New Mobile Printing App Release by Canon

Canon just announced its new Canon Mobile Printing App for the iPhone and iPad, an app that extends the company's already vast support for mobile office users and consumers. The Canon Mobile Printing App allows users in homes and offices to send print jobs directly from their iPhone and iPad to a compatible Canon output device, literally allowing them to print from anywhere in the house or office.

In addition to that, the Canon Mobile Printing App is compatible with select Canon imageCLASS desktop laser printers and multifunction printers, including the recently launched MF4000 models. The app is also compatible with Canon's recently released next-generation imageRUNNER ADVANCE C5200, 6200 and 8200 enterprise multifunction office systems.

Moreover, the app also supports most imageRUNNER and imageRUNNER ADVANCE enterprise multifunction office systems along with imageRUNNER LBP printers. Users are able to print Microsoft Office files, iWorkd files, JPEG, GIF, BMP, PNG, TIFF and PDF files, photographs and even web pages directly through the app's user-friendly interface. Supported file types include: doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt and pptx for Microsoft Office and Pages, Numbers and Keynote for iWork.

According to Vice President and General Manager of Marketing, Business Imaging Solutions Group for Canon U.S.A. Sam Yoshida, "With today's mobile workforce, being able to print on-the-go is becoming an increasingly valuable asset. The new Canon Mobile Printing App provides ease of use and places the traditional print functionality at the fingertips of today's mobile worker."

Source: Canon U.S.A. Announces Mobile Printing App for Home and Office Users

Toshiba Tec's Loops Copier System Erases Printed Paper, Allows You to Reuse Paper

Toshiba Tec recently debuted a new eco-friendly copy machine that allows users to erase printed documents and reuse them as blank sheets of paper, reducing the carbon footprint in the process. This is actually a brilliant idea because, if you're like me, you always end up having a lot of papers you've printed off that you can't use anymore. Sure you can throw them away or recycle them, but this allows you to reuse them, not only making for a greener experience but also saving you tons of money on paper.

Known as the Loops Copier System, this device is the first of its kind and combines two separate machines: a special toner that uses erasable ink and a machine that applies heat to wipe the paper clean. The system also has the capability to erase as many as 30 sheets per minute, cutting down on the amount of paper used by nearly 80% compared to standard copiers. As soon as the documents are erased, the machine sorts through all the printouts and eliminates damage paper from the system. In addition to that, each sheet can be reused up to five times.

Loops is a part of a larger push by Toshiba Tec to produce eco-friendly products that drastically reduce a company's carbon footprint by using less energy and making efficient use of resources. What's more is that the copier system alone slashes carbon dioxide emissions of standard machines by almost 60%, according to Toshiba Tec. The Loops Copier System is scheduled to go on sale in Japan in February 2013 for an estimated retail price of ¥1.41 million, or over $17,000. Toshiba Tec plans to sell the green system in other countries under a different name starting in May of 2013. Source: ABC News - Eco-Friendly Copier Erases Printouts

Kodak Ends Inkjet Printer Sales, Continues to Sell Ink

Kodak recently announced that it was discontinuing the sales of its inkjet printers, which left many customers worried that the company may discontinue the sale of the ink for these printers as well. Many people bought inkjet printers from Kodak for one simple reason, that being the fact that the ink for these printers was pretty cheap in comparison to others. The good news is that even though the company won't sell any more inkjet printers, it will still continue to sell the ink to customers who have these printers.

Krista Gleason, spokeswoman for Kodak, recently stressed, "Kodak will continue to sell ink to its customers, honor all product warranties, and provide technical support and service. Customer service remains a priority." However, that raises the question of how long this will go on. According to Gleason, "The expected lifetime of the printers," which is three to four years based on industry average.

Kodak added that it anticipates supporting inkjet sales beyond that, as long as consumer demand remains strong. The same thing was said last month when Lexmark announced that it was exiting the inkjet printer business. Even though both companies get some credit for not leaving customers high and dry, this isn't all about customer service.

The real profit for printer and copier companies comes from ink and toner sales. This announcement from Kodak clearly stated that it would continue to sell the ink in an effort to crawl out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy. "Kodak has continued to manage its Consumer Inkjet business for profitability, and starting in 2013, it will focus that business on the sale of ink to its installed base," the company said.

Kodak's printers have been considered slower than most of the other ones on the market. Even though picture quality on Kodak devices was very good, other features and capabilities seemed underwhelming for office use. To make things worse, Kodak put these devices up against a ton of new and better devices from companies like Brother, Canon, Epson and HP. Aside from printing photos, Kodak's printers weren't fast enough to be of any real use in an office setting.

IDC's Keith Kmetz stated, "Kodak's market share never achieved the levels the company hoped for, and Kodak's financial struggles made the company's consumer inkjet effort very difficult." These problems sound a lot like the ones faced by Lexmark, where both companies wanted to sell ink and toner for printers and copiers that were mediocre and best.

Source: PCWorld - Kodak printers are gone, but the ink sells on