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Archive for April, 2009

Scanning, Why Bother?

April 30th, 2009

This post is being written for those who don’t see the point of scanning, I thought I would go through some reasons to scan and see if this might pique some interest…

Top reasons to implement a scanning solution…

  • You have filing cabinets taking up valuable office space
  • You spend a lot to shred documents
  • There are some legal issues that result when you lose data
  • You have too many personnel shuffling documents from one area to another
  • Find data you need in seconds instead of minutes or hours
  • Improve employee efficiency
  • Share important documents across departments or between floors
  • Improve customer service efficiency
  • Reduce paper and toner costs
  • Automate common processes to make everyone aware and informed of what’s happening at any given time.

Don’t just ignore scanning if you don’t understand it!

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How to Find that Delicate Balance

April 28th, 2009

If you are on this site you are probably researching a copier purchase or looking ahead to one coming up.  I thought this blog would be geared to help you not make 2 different mistakes…  overbuying or underbuying.  Both can be costly, so let’s work with some “rules of thumb” to help you not make a terrible copier decision. 

The first thing you will need to look at is your Volume to Monthly Output.  I would advise you don’t normally go more than about 2 to 1 or less than 1 to 3…  What do I mean?  If you are going to print 2,000 pages a month…  you probably should not spend more than $4,000 for the device and if you are going to print 2,000 a month, you should spend more than $650 for a device.  Take the number of prints in thousands and work both sets of math…  it it a general guide and is not true in every case.  After 5,000 pages I would go 1 to 1 for the high end and 1 to 2 or 1 to 3 for the low end.   Again, these are guides, your specific volume ultimately needs to be considered along with the equipment costs as well as the recurring toner and maintenance costs.

Next, you need to think about color.  Everyone seems to be pushing color these days…  just make sure you need it.  As mom always said…  “nothing is free…”  This includes the ‘free upgrade’ your copier rep wants to give you to a color device.  If you need color, this can be great, if not…  avoid it.  Almost all Monochrome machines still scan in color.

Functions — Do your best to be realistic on what you need and what you don’t.  If you need stapling, get a finisher.  If not, save the $1,000.  If you need faxing, you may have to pay (though some include it)…  Making a smart decision is more about knowing what you want to do with a machine than it is anything else.

Start here, read the blog and give me a call for more tips.

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Scanning and the Lexmark MFP’s

April 24th, 2009
Lexmark Multi-Function

Lexmark Multi-Function

So many people are looking at doing some scanning, so I thought I would give a quick review of what a Lexmark X65X series multi-function can do right out of the box.  If you aren’t interested in scanning, you can still look at our copier buying tips section and look at other pertinent information for your organization.

Here is a list of what you can get done (if properly set-up…)

  • OCR is included with the X65X series, free of charge, with Lexmark Scan Center on the CD.
  • Lexmark can route documents to an individual email, group email for group fax viewing, and tie into a fax server for distribution.  They can notify users when new faxes arrive, send secure faxes and receive an email with the password, then retrieve the fax on a MFP with the password.
  • Lexmark can authenticate through your existing network without having to set all this third part Scan Router software up (like with Ricoh, for instance).  You simply allow users to login through the MFP through badge access, proximity card, or login through the virtual touch screen keyboard and allow end users functionality based on their log in credentials for copy, fax, scan, etc.  This is all
    comes with the boxes with no additional software needed.  You can even setup profiles to scan to folders with a plugin in My MFP usb drive.
  • Lexmark can create 100,000 unique destinations of faxes, emails, FTP file sharing, profile processes, web link documents on their MFPs to Ricoh/Lanier’s 2000 destinations - free of charge.
  • Access to LDAP lookup, Kerberos authentication, SMTP v3, NTLM, internal MFP access to authentication is all possible and free of charge.
  • You can attach scans as PDF 1.6 , Secure PDF, JPEG, XPS, TIF. You can even send messages with the scans in email.
  • Scans come in at 600 X 300 or 600 X 300 dpi and down to 150 dpi for more simple scans.  Free of Charge.
  • You can do automatic scanning of size with auto document sensing from the automatic document feeder.  You can also use mixed original sizes of letter and legal.  All free of charge.
  • Why do I keep mentioning “Free of Charge?” …  basically because much of this is offered at a price by other manufacturers…  It’s good to know this is all “out of the box…”
  • Documents can be viewed through File Share from Scan to Network Folder. You can scan to an FTP server, scan to email, scan to web link/web server. Users can search documents on their network shared drive, even name the files.  Free of Charge.
  • You can view documents in Windows by Thumbnail, Icon, Detail and Time/Calendar through normal Windows sharing options.  Free of Charge.
  • You can even scan documents to yourself that you send to others through Scan to Email with a simple click of Send To Me too.  Free of Charge
  • With Lexmark Document Solutions Suite you could be notified when a new document is scanned to your folder with scripting in the process.  It would notify an end user that a new scanned file has arrived.
  • The Postscript driver for Lexmark MFPs allow you to fax from your PC without having to print out a copy of the document first.  Simply go into your application choose the Lexmark fax driver and send.  You will then be prompted to enter in the recipient’s name, phone number, enter in a message to them and their name.  Free of charge.
  • Receiving faxes can send to a group email for all users to view.  Free of charge.

