Ricoh Production Printers Gets High Marks From Users

I see a lot of stuff come across and my the life of me, did Ricoh actually provide a list of P4P accounts for IA to conduct their survey?


Ricoh Production Printers Gets High Marks From Users

Ricoh Production Products Ranked Best in Industry According to Industry Analysts Survey. Ricoh's 70 Plus PPM Monochrome Devices Receive High Marks From Print for Pay Customers.
WEST CALDWELL, NJ, September 17, 2008 -- Ricoh Americas Corporation announced today that its production family of 70 plus pages per minute (ppm) monochrome products were rated best overall by print for pay customers in a survey conducted by Industry Analysts, Inc. These products, marketed by Ricoh's Production Printing Business Group (PPBG), were recognized by Office Products Analyst, a leading industry trade magazine published by Industry Analysts, Inc., as part of its annual Print for Pay survey.

Survey Methodology

The annual Print for Pay survey is a culmination of two months of extensive interviews with nearly 250 commercial printers and publishing houses to gauge the products and solutions they use day in and day out. Ricoh had a strong showing in several areas, including Best Overall Monochrome Production - 70 Plus; Productivity, Stability of Connectivity, Image Quality, Reliability, Ease of Connectivity, Ease of Use, and Total Cost of Ownership. The products tied for first in the Features category. The Ricoh production monochrome line virtually swept the monochrome production category, beating out competitors like Canon, Xerox and Konica Minolta.

"Print for pay customers are extremely dependent on the performance and quality of the products they use and therefore are the best critics when it comes to document management devices," said Andy Slawetsky, president, Industry Analysts, Inc. "Ricoh's commitment to innovation and its customers is demonstrated by the overwhelmingly positive response to its production printing devices."

Ricoh's PPBG specializes in high-volume production devices for in-plant, graphic arts and data center customers. Products include 70+ ppm multifunction products (MFPs) and finishing equipment. While some specific products were not listed in the Print for Pay survey, the production line as a whole demonstrated superior functionality and usability for commercial and publishing customers.

"Ricoh takes pride in creating innovative products that provide the latest technological solutions for commercial printing businesses that depend on productivity, quality and low total cost of ownership," said Carl Joachim, vice president of Marketing, Production Printing Business Group of Ricoh Americas Corporation. "Being recognized by Industry Analysts, Inc. only further validates the quality products customers have come to expect from Ricoh."

Industry Analysts, Inc. (IA, Inc.) is a market research and product testing firm specializing in the imaging industry. Founded in 1974, IA, Inc. provides "real-world" third party testing and evaluations, market research and focus groups, from offices in Rochester, New York and Fairfield, New Jersey.

The Office Products Analyst is one of the longest running imaging-industry publications. Published by market research and consulting firm, Industry Analysts, Inc. (Rochester, NY), the OPA conducts thousands of end-user and office equipment dealer surveys each year.
The Production Printing Business Group (PPBG)of Ricoh Americas Corporation is dedicated to delivering state-of-the-art, high-speed production systems that provide efficient document workflows with high-volume production printing and finishing. Incorporating superior engineering, reliable technology, and extensive software and finishing options, PPBG helps production centers cost-effectively modernize and streamline their operations to meet today’s rapid turnaround and high-quality demands.

Ricoh Americas Corporation, headquartered in West Caldwell, N.J., is a subsidiary of Ricoh Company Ltd., the 72-year-old leading supplier of office automation equipment and electronics, with fiscal year 2007 sales in excess of $19.4 billion, a 7.3 percent increase over the previous year. The company is a leading provider of document solutions. Ricoh’s fully integrated hardware and software products help businesses share information efficiently and effectively by enabling customers to control the input, management and output of documents.

MFP Wars "Rise of the A4's"

Not since Minolta incorporated the first zoom lens in a copier will there be a more sweeping change in the MFP landscape! I've been on this kick for over two years, when HP launched the first A4 MFP!

Whats Hot!!! A4 MFP devices, what is an A4 MFP? A4 actually represents the paper size that can be reproduced on the system. A4 devices will print, copy, fax and scan letter & legal size. A3 devices will print, copy, fax and scan letter, legal and ledger size.

