Canon U.S.A. Announces New uniFLOW v5.0 Fleet Management Solution

NEW YORK, September 1, 2010 – Demonstrating its commitment to developing advanced document management solutions, Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, will preview its newest output management solution, uniFLOW v5.0, during Canon EXPO 2010 New York, a once-every-five-years event highlighting Canon’s breakthrough technologies.  The latest version of the Company’s popular uniFLOW output management software, uniFLOW v5.0 features a variety of new capabilities and functions that streamline fleet management and simplify workflow processes allowing end-users and network administrators to focus on their core job functions.

With the increasing demand for office solutions that streamline workflow to increase productivity and improve bottom-line results, uniFLOW v5.0 is designed to meet the needs of both large and small enterprises that require an advanced output management solution with significant flexibility.  Through uniFLOW v5.0, fleet administrators will gain new tools to manage document costs incurred via printing, faxing, copying and scanning, as well as enhanced fleet management controls that streamline IT functions and easily extend to global deployments.

Canon U.S.A. Showcases Paperless Innovations Utlizing Nuance eCopy ShareScan at Canon Expo

Submitted by Sara Johnson on Wed, 09/01/2010 - 21:18

NEW YORK, September 1, 2010 – Recognizing the increasing role of digital document automation in today’s complex office environments, Canon U.S.A., a leader in digital imaging, will preview its next-generation office scanning solution featuring eCopy ShareScan from Nuance, the best selling paper-to-digital scanning and workflow solution, and the Canon imageRUNNER ADVANCE platform, at Canon EXPO 2010 New York. The eCopy ShareScan solution preview includes recent advances in paperless capabilities as well as a sneak peak at innovations to be included with the next-generation eCopy ShareScan V5.0, due out later this year. 

eCopy ShareScan is used by organizations of all sizes to replace manual paper processes with automated digital document workflows. By driving paper out of business processes, Canon and Nuance can help save customers time and increase office efficiency by turning paper documents into computer files that can be instantly edited, extracting data from paper forms for accounting systems, as well as seamlessly moving office documents into content management systems and enterprise document workflows.

“In combination with the Canon imageRUNNER ADVANCE platform, Nuance eCopy ShareScan provides a versatile and powerful document automation software solution, giving businesses the ability to move the document imaging function from a centralized production location directly into the hands of frontline employees.  eCopy ShareScan has a vast array of new, productivity-enhancing features that appeal to both office workers and information technology professionals.” said Sam Yoshida, vice president and general manager, Imaging Systems Group, Canon U.S.A.

Toshiba Honored with BERTL’s Innovation Award for Social Business Networking Site

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Toshiba America Business Solutions Inc. (TABS) was recently awarded the BERTL's Best Award for “Most Innovative Vendor Relationship Management System” for Toshiba eXCHANGE, an internal social networking site for corporate employees, independent dealers and the direct sales and service channel.

Recognizing the significant impact that social networking can have on business, Toshiba began exploring ways to create its own internal social networking site. The basis for this initiative was the belief that everyone within the Toshiba family should have easy opportunities to exchange information, build relationships, and share sales successes regardless of their physical location or job description.

“It’s estimated that only 20 percent of a company’s knowledge is contained in written documents, while the remaining information resides in the minds of employees. Toshiba eXCHANGE gives members the chance to easily document, share and seek that information, in turn creating new opportunities for sales and service success,” said Bill Melo, vice president of marketing, services and solutions, TABS.

“We are excited to present Toshiba with a BERTL’s Best Award this year for Toshiba eXCHANGE. In several threads reviewed, it was easy to see how barriers have been taken down with the use of this tool. In numerous instances, we witnessed direct and independent sales representatives working with one another to answer questions, provide solutions and share best practices to win over a customer and defeat the competition. Direct and independent dealers are not giving away trade secrets or exposing any information that would hurt them. They are working together to combat their real competitors out in the market place,” said Art Wynne, president, BERTL. “Also evident is that this system has the potential on a larger scale of helping Toshiba gain more market share.”

Toshiba’s Successful Lead 2010 Managed Print and Professional Services Conferences Mark Beginning of Greater MPS Dealer Training

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.

HP Has Been Positioned as a “Leader” in the Latest Gartner “Magic Quadrant Report for MFPs and Printers.”

PALO ALTO, Calif., Aug. 3, 2010- HP today announced it has been positioned as a “leader” in the latest Gartner “Magic Quadrant Report for MFPs and Printers.”

A leading provider of IT research and advice, Gartner issues independent multivendor reports that position vendors based on their “ability to execute” and their “completeness of vision.”

According to Gartner’s report, “software, vertical solutions and service integration are playing a bigger role in the purchasing decisions of office printers and multifunction products (MFPs). The traditional speeds and feeds for typical office printing … have given way to the hardware’s ability to integrate and deploy software applications that connect them to the company’s document management systems. Remote monitoring capabilities, diagnostics, security and other factors are becoming the true differentiators.”