Now remember, here we are talking about devices that start under $2,000 for the unit.  Many of the competitors will charge closr to that for software to handle these sorts of things which Lexmark includes for free.  Setting it up can be the challenge, but that’s why you work with a reseller like us…  we help you get all of this (or whichever parts you need) working!  If you have a printer or copier need here in Denver, please let us know and we’ll be happy to help!

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Earth Day and Copiers? Seriously?

April 22nd, 2009

Let’s be real, copiers and Earth Day are not really compatible.  We can talk about copiers being better for the environment, in a relative sense, but it’s not like any of them are neutral or good for the environment.  First of all, what can you do that simple today?  You may want to take this Powerpoint slide and encourage your office to duplex print!  When it comes to efforts in the area of eco-friendliness, I would have to say there are essentially 3 manufacturers who have pushed the industry as a whole to be more ecologically efficient and therefore deserve some attention today. 

The first manufacturer is HP.  HP was coming up with recycling programs years before other manufacturers were and were re-using plastics long before others were.  Some will argue they did this because of the cost savings, but who says you can’t save money and save the planet at the same time?  I think people who say this are hoping to put a black eye on an obvious market leader when it comes to the ecological emphasis rather than looking at the facts and giving HP its due in this important area.

The next manufacturer that has consistently been cognizant of Earth issues has been Kyocera Mita.  I have been the most impressed with Kyocera because of their consistency in this area. When I went to Dallas, they were not even willing to let us throw away our coffee cup…  They made us all recycle them.  I thought the people from El Paso were going to have a coronary… I thought, wow…  they do take recycling very seriously.  Now when you look at their ridiculously long sustainability report, you will see they actually have some plants with zero emmission ratings!  When it comes to their products, if you search this blog site for “ozone,” you will find articles on how their equipment does not produce ozone.  They have a drum free cartridge system which can reduce total waste tenfold.

Finally, not to mention Xerox would be a little crazy as they have been pushing extremely hard on the environmental sustainability area.  First of all, they have their wax based printers which uses non-toxic materials and much much less waste than it’s competitor’s (or its own) color laser printers.  One good measure that Xerox isn’t just all talk is they did make the EPA’s climate leader list. Xerox foes a great job integrating technology and drivers to reduce actual paper printed, which seems a tad odd to me given they are the largest copier paper sales group in the country…  Nevetheless, they do a great job overall and have done a great job putting together resources and helps for any company who wants to go more green.  Xerox has so many resources, I don’t even want to start listing them all, instead I will direct you to their environment health and safety page.

I hope you take some time to consider your footprint on the planet today and if you do need a copier here in Denver, please give us a call and we can help you with whichever device makes the most sense for your organization!

A great recycler if you need a reference here in Denver or Boulder is GRX.  They do a far better job than most recycling companies as over 95% of the materials they take in goes straight back into the manufacturing stream and not to Africa or Asia!  They have the highest environmental standards of any recycling company I have been able to find anywhere in Colorado!  GRX made me aware of their certification with the Basal Action Network, a group who would like to make this copier industry much greener and I support their efforts as it is sad to see some of the things that go on in terms of end of life of equipment.  Please take a moment to look over their website!

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Another Dirty Little Secret — Include Everything!

April 19th, 2009

So you are buying a copier and it is getting pretty crazy with all the different quotes coming in and you are just wishing this would be easier…  You see a quote which has a price like $324.00 per month including everything.  Wow, how simple is that?  Seems like a decent deal, some are cheaper, but they have all these overages, etc…  I just want to know what I have to pay each month, you think…  so this looks good and you sign the lease… So, what just happened here from a copier reps perspective?

If you are normal, what just happened is that you signed up to pay 20% – 30% more than you would have had you had the quote itemized. Ask yourself for a moment, why would a rep want to have just 1 number for you to look at?  It is possible they are magnamimous…  sure…  But, more likely, they are padding their margin because “where there’s mystery, there’s margin.”  I don’t make the rules…  Just explaining what happens…

Here are a few ways this could happen.  You may now have a finisher you don’t really need.  It was included.  So, you wonder what a finisher costs…  it is usually $1,000 to $1,500.  Also, you get way more pages than you need so you never go over…  Sounds good in theory, but I hate to be the bearer of bad news…  these are not rollover minutes, you are paying for them.  I had one customer beating me up to try and get their costs down to $.0065 per print like their current provider…  when I looked at what was structured, the copier company was charging $.0065 per print for up to 200,000 pages a quarter.  They only used about 100,000 pages a quarter.  By charging $.009 per print for the actual prints, they saved  $1,000.00 per year.  It seems odd when your price is raised 30% you’d save so much money.  These are some of the tricks the “everything included” model employs.