Gartner predicts that A4 print centric devices will emerge as the preferred device for distributed print needs in a report dated December of 2007. Heck, I could have told then that back in 2006. Make no bones about it A4's are here to stay and A3's will be a niche market for some manufacturers, what I really can't figure out is why companies like Ricoh, Xerox, Canon, KonicaMinolta and a few others have ignored this tremendous opportunity to garner clicks?

So, who has A4 devices (35ppm and above) on the market now? As of right now there are only a handful. HP and Samsung have thier own devices, while Muratec, Xerox and Nashua have relabeled the Samsungs. Samsung recently introduced a 55ppm and a 40ppm color A4 MFP. Word on the street is that Muratec will be picking up both of these boxes.

In May of 2007, Sharp announced that they will bring to market an entire line of A4 devices code named Frontier. Kudos, they will be the first manufacturer to have a complete line. In talking to a friend at SBS, I was told that these devices are ready to go and just waiting for the initial launch.

So, whats not to like about A4, well its certainly not the price. An A4 45 ppm system that will copy, print, scan and fax can be purchased for under $5,000. Compare that to a traditional A4 device will run you twice that!

Some have asked where the sweet spot is for A4 vs A3 devices. As of right now, A3 devices have a much lower cost per page. The sweet spot depends on where your monthly volume falls, as of right now 10,000 or less a month will save you money over the traditional A3 (even with the lower cost per page).

Speaking about lower per page costs, I've said it before and will say it again. The first manufacturer that comes to market with and A4 with the cost per page of an A3 device will dominate the market. Savvy reps will instantly sell the TCO advantages, with that the HP and Samsung devices will be short lived. Typically, an A4 device will have a mono cost per page around .015 compared to current A3 devices that average .009. It's not uncommon to see A3's at even lower cost depending on the monthly volume. The higher the volume the lower the cost per page.

Here's an except from a brochure for a popular A4. "When compared to the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) of a general A3 multifunctional TCO, at an average of 10,000 pages per month, can result in one of the lowest running costs in its class.

Infotrends reports, “We believe that the role of workgroup A4 MFPs will grow strongly, pulling A4/letter size pages away from A3 copiers and MFPs, thereby weakening the demand for these larger devices,” commented Bob Leahey, an Associate Director at InfoTrends. “A3 devices will remain vital in the U.S., but the push by major suppliers of workgroup A4 alternatives is having an effect on decision-making regarding office equipment purchases at U.S. companies. Because of this impact and other factors, A3-format technology will represent a declining share of the installed base of U.S. office equipment over the next several years.”

All hail the rise of the A4!

Keiger Printing Inks First Order for Xerox iGen4 in North America

Here's one from the very highend, as of right now there is no growth in the middle. Just the very low and the very high end. Congrats on your purchase!!!

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- The new Xerox Corporation (NYSE: XRX) iGen4™ Press is headed for Keiger Printing Company in Winston-Salem, N.C., marking the first installation in North America. The breakthrough digital press - announced in Germany at drupa 2008 in May - is now available for delivery to print providers worldwide.

"We want to be the first in the country to offer our customers the best solution to their business needs" said Louis Crockett, president of Keiger Printing. "Every high-quality color print that comes off of the iGen4 will help set us apart from our competition. This purchase will change our business"

Keiger Printing, historically an early adopter of new technology, installed a Xerox iGen3™ 110 Digital Production Press three years ago. "The iGen3 press helped propel our company. The iGen4 takes everything to the next level and redefines the standards of digital printing" said Crockett.

According to Crockett, color consistency and predictability are critical to his customers and that with the Xerox iGen4, repeat jobs will always look the same. The iGen4 creates offset and photo-quality images with consistent color from the first print to the last. There are more than 400 new parts and subsystems as well as new patented technologies that help the iGen4 generate its high-definition image quality.

Crockett said he expects productivity to increase 25 to 35 percent with the iGen4 through the automation of operator tasks, such as not needing to stop the machine to replace developer with the new Carrier Dispensing System. "Time is money, but it is only revenue if you are producing" added Crockett.

By automating operator tasks on the iGen4, the need to stop the press for adjustments is greatly reduced. As a result, overall operating costs decrease and the break-even point improves between digital and traditional offset printing. "With the iGen4, it is faster and more economical to print jobs digitally" said Crockett.