HP recently introduced solutions that not only leverage web, mobile and security technologies, but also offer customers new ways to print and manage their information. From the first web-enabled printer that allows users to print from anywhere without a PC, to the HP ePrint Enterprise Solution, which enables users to print from a Blackberry device, HP demonstrates a vision for market change.

RISO, INC. Sponsors Nationwide Communications Seminar Tour with Xplor International

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.”

Rethinking Server Virtualization

Capture Introduction
Server virtualization is an ever more important tool for reducing cost, increasing availability, and enhancing business agility. But for many organizations, the savings that come from server consolidation are the primary reason for server virtualization.

Many of virtualization’s additional benefits—including built-in, cost-effective high availability (HA) and disaster recovery (DR)—require external shared storage with a comprehensive feature set to support them. Without proper planning, it is all too easy to see the savings from server virtualization be misdirected toward inefficient storage systems. IP SANs are frequently seen as overcoming cost and management limitations of traditional storage area
networks (SANs) and are becoming very popular in virtualized server environments.

Advantages of scale-out iSCSI SANs
HP StorageWorks P4000 G2 SAN Solutions are iSCSI-based and use storage clustering—a form of scale-out storage that creates a scalable storage pool by aggregating the critical components of a number of storage systems into a single pool of resources or storage cluster (Figure 1). The cluster accepts and responds to iSCSI requests as a single system. In an HP P4000 G2 SAN all physical capacity is aggregated and is available to all volumes created on the SAN.
When more storage is needed, additional P4000 storage nodes can be added to the SAN cluster online; the SAN seamlessly, non-disruptively reorganizes its storage to incorporate the new node into the cluster.

Built-in support for HA and DR implementations, superior, scalable performance, and straightforward management that any server administrator can understand and put into use make HP P4000 SANs the preferred choice to support virtualized infrastructures. This white paper describes the advantages of scale-out iSCSI storage in four areas—cost, high availability and disaster recovery, performance, and management—and illustrate how the HP P4000 SANs provide better overall support for virtualized environments.

RISO Introduces High-Productivity MZ1090 Two-Color, Single-Pass Digital Duplicator

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.

HP Launches “LaserJet Pays You Back” Global Marketing Campaign

HP today unveiled its “HP LaserJet Pays You Back” global marketing campaign to illustrate the significant cost savings – up to $2,500 in less than one year – that are possible when using an HP Color LaserJet Multifunction Printer (MFP).(1)

The campaign illustrates the surprising returns available from an HP Color LaserJet MFP. Over time, the printer pays for itself through money saved and then continues to pay customers back through energy, paper and toner savings.(1)

“Upgrading to an HP Color LaserJet MFP is like trading in your gas guzzler for a hybrid that pays for itself in gas savings and then continues to pay its owner after that,” said Ron Coughlin, senior vice president, LaserJet and Enterprise Solutions, Imaging and Printing Group, HP. “The campaign helps demonstrate how HP LaserJet printers are an investment that keep giving back to your business.”  

To celebrate the significant cost savings businesses can achieve by using an HP LaserJet printer, HP is teaming with renowned entrepreneurs Ivanka Trump and Bill Rancic to host the HP “Pay Back” event today at 11 a.m. ET at the north corner of Madison Square Park (next to Shake Shack) in New York. Trump and Rancic will “pay customers back” with a gift, while supplies last, courtesy of HP. 

HP Expands Portfolio of Sign and Display Printing Solutions to Accelerate Adoption of UV-curable and Latex Large-format Printing

HP today expanded its portfolio of sign and display printing solutions to accelerate the industry’s conversion from solvent-based to UV-curable and latex-based large-format printing.

The company is refreshing its product line to help customers pursue profitable growth opportunities and capture a larger share of the growing digital printing market.(1)

At FESPA 2010, the major large-format printing and imaging tradeshow of the year, HP announced:

  • The new HP Scitex FB700 Printer, a versatile 98-inch (2.5-meter) flatbed printing solution that can load, print and collect up to six sheets of media simultaneously and offers an optional White Ink Upgrade Kit for specialty applications.
  • The first public demonstration of its expanded HP Latex Printing Technologies portfolio, an innovative technology that is only offered by HP.
  • Plans to spearhead a group of industry leaders to define open Job Definition Format (JDF) specification features for large-format printing, making it easier for print service providers (PSPs) to automate printing jobs and accelerate the web-to-print process.
  • The expansion of the HP Large-format Media take-back program to include six new compatible media and seven additional participating European countries.

“Since we began shipping latex and UV-curable printing systems, demand has increased steadily as our customers recognize the superb image quality, ability to pursue new applications and significant environmental advantages over traditional solvent technologies,” said Yariv Avisar, vice president and general manager, Scitex Large-format Solutions, HP. “In just two months, we have made significant advancements to our portfolio, including the addition of five new UV and Latex printers and new workflow solutions and services offerings, that will help the entire industry to transform.”