There’s no denying the critical role MFPs play in the sales and marketing efforts of the office technology manufacturer sector and, of course, its reseller partners. Beyond the speeds and feeds, however, lies a world of opportunity with some of the less-celebrated elements of the OEM catalog, especially on the hardware side.
In conjunction with this month’s State of the Industry report on non-MFP hardware, a number of top manufacturers provide a snapshot glance into some of their most popular offerings, from scanners and digital presses to receipt and label printers. These complementary products provide an opportunity to delve into vertical-specific sectors with a wide range of solutions that can accentuate dealer efforts to garner an increased share of customer business.
Avision
The Xerox N60w Pro Scanner is a departmental network scanner with an 8”, feature-rich touchscreen display that makes powerful network-standalone scanning a reality. It offers scanning to popular cloud destinations (including Google Drive and OneDrive), email, network folders or a USB flash drive directly from the interface. The Xerox N60w Pro delivers high performance and reliability through 65 ppm/130 image-per-minute scan speeds, a 100-page automatic document feeder (ADF) and award-winning paper handling.
Both network-standalone and direct-to-PC configuration options are possible, while Gigabit Ethernet and Wi-Fi connectivity support true walk-up scanning capability without the need for a PC. Traditional scanning to a tethered PC is supported by the USB 3.1 interface and brings access to a powerful, valuable software bundle. Visioneer OneTouch allows for one-click scanning presets, while Visioneer Capture SE software makes batch scanning, editing, barcode reading and data extraction not only possible, but easy to implement. With Visioneer Organizer AI, automated classification of common files and tagging takes the time and frustration out of document search. And, with a full-version of ABBYY FineReader PDF, customers can easily create searchable PDFs and take advantage of comprehensive multilingual optical character recognition (OCR), deep PDF editing, file conversion and security.
Through Visioneer VAST Network technology, users can connect the scanner directly to compatible web applications, eliminating the need to download drivers or scanning applications to a local PC or client. Built on an extended implementation of TWAIN Direct, an open-source, driverless standard, the Xerox N60w Pro “thin” scanner provides organizations with effortless installation, remote management, superior uptime and fast image processing.
Brother International
Brother label printers are an indispensable solution for businesses across a range of industries, including food service, retail, manufacturing, guest services and education. The Brother QL-1110NWBC Wide Format, Professional Label Printer allows customers to create cost-effective paper labels for packages, barcodes, warning and safety labeling, filing, signage, envelopes, security and postage.
This label printer prioritizes fast printing with up to 69 standard address labels per minute with black text at 300 dpi, offering crisp text and graphics. Online sellers are able to seamlessly print product and other barcode labels from A4/letter size label sheet templates (Windows only). When connected to a wireless network, customers can create and print labels from a mobile device. P-touch Editor software for Windows and Mac allows for customization of labels, and convenient Brother DK drop-in labeling supplies are included and easy to use. Because it uses thermal printing, there are no expensive inks, toners or ribbons to replace.
The Brother QL-1110NWBC is also equipped with multiple connectivity options—Bluetooth wireless technology, Ethernet and wireless (802.11b/g/n) interfaces—and allows customers to create and print custom labels seamlessly by connecting to a computer to design and print on labels up to 4” wide.
Canon U.S.A.
The Canon IX-R7000 card and badge printer is designed to quickly and efficiently produce photo-quality images with over-the-edge printing on dual-sided access control cards. Engineered for speed and capable of high-quality output, it can produce single- and dual-sided cards in vibrant color with up to 600×600 dpi resolution using dye-sublimation thermal retransfer printing. For ID cards, visitor badges, loyalty cards, membership cards, room keys, and other access control cards, over-the-edge printing can deliver the professional look needed in sectors such as education, hospitality, retail, administrative and support services and government. Printing cards on demand allows users to custom print any amount at any time, so there’s no requirement to maintain a large inventory of preprinted cards or wait for a delivery from a third-party card printer. This allows dealers more opportunities to penetrate net-new accounts or expand their existing account footprint by addressing a critical security office need.
The IX-R7000 printer can print up to 145 cards per hour with single-sided card printing in approximately 25 seconds. For companies hosting large events, it creates fast and reliable visitor badge prints within a high-capacity feed hopper of up to 250 cards and the ability to refill cards while printing. The hopper can also be removed to help store blank cards separately. In addition, the printer is designed with a slot to attach a cable lock, helping protect against device theft.
