Following are the big and small news stories for the month of November and the first two days of December:

Copier Careers Publishes 2011 Sales Representative Salary Survey Results

Dec. 1 – For more than a decade, Copier Careers has been publishing yearly salary surveys for three categories of copier industry employees: service technicians, service managers, and sales managers. The question often arises, “Why don’t we publish a survey of copier sales representatives?” The answer until now has been that sales reps are too difficult to pin down — we can’t get them to stop selling long enough to fill out our standard 20-plus question survey.

This year, however, demand for a survey of sales professionals increased, and Copier Careers decided to pare its format down to the three most essential categories: job title, base salary, and commission. The response to this simplified survey was extraordinary: 9,564 copier sales representatives from dealerships all around the country chose to participate. A few key findings from the survey: 

• Great earning potential. More than 60 percent of survey respondents say they are making more than $100,000 annually. The top-earning job title was Major Account Manager.
• Excitement about MPS. With the exception of a few old-school holdouts, most copier sales representatives are loving Managed Print Services. In addition to creating new income opportunities, MPS provides real value to customers and makes for a more challenging and interesting sales process.
• Too many buckets. According to many respondents, the complexity of sales compensation plans has gotten out of hand. This situation has created frustration for many sales reps and has contributed to a growing distrust of management.

To view the entire salary survey visit www.copiercareers.com/salary_survey/2011_sales_rep_salary_survey.pdf

 Ricoh to Offer Compart DocBridge Mill

Nov. 30 – Continuing a longstanding relationship, Compart has announced that Ricoh is offering Compart DocBridge Mill transform software as one of the options available in its workflow portfolio. This additional transform software enables customers to seamlessly work within each page of a document when they need to transform various text-based print streams. Another reason to use DocBridge Mill transform is to access the original document in text mode in order to add additional information. For some users, this will mean identifying available white space and adding messages in that space on the fly according to analytics-driven business rules.

FlexPrint Golf Tournament Benefits JFCS of Arizona

Nov. 30 – FlexPrint Inc., (www.flexprintinc.com), a national provider of document management and managed print solutions, has donated more than $20,000 to a local charity. FlexPrint’s annual golf tournament raised $22,212 for Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JFCS) of Arizona.

This year’s golf tournament was held at the Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale with 120 players and 25 additional supporters in attendance. FlexPrint started this annual golf tournament six years ago to say thank you to current customers and introduce their message to prospective customers.

FlexPrint has continued to learn more about JFCS not only a customer, but a thriving charity in the community making a significant impact. This is why JFCS was selected to receive this year’s funding from the tournament.

Frank Gaspari, FlexPrint CEO says, “FlexPrint believes in giving back to the community and making a difference in a city where our families all work and play. We recognize the phenomenal impact that Jewish Family & Children’s Service is making in the community and we are happy to support them.”

This is not the first time FlexPrint has generously donated to a local charity. This annual golf tournament alone has earned more than $20,000 each year for the deserving charity of choice. Past recipients include Empact Suicide Prevention of La Frontera in 2009 and TERROS in 2010.

Michael Zent, President & CEO of JFCS, accepted the check on behalf of JFCS as twelve JFCS employees looked on with smiling faces. Gaspari said, “We appreciate our customers and are grateful to give whenever we can. We embrace our partnership as it goes both ways and look forward to what the future holds. Again, this event truly was a good time had by all.”

Print Audit Verified as Citrix Ready

Nov. 23 – With more organizations implementing cloud-based computing strategies, virtual solutions providers such as Citrix have been steadily growing in popularity. Print Audit is now one of a select few managed print services providers to be verified as Citrix Ready.

Citrix Ready is a product verification program that allows customers and users to quickly and easily find partner products and solutions that are trusted to enhance Citrix offerings. Citrix XenApp is an on-demand application delivery solution that enables any Windows application to be virtualized, centralized, and managed in the datacenter and instantly delivered as a service to users anywhere on any device.