He also praised a feature, Auto Density Control, which automatically detects and adjusts for density variations while the press is in use, virtually eliminating streaks. Keiger Printing will use the CX Color Server powered by Creo with its iGen4.

Running at 110 pages per minute, the iGen4 is ideal for producing high-end collateral, direct marketing and photo specialty products - jobs that typically generate the most profits for print providers.

The iGen4 is the latest addition to Xerox’s industry-leading production digital portfolio, following the revolutionary Xerox iGen3, which led the industry into a new age of digital color printing.

Xerox is also now shipping the Automated Color Quality Suite Press Matching System, for new and existing customers of the Xerox iGen3 presses, offering high performance plus quality that matches offset printing. These enhancements enable faster press set-up, quicker time to production, greater color stability and automated Pantone color matching, perfect for producing applications from personalized direct mail and catalogs to marketing collaterals and photo books.

Keiger Printing, a family-owned business for 65 years, has long been at the forefront of technology and creativity in the printing industry. The company entered digital printing in 1993 with a Xerox DocuTech™ and in 2007 won the coveted Best of Show prize at the annual Printing Innovation with Xerox Imaging (PIXI) awards. The company, a Xerox Premier Partner, prints all types of applications from business cards to high-quality books for university art departments.

The iGen4 will make its U.S. debut to the public at Graph Expo 2008, the nation’s largest annual printing show, Oct. 26-29 in Chicago. The press will be on display in Xerox’s booth, No. 1219. The iGen4 has a U.S. list price of $640,000.

imageCLASS MF8450C MFP

Just like I've been saying the growth of MFP's are in the very low end and the very high end! Thus another system under $1,000 that will probably have a high per page cost.


LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Helping replace the cost and complexities of managing multiple office devices, Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in document imaging and office solutions, today introduced the imageCLASS MF8450c laser multifunction printer, bringing duplex versatility with two-sided copying, printing, faxing and scanning in one machine to smaller offices.

The new imageCLASS MF8450c, which will be available through retailers nationwide, offers black-and-white and color laser printing at the same speed of up to 17 pages-per-minute (ppm) and copying output at 17 copies-per-minute (cpm)i. Users can capture finer details when they print or copy in black-and-white or color with remarkable tone-on-tone clarity where their image is true to the original. Canon’s Pure Black Technology ensures the richest blacks by utilizing only the black toner in comparison with the traditional methods of combining toners. Scans can also be achieved in color from either the platen glass or the Canon Duplex Automatic Document Feeder (DADF) with optical resolution of up to 600 dots-per-inch (dpi). The imageCLASS 8450c incorporates a 33.6 Kbps Super G3 faxii, with a strong list of fax features, including 200 speed-dial locations, up to 1,000-page memory capacity and one hour of memory back-up.

"Canon continues to bring big office innovation and technology into our line of small and home office MFPs, incorporating the functionality of four or more devices into a single tabletop unit,” said Jim Rosetta, vice president and general manager, Imaging Systems Group, Canon U.S.A. "The imageCLASS MF8450c incorporates many advanced technologies found in other Canon high-end commercial copiers, and delivers it affordably."

The Canon imageCLASS MF8450c’s DADF can handle up to 50-page originals to allow two-sided copying, printing, scanning and faxing. The imageCLASS 8450c is equipped with a 250-sheet front-loading paper cassette, plus a 100-sheet multipurpose tray that accepts a variety of media. An optional 500-sheet cassette pedestal is available. The imageCLASS 8450c can copy up to 8.5 inches x 14 inches (legal) from both the DADF and platen glass.

For added flexibility and user convenience, the imageCLASS MF8450c helps to increase productivity with a built-in Ethernet port for networking, and a USB 2.0 Hi-Speed interfaceiii, providing optimal speed when printing, scanningiv and faxing directly from a PC.

The imageCLASS MF8450c incorporates the Canon Single Cartridge System, which combines the toner, drum and development unit in one easy-to-replace cartridge, resulting in excellent image quality retention and eliminating the complication and warehousing of separate toner and drum consumables.

A further measure of Canon's commitment to small and home office customers is the inclusion of a one-year limited warranty with one year of on-site service.