Epson America
The Epson OmniLink TM-m50II-H thermal receipt printer brings performance, versatility and style to high-volume retail and hospitality environments. This top-of-the-line model delivers fast print speeds and flexible connectivity to almost any POS system in a stylish, compact package.
Print speeds clock in at up to 500mm/sec, helping high-volume retail and hospitality businesses produce fast checkouts while minimizing downtime. The sleek enclosure is IPX2 rated for water resistance, and its specially treated antimicrobial enclosure material suppresses the growth of bacteria. Additionally, the printer has a flexible configuration, working in either a top-exit or front-exit orientation.
The OmniLink TM-m50II-H can connect to almost any POS system with built-in Ethernet; USB-A, USB-B and USB-C interfaces; and a dual wireless interface that supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. Additionally, it includes Sync & Charge and network tethering features for tablet support capability—through a single USB-C connection, it can charge the tablet at up to 18 W while simultaneously providing it with fast and stable wired network access at up to 20 Mbps.
Merchants can print from web-based applications using Epson’s ePOS Print technology or utilize Epson Server Direct Print technology for online ordering or remote printing. Using the company’s paper-saving technology, the OmniLink TM-m50II-H helps businesses reduce paper usage by up to 49 percent.
Kyocera Document Solutions America
The Kyocera TASKalfa Pro 15000c breaks new ground by merging productivity with affordability in a high-speed sheetfed inkjet production printer. It offers a cost-effective digital solution for transactional, direct mail, and book applications, with additional capacity for specialty media needs. The unit features Kyocera’s industry-leading printhead technology and boasts reliability, speed, and media and application versatility. The company sees it as the perfect fit for the demands of the production printing marketplace, from health care to education to governmental departments and beyond.
Features include:
– Increased productivity through speeds of 146 ppm for full-color letter and the ability to replenish inks while printing.
– Utilizing Kyocera’s outstanding printhead technology, the TASKalfa Pro 15000c delivers 600×600 dpi resolution for realistic color reproduction, sharp fine lines and text and smooth gradients.
– An embedded media library providing quick access to many popular papers and their associated color profiles with scope for additional media profiles.
– A low-energy, ceramic drying system, with standard 120V wall outlet power further helping to keep energy usage to a minimum.
– Long-life, low-maintenance printheads; a sector-leading carbon footprint; and numerous international energy certificates help balance high output and low consumption.
– A sleek, modern design, compact footprint and easy-to-use touch-panel interface.
– A 60-second warmup time for handling high-volume work without delay or hassle.
Ricoh USA
Cenero—a Ricoh Company—is a service-focused provider of audio-visual technology, unified communications and IT solutions. Its suite of products complement Ricoh’s portfolio of remote and hybrid business services and strengthen its digital workplace services capabilities for enterprises globally. Inclusive of systems design and delivery as well as managed services, Cenero solutions offer a range of flexible options that empower collaboration and improve communication to drive productivity.
The Cenero suite is part of Ricoh’s portfolio of integrated digital services that helps customers manage hybrid workplaces. These solutions provide secure, effective, collaborative meeting experiences whether employees are on premises or remote, helping business leaders deliver results from disparate hybrid teams who work in a fluid workspace.
According to Frost & Sullivan, the number of video-conferencing devices—including room-based endpoints, USB room devices and personal video communication devices—will grow 500% by 2025.
Spearheading this trending growth is hybrid work; it’s the new standard for global enterprises, and Ricoh recognizes that organizations need flexible options and effective technology amid this change. Cenero helps organizations build an engaging digital workplace that fosters business agility and innovation aligned with business strategies. The Cenero suite meets customers’ needs easily and securely while also maintaining flexibility to ensure that Ricoh meets new, evolving requirements driven by the market.
The Cenero suite helps Ricoh support its customers with the growing number of offices, meeting rooms, and learning spaces that are quickly being modified to support hybrid working and learning models. This set of solutions supports Ricoh’s vision to define itself as a leader in digital services by building the technological tools that support the expanding hybrid workspace.
Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America
Sharp will begin launching new digital presses built on proven technology in 2024. These presses are built for clients who want to enter the digital printing market and take their digital printing to the next level while leveraging the latest training, educational tools and a robust partner program from Sharp.