As Citrix has increased in popularity, numerous industries are adopting its technology throughout their environments. For example, many educational facilities are providing their students with iPads and use Citrix XenApp to allow the students to run Windows applications (such as Microsoft Office) via their iPads. Print Audit 6 enables organizations to track and control printing from these virtual applications in the same way as when printing from a regular PC.

While many server-based print management solutions require an additional software client to be deployed in order to properly track Citrix applications, Print Audit 6’s client-based architecture makes it an ideal choice for Citrix environments of all sizes. With the Citrix Ready certification, organizations can be confident that Print Audit 6 is compatible with Citrix and that the software will complement their Citrix investment effectively.

For more information on Print Audit 6, visit: www.printaudit.com/print-audit-6.asp

Toshiba Earns a Spot on the InformationWeek 500

Nov. 23 – Toshiba America Business Solutions has made this year’s InformationWeek 500, an annual listing of the nation’s most innovative users of business technology. Toshiba earned its position on the list for its use of cloud technology to provide a common sales platform throughout the entire organization. The 2011 list was revealed at a gala awards ceremony at the InformationWeek 500 Conference taking place at the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort, Dana Point, Calif.

Toshiba America Business Solutions needed to link more than four-dozen acquired companies, each with their own processes and customer relationship management (CRM) systems. Toshiba chose the salesforce.com sales cloud and rolled its implementation out across the country in 20 office sites and four different phases. A key innovation leading to Toshiba’s success was the speed of the implementation and ability of Toshiba’s IT departments to partner with the business side to quickly identify and implement solutions. Among other successes, the cloud technology resulted in an annual sales increment of 14.6 percent and a 20-percent increase in sales rep revenue per month.

InformationWeek identifies and honors the nation’s most innovative users of information technology with its annual 500 listing and also tracks the technology, strategies, investments and administrative practices of America’s best-known companies. The InformationWeek 500 rankings are unique among corporate rankings as it spotlights the power of innovation in information technology, rather than simply identifying the biggest IT spenders.

Additional details on the InformationWeek 500 can be found online at www.informationweek.com/iw500/.

Toshiba Rolls Out New e-Studios

Nov. 22 – Toshiba America Business Solutions has introduced the Toshiba e-STUDIO 195/223/225 series. All three black and white MFP models reportedly offer outstanding reliability, low noise, small footprint and multifunction networking capabilities. The e-STUDIO series also is Energy Star compliant and features extended maintenance cycles and 100-percent waste-free toner recycling to help customers meet their own sustainability initiatives.

The Toshiba e-STUDIO195/223/225 series features include standard 11 x 17-inch printing, local copying and scanning, as well as optional network printing, scanning and faxing for the e-STUDIO195/225 models. It accommodates a variety of uses, whether there’s a frequent demand for high-volume printing in a compact space or lower-volume printing required consistently over time with little maintenance and downtime, according to Toshiba. The PM cycle for these models ranges from 81,000-90,000 depending on the model. The Toshiba e-STUDIO195/223/225 is available through authorized Toshiba dealers.

DocuWorld 2012 Scheduled for May in Orlando

Nov. 22 –  DocuWare Corporation will hold its annual Conference, DocuWorld, May 21-24, 2012 in Orlando. Coming off a year of record attendance in 2011, DocuWare plans to further expand the educational opportunities not only for its Partners (DocuWare refers to its resellers as Partners) but plans to offer user-specific workshops and events tailored for the customer base. The Parent company, DocuWare AG, hosted a widely accepted event last spring in Berlin and DocuWare Corporation is looking forward to extending that program for customers as well as Partners from North, South, and Central America. The Grand Hyatt Regency Cypress has been chosen for the 2012 DocuWorld Conference.

