IRVINE, Calif. (Aug. 16, 2010) – Toshiba America Business Solutions Inc. (TABS) recently wrapped-up an entirely new series of interactive conferences designed to provide office technology dealers with the tools and knowledge to help them succeed in selling and implementing Managed Print and Professional Services (MPS and PS). LEAD 2010, which stands for Learn, Engage, Act, and Deliver, was held at four regional locations this summer, including Washington D.C., Dallas, Irvine, Calif., and Chicago, and drew nearly 700 attendees from all across the country. 

Bill Melo, vice president of marketing, services and solutions for TABS opened each conference by describing the “new normal” in today’s business world and the office technology industry more specifically. “When you define yourselves as MPS providers, rather than copier dealers, your market of opportunity quadruples,” Melo said, referencing in part the fact that for every dollar spent on A3 technology, customers spend three dollars on A41. After making the compelling argument for why successful dealers must have an MPS program, presentations were then given by representatives from Hewlett-Packard, Lexmark, Strategy Development, Drivve and Capella, and other Toshiba partners.

Security
Multi-function devices (MFDs) and document security, which Toshiba has been promoting to dealers for years as an essential element of a successful MPS program, was a major focus of the conference. While it was mentioned in most of the twenty education sessions that made up each conference’s three course tracks – sales, service, and consulting –Toshiba also held an additional session specifically on security featuring representatives from Digital Copier Security Inc., who recently became well-known in the industry for their participation in the “CBS Evening News with Katie Couric” investigative report earlier this year on copier hard drive security.

technology, recently presented “How to get five marketing leads for the price of two” at two Xplor Document University On the Road (XDU) events. The XDU On the Road program is a multi-city educational tour for the communications technology industry. The program will visit a total of ten cities and features a full day of presentations and discussion from a variety of industry leaders. RISO hosted the event in Boston and participated in the Toronto event held at Ryerson University. RISO will also sponsor additional XDU events in Dallas, Orange County, and New York later this year.

At last week’s events, RISO presented the findings of an independent INTERQUEST study comparing the effectiveness and cost of producing direct marketing lead generation documents using full-color inkjet technology. For the study, over 10,000 postcards were mailed, with approximately half of the postcards printed on a RISO full-color inkjet printer on matte-finish card stock and the other half printed on a full-color toner-based (EP) production color printer on high-gloss card stock. While response rates for postcards printed by color inkjet and EP printers were nearly identical, the study showed that the cost per lead generated from the inkjet-produced postcards was 62% lower than the leads generated from the EP-produced postcard.

The results of the study provided for lively discussion among the event attendees. “The YouTube video illustrating the difference between desktop inkjet and RISO’s production-class inkjet technology was well received and the INTERQUEST study helps dispel the myth that higher priced high-gloss documents—whether produced on offset or EP-based technology, generate higher response rates,” commented Bob Raus, RISO’s Manager of Product Marketing and a featured presenter at the Boston and Toronto XDU events. ”Inkjet technology is making incredible inroads on high-volume direct mail and transactional applications. For as low as $32,000 and speeds up to 150 ppm, RISO’s ComColor® full-color cut-sheet inkjet printing systems provide a low-risk, scalable solution for print providers to enter the high-volume color printing market—while also providing an affordable method for producing reprints, short runs, and proofs for large shops that already have roll-fed inkjet presses.”

Danvers, MA – June 29, 2010 – RISO, Inc., a leader in digital printing technology, today introduced the MZ1090 two-color, single-pass digital duplicator, the latest in the MZ series of digital duplicators. Like its predecessors, the MZ1090 prints up to 150 ppm—the world’s fastest print speed for a two-color, single-pass digital duplicator—but also delivers true 600 dpi image quality, ledger size printing, a built-in GDI controller, and unmatched single-pass, two-color printing productivity.

“We are excited to introduce the MZ1090 which continues RISO’s tradition of offering high-quality and cost-effective solutions that help expand our customers’ printing capabilities,” Todd Deluca, President and COO of RISO, Inc. “With its advanced workflow features and simplified color separation processes, the MZ1090 will appeal to a wide variety of end users, including print service providers, in-plant print shops, religious organizations, and more.”

The MZ1090 features a wide range of new and powerful image improvement and workflow capabilities for runs between 20 and 4,000 prints. The MZ1090 digitally burns low-cost master plates in a process similar to CTP technology. Unlike offset presses, the MZ1090 burns, loads, and unloads masters automatically at the touch of a button, streamlining make-ready and maximizing machine availability for print production. With over seventy available ink colors and 2-color production costs as low as two-thirds of a cent per page, the MZ1090 serves a wide variety of printing professionals, end users, graphic artists, teachers, and office managers who require low-cost and desire the added impact of two-color printed materials.