The BP-1200S Color Presses are specifically made for clients who want to level up their printing game. They boast speeds up to 120 ppm, are equipped with a powerful Fiery digital front end (DFE) and print up to six colors in one pass, including CMYK, gold, silver, bright pink, textured and clear toners. Real-time color stabilization, precise paper handling and timesaving inline finishing options (including square fold, crease, two-edge trimming and a variety of folding options) provide consistent, professional results. Users can also easily match company colors that fall outside the typical gamut of a CMYK-only device by accurately matching most Pantone colors in the PMS library. The addition of a bright pink color station as the fifth color helps match the Pantone library more easily, and the device can produce enhanced skin tones and virtually eliminate the need for printing spot colors that would otherwise need to be printed on an offset press.
Launching in Q1 2024, the color presses are the first in a line of four digital presses, including two monochrome digital presses launching later in the year that print at 136 ppm and 125 ppm respectively and are powered by a Fiery NX One Print Server. The monochrome print engines include real-time image quality adjustments and precise paper handling, and 2,400×2,400 dpi, rich black solids and amazing halftones provide consistent print quality.
Toshiba America Business Solutions
Toshiba’s latest printing innovation aims to significantly simplify everyday packaging applications for shipping and logistics operations. Beyond streamlining everyday tasks for warehouse professionals, the Duplex Linerless Thermal Printer (DL1024) reduces costs and boosts productivity while helping organizations meet the demand for more sustainable printing solutions.
The DL1024 simultaneously prints on both sides of a label without using a liner or backing material. This eliminates the plastic pouch and additional packing slip without producing any label liner waste, enabling organizations to function more sustainably.
Using the Premier Print & Services Group’s Linerless DuplexPackSlip label, the DL1024 reduces up to 40 percent of labeling costs by reducing the consumables for an extra label as well as the materials necessary for attaching a packing list to a parcel. Toshiba’s new printer also dramatically minimizes the labor time for applying package labels.
Rapidly delivering up to 24 labels per minute while featuring a considerable 3,000-label roll capacity, the Duplex Thermal Printer further enhances efficiency by reducing downtime with fewer label roll changes. Crisp and clear labeling is also simple considering the system’s near-edge printhead design and 203 dpi resolution.
Moreover, a vibrant and intuitive 10.1-inch LCD touchscreen control panel creates an even better user experience for logistics personnel. Touting ruggedized components throughout its stout design, the Duplex Thermal Printer also withstands the harsh conditions many warehouses and distribution centers present.
The printer is also available in a print-and-apply configuration from Panther, a ProMach product brand. This system deploys the company’s all-electric, servo-driven tamp applicator, creating a fully automatic solution for more proficient operations. The printer additionally streamlines the distribution and fulfillment process while increasing efficiency by automatically applying a shipping label and a packing list in a single application.
Xerox Corp.
In the era of cloud-based, hybrid work environments and the need for regular access to business-critical data, production document scanners are becoming a vital tool in bringing corporate records and archives online. Customers face difficult choices in production scanning technology, as pricing often rises exponentially as device speeds increase. Xerox developed the W130 scanner to deliver price-performance leadership, low cost of ownership, the latest technology and the flexibility to scale.
Featuring speeds up to 135 ppm (270 images per minute), this scanner features an adjustable, motorized 500-sheet input tray that feeds jobs through either a u-turn or straight paper path depending on document thickness. Award-winning reversing rollers technology keeps document feeding smooth, while three ultrasonic sensors provide double-feed and staple detection functionality.
On the software side, the Xerox W130 is equipped a with robust software bundle, including Visioneer OneTouch, Visioneer Capture SE, Visioneer Organizer AI and a full version of ABBYY FineReader PDF. Documents going to the cloud and OCR applications require precise, flexible image quality controls. With Visioneer Acuity intelligent image processing, users get more than 25 imaging features, configured through the accessible Visioneer DriverPLUS TWAIN user interface and built into Visioneer OneTouch and Visioneer Capture SE applications. Finally, proprietary parallel scanning technology allows multiple Xerox W130 scanners to scan concurrently to a single PC, fundamentally changing the economics of high-speed production capture.
Multiple users can connect with the scanner thanks to Visioneer VAST Network technology (an extended implementation of TWAIN Direct). And since this technology is built into its hardware, the Xerox W130 is also a “thin scanning”-capable device, making cloud capture on the web a reality while eliminating the need to download drivers or scanning applications to local PCs or clients.