 Muratec Introduces MFX-C3035

Nov. 16 – Muratec America has announced  the availability of the MFX-C3035, an A4 workgroup color multifunction solution that delivers exceptional printing, scanning, faxing and copying.The MFX-C3035 produces color and monochrome output at up to 31 ppm. It features a standard 50-sheet reversing automatic document feeder, legal-size platen glass and duplex printing. 

The device ships with a 250-sheet paper cassette that supports a variety of paper sizes (up to 110 lb. index), as well as a 100-sheet multipurpose bypass tray that supports thicker paper stocks (up to 110 lb. cover), letterhead, transparencies, waterproof paper, recycled paper, labels and envelopes. Up to two additional 500-sheet paper cassettes can be added to bring the maximum paper capacity to 1,350 sheets.

PCL 5c, PostScript 3 and XPS support is standard and enables printing from a variety of Windows, Linux and Mac environments. The MFX-C3035 features an 800 MHz processor that delivers blazing fast print speeds. The high-resolution color scanner electronically captures documents at up to 31 images-per-minute (300 dpi, letter). The device also features standard scan to e-mail, PC, FTP, HDD, user box and USB flash drive. Documents can be scanned in PDF, TIFF, JPEG and XPS format.

The standard 33.6 Kbps fax modem delivers fax transmissions at up to 3 seconds-per-page and enables address book quick send, PC faxing, inbound fax routing to e-mail, group dialing, broadcasting and more.

The MSRP for the MFX-C3035 is $4,495

ECI Releases Version 3.3 of FMAudit

Nov. 15 – eCommerce Industries, Inc. (ECi), a leader in industry-specific information technology solutions, today announced the release of Version 3.3 of the industry-leading MPS and business automation software platform, FMAudit. The release includes significant updates, feature enhancements and process improvements for FMAudit Central and includes Version 2.6.9 for Onsite, Viewer and WebAudit.

Enhancements included in Version 3.3 Central cover database consolidation and optimization to build on the proactive utilization of the wealth of device data collected by FMAudit for detailed account management and performance tracking. In addition, new optimization features are also included for supply coverage calculations, reporting flexibility and supply parts management.

The FMAudit Onsite device data collection engine Version 2.6.9 update provides more than

120 added features and process improvements. Updates include the latest industry enhancements for security improvements, device data collection for tiered meters, color and mono splits, and expanded consumable usage data.

Current FMAudit clients are being notified of upgrade process and procedures. Companies interested to learn more about the FMAudit software solution should contact FMAudit at (573) 632-2461 or visit www.fmaudit.com.

Agiliant Launches Partner Program

Nov. 15 – Agiliant, Inc., the master managed services provider behind the MITOS (Managed Information Technology and Output Services) solution suite, has announced the official launch of its partner program that provides office and information technology dealers, resellers and services providers with a new approach to substantially broadening their respective go-to-market and solution delivery capabilities.

Agiliant is the centralized management and delivery engine of the Agiliant Affiliate Network (AAN), a highly integrated and synchronized network of managed services providers that have each been carefully evaluated and selected as best of breed in their respective markets nationwide. The AAN is currently made up of early adopting office technology and IT services providers who shared a common goal: to offer customers an all-inclusive IT management and maintenance solution that creates competitive advantage and differentiation for their company without the burdens of substantial upfront capital, a long time to market or the alienation of existing business, which are all incumbent challenges of acquiring or building the capabilities independently.

AAN member companies are exclusively licensed to offer the MITOS solution, encompassing a complete suite of managed IT services that fully integrate the conventionally disparate business offerings of Managed Print Services (MPS) and ManageNetwork Services (MNS). But that is only one facet of the many benefits and value that come from affiliation. Members of the AAN also receive comprehensive support, training, tools and all the materials necessary to successfully sell, implement and deliver the MITOS solution.

Affiliates in the AAN not only receive all the resources they need to integrate MITOS into their existing business, they also benefit from centrally coordinated and managed national service coverage with standardized solution offerings, service levels and pricing, allowing them to target and effectively compete for major national accounts in their markets in addition to SMBs. AAN members also enjoy the economies of network buying power on products and services; collaboration and coordinated sharing of best practices with other best of breed providers; and customized services that enable them to optimize and efficiently scale their financial, operational, service and sales functions to grow their MITOS business within both new and existing accounts.