The imageCLASS MF8450c laser multifunction printer meets the ENERGY STAR® guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Energy (DOE). Canon is a long-time ENERGY STAR partner, and is a strong advocate of consumer education of energy-efficient products through its product labeling and environmental programs. ENERGY STAR is the joint effort of the EPA and DOE designed to identify and promote energy efficient products to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The imageCLASS MF8450c is scheduled to begin shipping to retailers in November 2008, with an estimated street price of $999.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Canon U.S.A., Inc. delivers consumer, business-to-business, and industrial imaging solutions. Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), a top patent holder of technology, ranked third overall in the U.S. in 2007†, with global revenues of $39.3 billion, is listed as one of Fortune's Most Admired Companies in America and is on the 2007 BusinessWeek list of "Top 100 Brands." To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/pressroom.

†IFI Patent Intelligence Press Release, January 2008
Specifications, availability and prices are subject to change without notice. Actual prices are set by individual dealers and may vary.
All referenced brands and products names are the trademarks of their respective owners and are hereby acknowledged.
i All ppm and cpm’s based on Letter-sized output unless otherwise noted.
ii Approximate 3-second-per-page fax transmission time based on ITU-T No. 1 Chart (MMR, Standard Mode) at 33.6 Kbps modem speed when transmitting to another V.34 machine. The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) currently supports 28.8 Kbps modem speeds or lower, depending on telephone line conditions.
iii USB 2.0 Hi-Speed performance requires Windows Vista®, Server 2003, XP, 2000, Mac® OS x (print only), with pre-installed USB 2.0 port.
iv Scanning function is available via network or send features, but not available via the device’s USB interface.

CANON U.S.A. DELIVERS FOUR NEW HIGH-SPEED COLOR PRODUCTION LARGE FORMAT PRINTER MODELS

For the life of me, I can't figure out why Canon is not in the laser wide format business, it would be a no brainer for them. What are they thinking????


Lake Success, September 10, 2008 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leading provider of office imaging systems, inkjet technology and digital photography equipment, today introduced four new high-speed color production imagePROGRAF large format printer systems – the iPF810, iPF820, iPF810 PRO and the iPF820 PRO – designed for the Geographical Information System (GIS); Computer-Aided Design (CAD); Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC); Reprographics; and other Technical Document markets.

The new models address mid- to high-volume color technical document production needs of medium to large-sized corporations and reprographic establishments. All models are capable of printing two full-density D/A1-sized (23.4 inches × 33.1 inches) color plots in less than a minute, and finishes E/A0-sized (33.1 inches × 46.8 inches) plot in just 45 seconds including cutting time, and are capable of producing 117 D/A1-sized plots per hour2. The new printers can be paired with an optional inline 44-inch 300-sheet capacity plain paper stacker to neatly stack collated sets for unattended printing and easier distribution. The iPF810/iPF810 PRO have a single input roll configuration, supporting up to a 500-foot 20-lb. bond roll, whereas the iPF820/iPF820 PRO comes with an automatically switching dual roll feeder supporting up to two 500 foot rolls. The iPF820/iPF820 PRO can simultaneously accommodate two media rolls of different size and type.

Allowing maximum productivity with limited user intervention, all models can be equipped with 330ml or economical 700ml hot swappable ink cartridges (pigment-based Matte Black, and dye-based Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black), 80GB hard disk with secure erase (DOD compliant) and up to 29 password protected user-inboxes. In addition, all models also come with a high-capacity portable output media basket, self-driven dual rotary blade cutter for accurate and reliable media cutting, USB 2.0 High Speed interface, and 10/100 Base-T/TX connectivity.
All models deliver superb image quality even at the highest speed mode, offering true 1200 dpi high-resolution printing with 0.02 mm minimum line width3, precise ±0.1% line accuracy4, and a large printing area with only 3 mm (0.12”) of margins all around with roll feed paper. With select paper types (coated and glossy/semi-glossy paper types) four-sided borderless printing is possible up to 42 inches.

The completely redesigned HDI driver for the new models outputs AutoCAD data in a vector format resulting in quicker spooling times. The new in-printer processing feature offers auto-rotation to minimize paper waste, multiple job nesting, color emulation modes to match internal color palettes of current and legacy inkjet plotters from other manufacturers, as well as allows the hard disk to be used as virtual memory to prevent memory overflow commonly seen in other RAM-based standalone inkjet plotters.

