Wednesday, December 30, 2009

HP LaserJet FP3520 "Spec Review"



Hewlett Packard launched the Color LaserJet FP3520 featuring:

- Desktop color laser printer made by Canon
- 30ppm b/w or color top speed
- Base MSRP of $699
- A4 model, up to letter/legal size only
- 4 tandem OPC drum design
- 600x600dpi actual (advertised as offering 3600dpi with interpolation)
- Built-in print controller
- 515MHz processor
- PCL and PostScript print drivers standard
- 512MB RAM standard (can upgrade to 1GB)
- 10/100/1000BaseT & USB ports
- Optional hard drive for spooling
- 250 sheet output tray
- Optional auto duplex $200
- Comes standard with single 250 sheet paper drawer and 100 sheet stack bypass
- Optional 500 sheet paper drawer
- Handles up to 58lb. bond glossy stock in bypass or 500 sheet drawer
- Black toner cartridge yield of 5,000 pages based on 5% coverage per page for $133.99
- Color toner cartridges have yield of 7,000 pages each based on 5% coverage per page
for $264.99 each
- 17 second first page out time after sleep mode

-=cheers=-

Monday, December 28, 2009

Canon recently won an Editor’s Choice award for....


Canon recently won an Editor’s Choice award from Better Buys for Business magazine for the new imageRUNNER 3200 series featuring:

- IR-3225 offers 25ppm for $5200
- IR-3230 offers 30ppm for $6600
- IR-3235 offers 35ppm for $8500
- IR-3245 offers 45ppm for $10,500
- All are A3 models, allowing ledger size 11”x17” paper handling
- Optional embedded software via the Multifunctional Embedded Application Protocol (MEAP)
- Color touch screen LCD control panel
- Optional 101 key keyboard
- Control panel has instruction manuals built-in via help mode
- Optional Web access from control panel
- Optional print controller for $900
- PCL print driver standard
- PostScript print driver is $600
- 768MB RAM (can upgrade to 1GB) & 60GB hard drive
- Optional WiFi port
- 10/100BaseT & USB ports
- Optional Universal Send scan kit
- Can scan in color or b/w
- Scan to email/LDAP/FTP/folder
- Scan to PDF, XPS, JPEG, TIFF standard
- Two 550 sheet paper drawers standard and 50 sheet stack bypass
- Can add two more 550 sheet paper drawers for $1450 and/or a 2,700 sheet letter size drawer for $2100
- Auto duplex standard
- Optional corner stapling internal finisher for $1230
- Optional multi-position stapling finisher for $2700
- Hole-punch kit for $670
- Optional booklet making finisher for $4000 with optional hole-punch for $850
- Optional 100 sheet document feeder for $1200 (does not scan both sides of original at same time)
- 1200x1200dpi
- Optional fax board for $950 but is only 400dpi, second line for $420, third line for $950
- 35 second warm-up time
- 1000 account codes standard

Need to purchase or lease a new multifunctional device? P4P members are on your side click p4pcafe.

-=Cheers=-

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Top Tips for Buying/Leasing a new Multifunctional Copier


Since the GIANTS are losing big time, I opted to put together a short blog on "Top Tips for buying or leasing a new multifunctional copier." Like em, love em or leave em, after 30 years in the biz I'm sure you'll find these helpful!

1. Find your local expert, he or she may have called you or sent a mailer.

2. Ask them how long have they been in their present position.

3. Ask then how long have they been with their present company.

4. Ask for local service and sales references for other firms similar to yours.

5. Visit their website, if it's old and out of date, so are they!!! To give an example I just visited a dealers web site and checked the current products, most of these products are discontinued, no dealer updates. Most likely they handle their service and support like they handle the web site!

6. Ask the salesperson about continuing education, do they take part?

7. Do a credit check on the company you are considering to do business with, you want to do business with a company that is financially fit! Need I say more!

