce, Persuade, Perform..on the network” = Canon
o “We’re Listening” = Ricoh
o “Empowering Print Communications” = Sharp
o “Leading Innovation” = Toshiba
o “Print To Win” = EFI
o “Business Beyond the Ordinary” = Oce’

- Ricoh claims it has sold its first Aficio Pro C900 production color system (90ppm) to Integrated Graphics Ltd, a print shop in England.

- Ricoh announced it will offer Ringdale Inc.’s FollowMe Printing products as options for its MFPs, allowing for secure access.

- Kyocera announced it has hired industry guru, Stephen Power, to create a sales program for its dealer sales reps. The “Power Selling” program will teach dealer sales how to sell document imaging and solutions.

- First Data, a print shop in Greece, ordered three of the Xeikon 8000 production color systems, that run at 230ppm, at up to 1200x1200dpi, 4 bits per pixel.

- The City of Modesto, CA had to lets its copier contracts expire, because a new councilman works for the copier vendor that won the contracts. Dave Lopez, won an election, and his current employer, Alpha Numeric Copiers, will now not be able to bid, as it would be a conflict of interest.