“These new imagePROGRAF models will give the high volume technical document user the opportunity to print quality and precise large sized prints easily and efficiently,” said Jim Rosetta, vice president and general manager, Imaging Systems Group, Canon U.S.A.
The iPF810 PRO and iPF820 PRO models come bundled with CADSTATION PS+, an Adobe® PostScript® workflow software solution developed by RATIO, that is essential for those in the technical documents and color reprographic production market. The software is a server-based application supporting printing of not only PostScript and PDF files, but also popular technical drawing formats such as JPEG, TIFF, TIFF Multipage, HPGL, HPGL-2, HP/RTL, and DWF, just to name a few.

Since printing sets of drawings is an important element to creating an efficient workflow, CADSTATION PS+ makes this process seamless by providing batch printing and nesting capabilities, options for Web-based job submission, as well as job and print queue management abilities. The software also has the capability to track usage information for cost and account management so business owners are able to specifically target where costs are being incurred. The added features and functionality enabled by the addition of CADSTATION PS+ makes a truly effective solution for end users looking to streamline their workflow.
All models come with a full set of five 330ml ink cartridges (one cartridge each for Matte Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black), Windows and Macintosh printer driver, a stand, and a portable media basket.
The new Canon imagePROGRAF models are scheduled to be available in October 2008, and will have a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $5,795 for the iPF810, $7,795 for the iPF810 PRO, $7,495 for the iPF820, $9,495 for the iPF820 PRO, and $2,295 for optional inline 44-inch 300-sheet plain paper stacker.

About RATIO
RATIO is a developer of wide format plotting software and solutions. Recognized world wide for their expertise and experience, there are over 50,000 AEC industry users of RATIO’s products in addition to OEM partnerships with most wide format industry leaders. Headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, RATIO’s subsidiary company; RATIO America, Inc. provides sales and technical support services for the America’s to both OEM partners and authorized resellers of RATIO’s solutions. By distributing its products through an authorized and trained reseller channel, RATIO is re-defining how Architects, Engineers, Reprographic Service Firms and other users integrate and track the use of their wide format printing equipment for improved workflow, efficiency and cost recovery. For more information about RATIO’s products, solutions and technical services, please email us-support@ratio.de, visit http://www.ratio.us or call RATIO America at 262-884-6898

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc. delivers consumer, business-to-business, and industrial imaging solutions. Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), a top patent holder of technology, ranked third overall in the U.S. in 2007†, with global revenues of $39.3 billion, is listed as one of Fortune's Most Admired Companies in America and is on the 2007 BusinessWeek list of "Top 100 Brands." To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/pressroom.

Samsung Deals another Blow to MFP Giants (Ricoh, Canon, KonicaMinolta)

You here it from me over and over, A4 devices are the way to go!

Samsung has launched their 6555N Multifunctional System, a 55 page per minute device that incorporates a 7" LCD display, 1200x1200 dpi, max paper capacity of 3,240 sheets. The system will color scan out of the box along with an FCOT of 5 seconds, a FPOT of 8 seconds and a max monthly volume rating of 250,000 pages per month. Optional sorter/stapler, fax module and three additional paper trays are available. Get this, the MSRP is $3,995!!



First glimpse tells me that this system is based on the 6354n (45ppm) device, Samsung has changed from older the mono 7" screen to a color 7" screen and beefed the speed from 45 pages per minute to 55 pages per minute. From the picture it seems like the document feeder may have been changed also, not sure, I'll have to wait until I see one of these bad boys.


No 11x17 capability, but who the heck needs 11x17 anymore! Personally, I think the MSRP is two low. It should be more like $6,995, thus allowing dealers and salespeople the opportunity to upgrade older A3 devices to SCX-6555N. I have a few 6345N's in the field generating an average of 8,000 pages per month and no reported problems.


What's next for Sammy a 75ppm device, maybe 85ppm, are all of the A3 devices made by the likes of Ricoh, Canon, Fuji Xerox, KonicaMinolta overpriced? It all depends on if you need 11x17 to print copy or scan. Fact is, Sammy has plans on 75, 90 & 110 ppm systems!