These are all great tips, but what happens if you don't have the time to meet, it's your companies policy to focus on your core. How do you find the Quality Authorized Dealers, Direct Branches or Sales/Consultants that have the knowledge to improve the way you move, print, scan, copy and fax paper?

Take a trip here p4pcafe, I've put together 2,400 experts in the industry that will be able to consult for multifunctional hardware, software and third party solutions! These are the best of the best, I know because they're members of the Print4Pay Hotel which is the only Global web site dedicated to Imaging Industry Professionals. If you're in need of a system fill out our form and a P4P Hotel member will contact you within 24-48 hours!!

MFP Knowledge Quiz!!



Make your own Quiz!

This Week in Kodak "TWIK Notes"


- Kodak announced that it will restate its 401K match and pay raises in 2010 for its employees.

- Kodak announced that Heidelberg’s factory direct branch in Australia will resell its Digimaster and NexPress production print systems.

- Kodak announced that it has sold a NexPress SE3600 production color system to Cohber Press, a print shop in Henrietta, New York.

- Kodak announced that it has sold its New York state based water treatment plant to Monroe County for $9.5 million.

- Kodak announced it sold it OLED (organic light emitting diode) division to LG Electronics of South Korea.

- Kodak announced it is relinquishing a lease it has held for last 22 years for a large hangar at the Rochester International Airport. It was paying $112,000 per year for the lease for its company airplanes.

- Kodak added executives for its scanner division, hiring Tony Barbeau as General Manager and Russell Hunt as Regional Business Manager.

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Top 10 Ways to Save Energy and Reduce Waste With Your Office Copiers & Printers


Here are ten simple, effective ways you can save energy with the copiers and printers in your organization.

1. Reduce - Print what you need, when you need it. A print-on-demand document strategy reduces paper and electricity waste because you aren't producing extra copies for 'just in case' scenarios that may never come.
2. Re-use - Set your printer/MFP’s default to make two-sided (duplex) copies.
3. Recycle - Choose recycled papers and printers/MFPs that can print on them reliably.
4. Live long and prosper - Buy office equipment that has a proven record of durability so that replacement is required less often. Longer equipment life cycles help minimize e-waste in landfills.
5. Go to sleep - Copiers and printers are on all day but are only used for a small part of the day. Use the “stand-by” and “sleep” modes available on the device.
6. Print multi-up - Print PowerPoint presentations and other documents in 2-up or 4-up mode. This reduces paper and electricity.
7. Get the right size/type of device - An efficient low-volume MFP (less than 20 pages per minute) can use 70% less energy per page than a mid-volume MFP(20-44 pages per minute). For higher volume jobs, digital duplicators and high-speed inkjet printers print up to three times faster and use up to 95% less energy than mid-volume and high-volume toner-based MFPs.
8. Stay cool - Office equipment generates heat in work spaces, which then requires more power for cooling. Put printing devices in areas with natural ventilation and good airflow to reduce the need for air-conditioning. Consider RISO digital duplicators or high speed inkjet printers print color quickly and affordably, but don't produce heat.
9. Choose ENERGY STAR - Look for the ENERGY STAR logo when buying office equipment. The logo ensures that the device has automatic power-management features and uses energy more efficiently.
10. Learn - Visit this website to learn about a printing technology that reduces power consumption while also printing low-cost color at speeds of up to 150 pages per minute.

Looking for a new multifunctional copier system? Look here P4P Cafe

-=Cheers=-

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Leasing Copiers "Who Stole the Cheese!"


Snuff and Scurry, two of my favorite mice.

While going through my emails the other day, I had an email from a client in the South. The email was in reference to "what is really the interest rate for a Fair Market Value lease for a copier."

The email stated that for the life of them they could not figure out the interest rate and was asking for help and advise. Well, asking me to figure out the interest rate is like asking me to get my dog to stop sniffing every pole or fire hydrate he passes. Not going to happen!

What I did enlighten them on is how copier companies figure out the monthly lease payment.