Be cautious if your copier provider is not spelling out all your costs.  It is generally a bad sign.  They may make you the offer to see all the numbers, if so, they are probably being more fair… if not, you may want to look around a bit more…

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Kyocera TaskAlfa 500ci Product Review

April 14th, 2009

So you are in the market for a color copier?  You have gathered quotes and never looked at the Kyocera 500ci?  It may be time you look at this copier because it has some features and benefits which most color copiers do not.  Here are a few of the features you may find yourself surprised by…

For example, if you are looking at a Konica Minolta Bizhub 451, here is how the Kyocera stacks up against it..

Features
CS 500ci
bizhub C451
Standard Functions
P / S / C
P / S / C
Speed (FC/BW)
40 ppm FC / 50 ppm BW
45 ppm FC / BW
Warm-up Time
45 Seconds
30 Seconds
FCOT/FPOT (FC/BW)
6.9 sec Color / 4.9 sec Black
6.5 sec Color / 4.8 sec Black
Duplex
Standard
Standard
Document Processor
Optional 100 sheet DSDP
Optional 100 sheet RADF
Standard 100 Sheet RADF
Scan Speed
Up to 100 ipm w/ DSDP
Up to 75 ipm w/ RADF
70 opm FC / BW
Enhanced Scan Functions
PDF Encryption and Compression
Compact PDF
Maximum Input Size
11” x 17”
12” x 18”
Standard Input Capacity
1,100 Sheets
3,500 Sheets
Maximum Input Capacity
4,100 Sheets
6,650 Sheets
RAM / HDD
2 GB RAM
1 GB RAM
Hard Disk Drive
160 GB x 2 HDD
60 GB HDD
Max Monthly Duty Cycle
200,000 Pages
150,000 Pages
Preventive Maintenance
300,000 Pages
None set (components replaced at various intervals)
Drum Yield
300,000 Pages Each (CMYK)
300,000 Black / 100,000 CMY

Now if you take into account the Kyocera does not produce ozone, the cost per print is lower and the machine itself needs less scheduled service calls to keep down time at a minimum.  It may be worth looking into.  This is a large investment though, so we thought you might also want to look at this cs_500ci_series_presentation Powerpoint presentation!

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What Happened to Going Green? The Economy…

April 8th, 2009

Last year at this time all I seemed to hear about from vendors were environmental concerns in relationship to their copiers.  It is odd, as the economy changes, so does the focus.  As a bit of a cynic, I must wonder about this change.  I can say that to Kyocera’s and Xerox’s credit, they have stayed on this course (even if it isn’t coming up as much…)  Some of the others we deal with haven’t mentioned this for months.  It makes you wonder if the talk before was just fluff or if it was real. 

Here are a few things worth considering if you do still care about the environment and are looking for a copier that is cost effective and Earth Friendly.

Kyocera uses long life parts, the drum for example, lasts 500,000 pages.  Most other drums, not made from ceramic only last as long as the cartridge (average of about 20,000)…  This means from a waste standpoint, Kyocera has a lot less waste.  It is not uncommon for the Kyocera to produce 1/6th the total waste as their competitors.  Also, if you are worried about breathing in ozone, most of their products do not produce ozone due to their ceramic drum (it charges differently…) Kyocera is cheap when it comes to prints, a bit more expensive when it comes to the equipment.  Another point is when the drum is expended, it can be crushed and it is basically sand…  not poison.

Xerox on the same path of being more green does an awesome job with their solid ink machines.  The 8560MFP and the 8860MFP are both nice choices for the following reasons.

  • Neither do tabloid sized prints so there is a smaller footprint, meaning less plastics in manufacturing.
  • Both use wax rather than toner…  the wax is non-toxic, so technically it can be eaten (though not recommended…)
  • Both use much less power than a traditional copier.
  • The Phaser 8860 is nice because prints are much cheaper than competitors.  (As low as $.03 for color pages!)

We understand the economy is putting us all into positions to make tougher choices, but we’d just like to encourage you to remember the Eco concerns have not faded away and it is still important to consider our impact to the world, and not just the impact to our pocket books.

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How to Build a Legitimate and Fair Side by Side for Copiers

April 4th, 2009

A lot of people seem to be comparing copiers and are not as systematic as one would expect when spending $10,000 or more over the course of a few years…  Because people seem to have some difficulty doing this, I thought i would develop a bit of a cheat sheet for you…. You can fill this out to make sure you are REALLY comparing apples to apples.  It should raise a huge red flag if the vendor you are choosing is reluctant to share any of this information.  You would be crazy to not put at least this much work into comparing your options. I am attaching it as a spreadsheet so you can edit it.

copier_comparison

Please call us if you are in the market for a new copier and we’ll be happy to help you every step along the way!

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