WEEKEND MFP INDUSTRY NOTES
4-6-08
The following is a quick review of copier/MFP industry news from industry publications.
- Canon announced a new program where it makes Canon branded calculators out of recycled Canon copiers. The LS-8TCG, HS-1200TCG & TS-1200TCG solar powered desktop calculators are initially being marketed in middle eastern countries.
- Canon announced that one of its factory direct branches has sold an imagePRESS C7000VP production color systems to Astro-Dynamic Print & Graphic Services of Warminster, PA.
- Canon launched to new optional EFI Fiery print controllers for its imageRUNNER color MFPs. Details:
o External ColorPASS GX200
MSRP of $16,950.00
2.13GHz Intel processor
1GB RAM
o Embedded imagePASS H1
MSRP of $4950.00
1.5GHZ Intel Celeron processor
256MB RAM
- Canon announced it is now shipping the color imageRUNNER C3080 and C3480 models. Details:
o C3080 offers 30ppm b/w and 28ppm in color for base MSRP of $9000.00
o C3480 offers 34ppm b/w and 30ppm in color for base MSRP of $11,000.00
o Both are derived from the imageRUNNER C3220 engine
o Offers up to 4 bits per pixel, up to 1200x1200dpi
o 4 tandem OPC drum design
o Pulverized toner infused with wax
o Paper path goes through middle of engine and under drums.
o In some cases, end user is required to reach over hot fuser to reach paper jams located on left side of machine
o Embedded generic print controller standard
o PCL standard, but PostScript is option
o Scan-to-e-mail and faxing is optional
o Optional booklet making finisher
- Canon will launch a new 135ppm b/w production system in December, 2008, carrying the imagePRESS name, and using similar accessories of the imagePRESS color models.
- Canon announced it will launch a new version of the imagePRESS C1, a 15ppm color model. The new version will have a clear toner option.
- Canon launched two new desktop color laser printers,the imageRUNNER LBP5970 and LBP5975 offering:
o letter/legal size only
o 1200x1200dpi
o 4 bits per pixel
o 4 tandem OPC drum design
o 5975 offers a 15 sheet corner stapling finisher
o 30ppm color and 31ppm b/w speeds
o 5970 has MSRP $3399, while 5975 is $3699.00
- Hewlett Packard announced it is acquiring Tower Software of Australia, maker of document management software.
- Who originated the name “IKON”? Actually, in 1926, a German inventor, named Carl Zeiss, launched the Zeiss Ikon camera, and became famous for their superb lenses. The name IKON came from the Greek word “eikon” which stands for “image”.
- Oce’, which is suffering from a sales decrease, announced it will lay off 350 of its 24,000 employees in a cost cutting move. In addition, it plans to move 80% of its manufacturing from Venlo, Netherlands to Asia to cut costs.
- Dell Computer announced it will cut over 8,800 workers in a cost cutting move.
- Kyocera announced it is developing inkjet technology. During a press conference, it showed a prototype inkjet printhead that was the width of a sheet of letter size paper. The company claims that it can produce pages as fast as 1000 per minute, however, this would be for low quality b/w images. It operates a much slower when printing in higher quality color. Unknown when the company will ship an actual printer that uses this technology.
- Ricoh won an award from VARBusiness magazine as it was voted its desktop printers as the most profitable to sell by computer VAR/dealers.
- Sharp announced that its GSA Schedule 36 contract was extended until the year 2011. (this is the main contract in which copiers are sold to federal government agencies)
- According to an article in Digital Imaging Review magazine, in Japan, 85% of copiers are sold by factory direct branches, and only 15% by independent dealers. In the U.S., it is the reverse.
- Competing against the HP Edgeline CM8060 color inkjet copier? Weaknesses include:
o below average productivity when using as a b/w copier
o significant slow down when copying or printing onto 11”x17” paper (as inkjet heads must move twice)
o no booklet making finisher available
o no auto color mode when scanning, so file sizes can by huge
o only one print job is handled at a time, so end user can not change priority of waiting print jobs from control panel of copier…this also means that print jobs will back up into the customer’s network
o color output is very matte/flat in appearance
o photographic images are grainy
o flesh tones come out dark with reddish tint
o you can only get a meter count by printing it out, as it is not shown on the control panel or at the computer workstation
o if end user attempts to make a copy, it halts a current print job from completing
o the print driver does not display paper levels
o in Professional Color mode, engine can run as slow as 18ppm, due to the amount of work that the inkjet heads must perform
- One dealer sells out to another in Texas. Amerx Office Solutions, owned by Scott Stebbing, purchased Austin Connect, formerly owned by Terry Bogner. The new combined entity is authorized for Canon, Kyocera, Panasonic, Muratec and Konica Minolta, covering the greater Austin, TX marketplace.
- Pitney Bowes Canada (formerly DANKA Canada) announced it is now authorized to sell RISO duplicator products in its locations.
- IKON announced it won a bid to supply Canon MFPs and Captaris RightFax solution software to Hanson Piep & Precast, which has 90 locations in the U.S., and is headquartered in Bellevue, WA.
- IKON won a bid for 16 MFPs for Adams County, IL offices. The lease payment to the county will be $4261/mo for 5 years.
- Lexmark, maker of printers and MFPs, is a frequent target of takeover rumors, and its executives have recently put into place a payout schedule in case the company is acquired. The amounts its executives will receive in the case of a sale are:
o CEO Paul Curlander = $7.8 million
o CFO John Gamble = $2.97 million
o Inkjet Division – Paul Rooke = $3.99 million
o Laser Printer Division – Marty Canning = $1.75 million
o General Counsel – Vincent Cole = $1.72 million
- X-Rite/Pantone announced revenue is down 3% in last quarter, and will shed some employees to cut costs.
- Kodak announced it has placed a Versamark VX5000e production color inkjet system to KCL, a print shop in Finland.
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