The AAN is not a franchise model, nor is it merely an outsourced NOC (Network Operations Center). Affiliates in the Network maintain their own client relationships and economics, but are guided through every step of the sales cycle – from lead development, assessments, solution architecture, contracts and agreements to marketing, implementation and delivery – in order to ensure optimum success. The value proposition to members of the AAN is unlike any other in the industry, so the number of Affiliates in the AAN has grown steadily in 2011 even while it was in a development mode.

With the model now well established, the focus of Agiliant will be to grow the AAN into a highly coordinated nation.

Lyra Research Releases Two Reports on Digital Imaging Supplies

Nov. 15 – Lyra Research, the digital imaging authority (www.lyra.com ), has released two new reports that provide worldwide forecast data and analysis for the digital imaging supplies market. The two reports–Worldwide Desktop Ink Jet Cartridge Forecast, 2008-2015 and Worldwide Laser Toner Cartridge Forecast, 2008-2015–are based on key findings from Lyra’s first-half 2011 Hard Copy Supplies Advisory Service (SAS) Forecast 360.

Worldwide Desktop Ink Jet Cartridge Forecast, 2008-2015 explores how the desktop ink jet printer market has declined over the past two years as a result of the global recession. Changes in users’ printing habits, adoption of WiFi networks, and screen-based devices all have created barriers to market growth. Nonetheless, shipments of ink cartridges are steadily growing, partly as a result of the move away from low-end devices that often use tricolor cartridges toward higher-end printers that use single-color cartridges. All regions will experience cartridge shipment growth during the forecast period, but Latin America will lead the way with the highest CAGR, at 7.3 percent, followed by Asia Pacific.

Beginning in 2011, total worldwide revenue for desktop ink jet cartridges is projected to grow slowly as cartridge prices fall. Total worldwide desktop ink jet cartridge revenue is projected to grow from under $29 billion in 2010 to $33 billion in 2015. Regionally, growth will be strongest in the Asia-Pacific region, followed by Latin America. North America and Europe will both exhibit less robust growth.

Specifically, the report provides vendor and regional-level data and analysis regarding ink jet cartridge shipments, revenue, and average sales prices, as well as installed base forecast figures for ink jet hardware.

Worldwide Laser Toner Cartridge Forecast, 2008-2015 discusses how the laser printer installed base bottomed out in 2010. Hardware growth is expected to resume in 2011 as a result of strong sales in emerging markets, and this in turn will create steady growth in the laser toner cartridge market through 2015. Cartridge shipment growth will be aided by a number of market changes, including the shift to color output devices, the shift to midrange MFPs for monochrome printing, and businesses’ use of short-run in-house printing for high-volume print jobs that previously were handled by commercial printers. Laser cartridge shipments will grow from 379 million units in 2010 to about 445 million units in 2015 (please click here to see figure). The highest toner cartridge growth rates will be found in Latin America and Asia Pacific. Aftermarket cartridge penetration remains low because newer color devices use chemical toner instead of mechanical (crushed) toner.

The two digital imaging supplies reports can be purchased now for $950 per report. For more information about report purchasing options, contact Sandy Tobin, client relations manager, at (617) 454-2612 or stobin@lyra.com, or visit Lyra’s online store.

Print Audit Products Earn High Marks from BLI

Nov. 14 – Two Print Audit products have received exceptional reviews from Buyers Laboratory, Inc. (BLI). Last month, BLI awarded a 5 Star rating to Print Audit’s remote device management service, Facilities Manager, and this month, the company’s flagship software, Print Audit 6.5 received its own 5 Star rating.