First, there has to be a rate factor that the salesperson gets from either the leasing company or the copier companies management. There are many different rates from many leasing companies and the rate factors change with the term of the lease (12,24,36,39,48,60,63 months), also the dollar amount of the lease would also change the rate factor along with the option at the end of the term (buy out).

There are primarily two different types of leases used:

Fair Market Value: Leasing company gives you the option to purchase for a percentage of the purchase price. This type of lease has the least amount of interest. True lease, tax deductible and write off every month

Dollar Out: You own the equipment at the end of the term for one dollar. This lease will have a higher interest rate than Fair Market Value. This is a finance lease and may not be depreciated like a true Fair Market Value Lease.

What's more popular?

The Fair Market Value lease, basically has four options at the end of the term. A) Ship back to leasing company at your expense at the end of the terms. B) Renew the payments at the end of term for 30 days, 90 days, or longer, check the lease that was signed. C) Trade the equipment back to the dealer and start a new lease, the dealer will then return the system for you. D)Buy the equipment from the leasing company for Fair Market Value.

How is the Cheese Stolen?

So, who is stealing the cheese? Well in this particular email, the customer wanted to find out the interest rate, that I couldn't help with, however I asked them to send me a copy of the quotes and I would tell them how much interest they were paying over the term of the lease. The next day I received five quotes.

Now for you newbies out there, as long as you have the monthly lease amount you can figure out the lease purchase price of the system or at least come close. You take the monthly dollar amount of the system and divide by the rate factor. In this case the customer was quoted $762 per month for a 60 month lease. They were also quoted a purchase price of $26,375 and they had a buy out of $9,142. This made the lease base according to the Direct Branch $35,517.

Now using an average rate factor of .0200 we take the lease price of $762 per month and divide by .0200 which equals $38,100 that would be funded to the Direct Branch for the system that had a purchase price with buyout of $35,517. Well...., we can see that someone has "stolen the cheese". If you now take the purchase price with buyout that was quoted at $35,517 and multiply it by the fair (60 month) rate factor of .0200 (fair for over $20k), the customers payments should have been $710.34. Hence the customer is getting ripped for $52 per month on a 60 month lease, thus paying an additional $3,120 over the term of the lease.

What's a rate factor?

Rate factors are given from the leasing company to the dealer or direct branch. A rate factor of .0200 means that the cost to borrow is $20.00 per thousand dollars. Thus if you wanted to prove the above numbers you would multiply $20.00 x 35.517 which would equal the payment of $710.34.

This was not a cost per copy lease, nor were service and supplies built into the lease, it's basically a game that has been played in the industry for years. Not only are they making money on the hardware but also "padding" the lease for additional profit!

To be fair, there are many different rate factors from different leasing companies, in this example I used an average rate factor. There are lower rates and higher rates that could either increase or decrease the amount to the dealer or direct branch. Most dealers and direct branches are in the average that I quoted.

Don't Blame the Salesperson

Don't blame the salesperson, most of the time the salesperson is not even aware of the average rates, there is a finance department at the dealer or direct branch that "pad" the rates to the sales person and or dictate that they HAVE to use these rates or ELSE! The salesperson is not getting the extra dollars for the unit.

In the instance above, the salesperson probably quoted the right purchase price, however they had to use a "padded rate" which increased the lease price per month. The branch received the additional profit from the lease.

Word to the wise, always when leasing ask for a purchase price for the equipment or the total amount of the order. Do some homework, ask what rate factor they are using and how they arrived at the price per month for the lease. If you think you're paying too much, you probably are.

How can you find fair rate factors? Well, that's probably the hardiest part of the equation. You can always send me an email and I can give you the average for any dollar amount or term. Then you can do the math!

Oh, by the way, there are many dealers and branches that pass along rates without padding the rates, I think there are more of these than those who pad. I also think that this "padding" is much more common with direct operations than dealers. Just my thoughts!!

-=Good Selling=-