Realizing, that the cost per page of the SCX-6555N is twice that of a 55ppm A3 device. The SCX-6555N still has a home in the SMB market place especially if the user is average 10,000 pages per month. At a cost per page of .016 the SCX-6555N will have a total cost of ownership of $13,995 with out any options. Take a similar A3 device that has an MSRP of $20,000 and a consumable cost (based on 600,000 pages) of $5,100, thsu we have a TCO of $25,100. That's a HUGE difference. Some will argue that the 55ppm A3 devices will last longer and have a larger paper supply, and I might agree, however I could buy three of the SCX-6555N's and still be under the $25,100.


What I'd really like to see is the likes of Ricoh, Canon, KonicaMinolta, Fuji Xerox to wake up and smell the coffee! We don't have to bring to market A4 devices with a very low MSRP, we can bring them in higher and we can sell the reliability, quality and a lower cost per page. Currently we are producing 55ppm A3 devices with cost per pages under a penny, why o why can't we do this with an A4 device!! Come on people Wake UP!!

Buying a New or Used Copy Machine on the Internet? "Buyer Beware"

Sneakers, Software, Computers, and Clothes all good things to buy via the Internet. New or Pre-Owned and used copiers....not a good thing to buy over the Internet.

In my 28 years in the business, copy machines are service intensive machines, whether they are analog or digital, they need a qualified service engineer in order to service them correctly and keep them running. Without getting very technical and I could, but its late on Sunday and I'll need some down time later. I'll list a few reason why you should not buy used, pre-owned or off lease copy machines over the Internet.

1. There is no "car fax" for copy machines, you have no idea who serviced the unit, how qualified the service engineers were, if the machine was in a flood, dropped, re boxed or if the factory updates were ever performed. This alone should be enough to scare you away.

2. How will it be shipped? Copy Machines are very susceptible to bent frames, broken covers, trays and displays when not shipped properly. Do you want to go through the hassle of an insurance claim if the copier arrives damaged? Be wary of any copier that ships via UPS, real copiers are heavy and very susceptible to damage.

3. Who will service this new beauty or the very low volume system that only grandma used to make a few copies a week. Are there reliable service engineers in your area that are Authorized to make repairs? You could have everything go right and the copy machine is perfect, however your local service company does not know how to fix it, or they will take three days be on site or maybe the closed Authorized Dealer is 150 miles or more away!

4. Who will assist with all of advanced functionality of the unit? Are you prepared to spend hours on the Internet searching for manuals, software and drivers? Or countless hours to figure out how it making print, scan and fax connections?

5. When the machine arrives are you prepared to pay for someone to install the unit or train your staff how to use the system?

6. Meters on copy machines, if they can be turned back on cars, they can also be turned back on copy machines. Are you willing to take that risk and get a machine that has a million pages on it, when you thought the meter was 100,000 pages?

Buying anything new, used or pre-owned is a risk on the Internet, especially copiers. If you want a new, used or pre-owned call your local dealer and ask what they have to offer. Most dealers will be able to accommodate your needs with new, used or pre-owned copy machine that they have service from day one!

Decesion Making for the Right MFP!

The following features will help you decide which is the right All in One Printer for you:

Speed: Pages per minute(ppm) is the average speed printing black and white pages only. Since color images need to be scanned thoroughly and printed differently, they tend to take longer than black and white copies.

Resolution: Resolutions is measured in dots per inch - the more dots, the finer the resolution of the text or image. As images are more complex to copy than text, image resolution can be different than the text resolution. RAM: Or buffer memory holds the graphic information on its way to be printed. The larger the buffer memory, the faster the printer can print complex graphics.

Parallel Port: An Interface cables is typically used for two way communication between the printer and the PC, usually they aren't included with printers.

USB Port: Or Universal Serial Bus Ports are a different and new way to connect printer and Computer. USB ports allow more than one external devices connected to the same port, to the computer. Not only are they easier to install they transfer data much faster than the parallel or serial ports.

MacIntosh Port: Some printers come with mac interface ports which looks like the round keyboard and mouse ports on PC.

FAX: If there are going to be multiple users for the same machine, a single click copy and fax function with easy to read front panel is ideal. Fax Speed: This is the maximum bits per second that can be sent or received by the fax machine. Actual speed can be different as it also depends on the machine on the other end of the fax.

Fax Forwarding: This feature automatically forwards received faxes to another number programmed.

Fax Page Memory: A larger memory allows you to leave the fax machine unattended for a longer period of time. It keeps recently received faxes in memory if the fax machine runs out of paper. After refilling the paper for the fax, it then prints out the faxes that were stored.