The BLI report lauds Print Audit 6.5 for its reporting capabilities, scalability to any print environment and ease of use and administration. “Print Audit 6 is an extremely flexible print management and cost recovery solution that has copious strengths, with superb ease of administration and use at the top of the list.”

When initially released, Print Audit 6.0 was also awarded with a 5-Star rating by BLI. Since that version, Print Audit has made numerous enhancements including integration with Print Audit Secure, further Embedded options, new language support, and improved performance and reporting capabilities.

In the report, BLI explains that Print Audit 6’s modular design, consisting of Analysis, Rules and Recovery, makes the software scalable to businesses of any size and allows organizations to buy what meets their unique needs.

“Print Audit 6 is a stellar solution for any size business looking to better understand its document output and recover those associated costs. Many competitive solutions are offered as one cohesive bundle with all functionality included, but Print Audit 6 bucks this trend and allows organizations to purchase what they need, and then in time and if necessary, add other modules.”

For more information on Print Audit 6, please visit: www.printaudit.com/print-audit-6.asp

Bradshaw Group Acquires Assets of Laser Source USA

Nov. 10 – The Bradshaw Group Inc., a provider of high quality printers, parts and supplies, has  acquired the assets of Laser Source USA Inc.

“We are pleased to announce our first acquisition in the desktop parts distribution sector, and the overall expanded capabilities that Laser Source can now offer its customers,” says Monty Milliner, President of Bradshaw.  “In today’s economy, service organizations need suppliers that can support a broader range of products than ever before.”

As a result of the asset purchase, Laser Source’s current President Bryan Jobe will become a valuable addition to Bradshaw in the Network Print Division. The synergy between the two companies is immediate and will allow customers from both Bradshaw and Laser Source to benefit from a larger portfolio of offerings.

MITOS MANAGED IT SERVICES SOLUTION FROM AGILIANT INTEGRATES TWO HISTORICALLY DISPARATE BUSINESS FUNCTIONS

Nov. 9 – Agiliant, Inc., a master managed services provider headquartered in Kirkland, WA, has announced the general market availability of the MITOS (Managed Information Technology and Output Services) solution suite. Through a carefully architected and managed fusion of two conventionally separate business offerings – Managed Network Services (MNS) and Managed Print Services (MPS) – Agiliant’s MITOS delivers a cost effective best practice for organizations to efficiently manage all aspects of their IT systems, assets and operations, according to the company. By combining MNS and MPS, MITOS offers customers tremendous advantages and economies that result in efficiency gains, cost savings, vendor and billing consolidation and complete service, performance and cost predictability.

MITOS features comprehensive monitoring and management capabilities for the full spectrum of IT operations. Whether employed to augment existing IT personnel to enable them to focus on more high value business-critical initiatives or to manage the entire IT infrastructure, MITOS reportedly improves business continuity, efficiency and productivity while simultaneously bringing improved visibility and predictability to IT spending.

Each MITOS solution is custom developed so that it aligns with the distinct business needs of the customer and incorporates their existing IT challenges, functions and deficiencies while simultaneously accounting for their future business goals, budgets and plans for expansion. This ensures that every customer receives the most efficient, streamlined, and optimized MITOS solution possible.

According to Agiliant, the difficult thing about providing highly customized MITOS solutions is that it requires solution architects to have a thorough understanding of the business processes, core competency, operations and future plans, in addition to a comprehensive understanding of the technical specifications and function of the existing IT infrastructure. Agiliant has developed a proprietary assessment process – the VisibilIT, VitalIT and ManageabilIT Assessment (VVMA) – that is comprised of three interrelated business and technical components designed to dive deeper into the business operations and IT functions than typical network assessments that are prevalent in the industry. The VVMA not only provides Agiliant with the information needed to create optimized solutions, but also provides customers with invaluable insight and understanding into their entire IT infrastructure and how well it’s aligned with their specific business needs and objectives.

Xerox Releases Phaser 7800 Color Laser Printer

(Editor’s note: Based on the print samples we received from Xerox, the output is absolutely incredible.)

Nov. 7 – Xerox has introduced the Phaser 7800 color laser printer, targeting graphic design professionals who are looking for a better, faster way to create vivid, colorful advertisements, marketing pieces and sales proposals.Equipped with color quality tools, extensive media handling capabilities and professional finishing options, produces jobs quickly and offers precise control over color matching.

Printing at 1200 x 2400 dpi, the Phaser 7800 brings out fine details in images, photos and graphics, according to the company.  Core to the printer are its color matching capabilities, a must-have for graphic designers. 

The device is equipped with the PhaserMeter Color Measurement Device powered by X-Rite and Adobe PostScript 3. The Phaser 7800 has also been licensed by PANTONE for optimal color reproduction of industry standard PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM.  

The 45-ppm printer handles a wider range of media weights – from 75 to 350 gsm – and more sizes than competitive printers, according to Xerox. Its ability to handle heavyweight stocks allows for the creation of books and calendars. It also accommodates non-traditional sizes for postcards and photos. Automatic two-sided printing is a standard feature. Finishing options include booklet making, creasing, and hole punching. The Phaser 7800 finishing options can be customized to meet specific workload and application needs.

A color touch screen makes navigation simple – users can view toner levels and print jobs in the queue. Green benefits include low-melt EA Toner and Hi-Q LED print engine technologies to reduce energy consumption. The heat-efficient fuser allows for start-up time of less than 15 seconds and uses less power in standby mode than conventional fusers.

Starting at $4,599, the Phaser 7800 is available immediately worldwide through Xerox direct sales, agents, resellers and dealers.

Konica Minolta Lands in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant

Nov. 8 – Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. has announced Konica Minolta’s placement in the Leaders Quadrant of the “Magic Quadrant for MFPs and Printers, Worldwide”¹ published by Gartner, Inc. Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for vendors of multifunction products (MFPs) and printers worldwide serves as a guide for midsize and large organizations to identify and evaluate technology providers that deliver MFP and printer products and services.

GreatAmerica Deploys Info-Zone 2.0

Nov. 8 – GreatAmerica Leasing Corporation has announced the release of Info-Zone.com 2.0, an upgrade from its first generation Info-Zone.com Website. The site is an exclusive online Dealer/Distributor portal that automates credit applications, autofills forms, and provides customized reports to help manage customer bases and identify sales opportunities.

“Our deep investment in an easy and useful online experience was driven mostly by our customers,” says GreatAmerica executive vice president and COO David Pohlman. “I believe we’ve successfully combined the business savvy of our Dealers/Distributors and the innovative minds of our GreatAmerica teams to give our customers a competitive advantage.” The project engaged over 600 dealer/distributors in beta-testing, many of whom added new features to the upgrade.

The new site, which is compatible with iPAD and Android mobile tablet devices for online application completion, also features a customizable dashboard that helps users get important information quickly. Other upgrades include security enhancements, improved navigation, pricing calculators, and greater flexibility in quoting and document creation.

The site communicates with major ERP systems such as Digital Gateway’s e-automate, OMD, and LaCrosse for automatic meter uploads/downloads and data comparison. This reduces administration expense and improves billing accuracy. Data from Tigerpaw, Compass, Sales Chain, Falcon, MWAi, and CorsPro can be received by the GreatAmerica Vendor Billing Services team.

BTA, Strategy Development Announce BTA MPS Sales Workshop Redesign, Tuition Reduction

Nov. 8 – Over the past five years, the Business Technology Association (BTA) and Strategy Development (SD) have trained hundreds of sales professionals in the science of managed print services (MPS). In that period a clear delineation has occurred with companies pursuing either a service-led approach to MPS in major accounts or a consolidation approach in the SMB market. To ensure that your sales force is prepared for either approach, SD has significantly redesigned the BTA MPS Sales Workshop.