Automatic Document Feeder(ADF): ADF is convenient as you don't have to feed each page by hand. A large feeder has a number of pages and hence is more appropriate for long documents as it is not required to be reloaded soon.

Speed dial: Frequently dialed numbers can be programmed into the units memory for convenience.

Junk Fax Block: This feature provides the freedom to program numbers from which you don’t want to receive faxes. The fax machine still answers the call; it just doesn’t print anything out. On the other side the fax machine thinks the fax was transmitted and doesn’t call back.

Broadcast Number Locations: This features helps you in saving some money as it sends the same fax to different phone numbers. You only feed the documents into the machine once, enter a list of phone numbers, and the fax machine takes care of the rest.

Scanners: A scanner makes a digital copy of an image and outputs that into a file that you can view and change on your computer. Some MFPs combine a color scanner with a color printer, so they can function as color copiers. Others offer only a black and white scanner, providing you monochrome copies even if they include a color printer. Generally all the scanners let you scan to copy or fax, but some of them let you scan to disk, giving you all the benefits of a scanner.

Copy Speed: Is the speed in pages per minute for a series of copies. Copy speed of 1st page is different than the copy speed 2nd pages. Since the copier has to scan the original to generate the first page, it takes longer than the rest of the pages.

Enhanced DPI: The scanner enhanced DPI resolution indicates the resolution that the device is capable of yielding through interpolation (a software program in the machine does this).

Optical DPI: The scanners optical DPI is the physical resolution at which a device can capture an image. The larger the number of the optical dpi, the sharper the image will be. Compatability: Most MFPs work fine with windows PCs but not with a Mac system. So don't forget to check the compatability of your PC with MFP. Also make sure that your system has room in hard-disk and RAM for your Multifunction Printer, as is require

What is a "searhable" PDF?

ADVANCED FUNCTIONS- create searchable PDF documents with this application.

What is a “searchable” PDF?-
In simple terms, a searchable PDF is an image (picture) containing the “text” in a layer (usually behind the image and not visible). A scanned document (PDF as image format) is NOT searchable until an OCR (optical character recognition) process is performed on the document. Some scanning hardware can deliver a searchable PDF (the OCR process is performed during the delivery process). A searchable PDF can also be created by PDF distiller software. This process “converts” a digitized file, such as a MS Word document, to a PDF format. Because the original document was digitized (contains text), the OCR process is not required and a searchable PDF is rendered. An easy way to determine if a PDF is searchable is to open the document with Adobe Reader or Acrobat and perform a “find” function. If the found “text” is highlighted, the document is a searchable PDF.

Benefits of a “searchable” PDF-

Searchable PDF’s are very useful for retrieving documents from a document Repository (full content management) and useful to find the location of a word (s) within the document.
Adobe Systems provides a free downloadable tool known as an iFilter. The iFilter provides a link between the “text” layer of the searchable PDF and an “indexing” engine. This connection provides for retrieval of the document by any word(s) contained in the “text” layer or in the metadata (Title, Subject, Author, Keywords) of a PDF. Indexing engines include:

A) The catalog feature of Adobe Acrobat- very powerful engine which provides advanced searching functionality.
B) MS Indexing Services- an “index” maintained at the server level with “load” processing options built into MS server platforms. Note: this application has an unlimited user retrieval tool that leverages this free MS service.
C) MS Desktop Search- a free, downloadable MS powerful tool that maintains an “index” on the desktop of either desktop files, server files or both.
D) MS Sharepoint- searchable PDF’s can be retrieved with the built-in query tool.
E) Other DMS- most document management systems can retrieve searchable PDF’s.



The requirements are:
1) A full license of TOCR (the OCR engine)
2) The “captured” document should be a Group 3 or IV B/W tif.

There are two components that are used to create “searchable” Pdf’sOCR Processor must be set as Full Page; however, you may OCR All pages, the first page, or identify the pages to OCR.

Laser Printers vs Inkjet!

For Printing requirements the choice is Laser Printers versus Inkjet Printers.

Laser printers usually are capable of producing professional-looking text and images. They are ideal for handling heavier printing jobs at a lower cost per page.

Inkjet Printers on the other hand are less expensive, but they're designed for modest printing needs.