“We constantly update our program based on feedback from classes and what we see in the field working with our clients on MPS transactions,” says Tom Callinan, managing principal of Strategy Development. “Through the guidance we perform for our clients, the SD team gets the opportunity to work on 50 to 100 actual MPS transactions each week, ranging from companies with 20 devices to those with 2,000. Nobody has more visibility into MPS and we carry that knowledge to our training programs. We are now launching the fifth major revision to the BTA MPS Sales Workshop and it is a significant update from version 4.0.”

The newly redesigned workshop will be appropriate for all sales professionals, both MPS specialist as well as equipment reps calling on accounts with three or more copier/MFPs. In order to make it more affordable to get sales professionals trained, BTA and SD have lowered the tuition from $1,695 to $1,195 per attendee, a $500 savings. Members may also use their $150 annual coupon, bringing the net tuition to $1,045. Non-members may also attend the BTA MPS Sales Workshop for a net tuition of $1,475 when using their coupon, receiving a one-year BTA membership. Each additional participant from the same company will only pay $995, so training multiple employees is logical. The next BTA MPS Sales Workshop is scheduled for Dec. 6-7 in Baltimore, Md.

Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for vendors of multifunction products (MFPs) and printers worldwide serves as a guide for midsize and large organizations to identify and evaluate technology providers that deliver MFP and printer products and services.

Copier Careers Releases New White Paper on Non-Competes

Nov. 3 – Copier Careers, a search firm for office technology dealerships, has released a new white paper, “Non-Competes Demystified: The Copier Professional’s Guide to Understanding and Negotiating Non-Compete Agreements.” The white paper can be found online at: www.copiercareers.com/Article_files/Non-Competes_Demystified.pdf

Print Audit’s Facilities Manager Cited in CompTIA Study

Nov. 3 – CompTIA, the Computing Technology Industry Association, recently published a study surveying 400 Managed Print Services providers and IT personnel in end-user companies. The purpose of the report, Examining the Print and Document Management Market, was to further the understanding of print and document trends from the end-user perspective, as well as to profile Managed Print Services provider firms. The study identified Print Audit’s remote device management service, Facilities Manager, as the leader in the North American market with a 40 percent share among Managed Print Services providers using a third-party (non OEM) solution.

Facilities Manager is used by dealers worldwide to remotely collect meter reads, automate supplies fulfillment and report service information for managing fleets of printers, copiers, fax machines and multi-function devices.

According to the study, the Managed Print Services industry will continue to grow because of its impact on reducing infrastructure costs associated with printing, improving productivity and environmental sustainability. The study also found that most companies expect their print volumes to increase or remain the same and of the companies not currently using Managed Print Services, 35 percent are expected to adopt a MPS strategy over the next year.

For more information on the CompTIA study, please visit www.CompTIA.org

HP Releases Low-End MFP with TopShot Scanning

Nov. 1 – HP has announced the availability of the HP TopShot LaserJet Pro M275 in the United States. According to HP this MFP revolutionizes the way 3-D objects and documents are scanned to produce more arresting images. The HP TopShot LaserJet Pro M275 represents a new category of MFP because equipped with HP TopShot Scanning – a camera equipped with a high-quality optical lens and high-resolution sensor that’s embedded into a hinged arm above the device. The technology captures a total of six images of a single 3-D object – three with flashes from different angles, and three in ambient light conditions with different exposure levels – then combines them into a single high-resolution image with incredible depth of focus. With the HP TopShot LaserJet Pro M275 MFP, users can scan documents or small objects and integrate the resultant high-quality images into their business workflows.

Global Managed Print Solutions Becomes Konica Minolta Authorized Dealer

Nov. 1 – Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. has announced that Global Managed Print Solutions, LLC of Novi, Michigan has become an authorized dealer partner of Konica Minolta. Established in 1997 as a strategic partner of Global Office Solutions, Global Managed Print Solutions will offer Konica Minolta’s complete line of office systems, digital presses, printers as well as a portfolio of document management and workflow solutions.