If You Own Or Work With A Digital Copier, Your Information May Be At High Risk

In the world we live in today, we have to take precaution so we don't have our PIN numbers stolen, or so we aren't duped into giving someone our banking information online. Thankfully we are all able to remain financially and physically safe for the most part. But there are ways to steal a persons identity or financial information that many are unaware of. One tiny mistake can lead to a huge disaster. You may not think so, but things like identity theft are very real. The scariest part is that it can happen from almost anywhere. It can even happen from places that you may not even expect. Do you use a copier at work? Have you ever had your ID or social security card scanned at a hospital? Perhaps at the DMV? If so, your information could be at a higher level of risk than you ever thought.

How is this possible you may ask? Here is some scary information.

Almost every digital copier has a hard drive installed that keeps a copy of every image that it's ever scanned.

It is a scary thought in itself to know that someone could take all of your information via the ATM or lost credit cards. It's even more terrifying to know that some copying machine out there could have all of your information stored on its hard drive. The unfortunate thing is that most people don't know that digital copiers contain hard drives, usually they go completely unnoticed. Some 60% of Americans today have no clue that their digital copiers have hard drives. Every computer has a hard drive where it stores its data digitally. It's the same case for copiers.

When you decide to clean up a computer and dump files, it seems almost like second nature, but that's not necessarily the case when dealing with a copier. You're more than likely not going to think about it because, to you, it's just doing its job. That being said, used copiers often go for sale without having their hard drives wiped. This is mainly due to the fact that the people using them were completely unaware. Most of these used copiers are sold for cheap, obviously in an attempt to move the products quickly. Should someone with the right know-how for identity theft get a hold of one of them, these copiers could become a literal gold mine for them. Everything from stealing your identity to accessing your bank accounts and wiping them clean could be in their plans.

These copiers can become a huge risk on your privacy and personal information. When the purchase of a used copiers is made, you may not know where it came from. It could have come from a hospital, a police prescient, or a high school library. You never know. The point is to become aware of the danger and do something about it. If you know you're going to get rid of a copier that you've been using, do yourself a favor and wipe the hard drive clean or just get a new one entirely.

Does Your Business Need A Short Term Copier Rental? Contact www.Rentacomputer.com Today At 800-736-8772

Source.

Xerox Says Don't Say 'xerox'

Much to the consternation of the Xerox Corporation, 'xerox' still means 'to copy' or 'to photocopy'. It's even listed as a verb in the Oxford English Dictionary.

Although less used today, if someone asked you to Xerox a report you most certainly would understand what they wanted you to do. That's a bad thing.

According to the company, when people use 'xerox' as a verb there is a possibility it could be considered a 'generic word' and no longer a protected trademark. A trademark is said to become genericised when it began as a distinctive product identifier but has changed in meaning to become generic.  

 If 'xerox' becomes genericized, it may open that word up useage by competitors. 

In response, Xerox Corporation has run  campaigns in places like Editor and Publisher promoting to not use 'xerox' as a verb. This is according to Rebeca Tushnet an expert on trademark law at Georgetown University in a 2009 New York Times article titled, "The Bower of the Brand as Verb" by Noam Cohen.

Xerox Corporation has stated "you cannot 'xerox' a document, but you can copy it on a Xerox Brand copying machine".

Please hand Xerox Corporation a Kleenex. Blow your nose and go with the flow. Even if your product name is genericized, its not a bad idea to have your product name mentioned often, even your competition. 

Now I'm off to 'google' some more information on genericized tradenames.

Could 3D Scanners Make Their Way To Your Office?

Upgrades are nice. There is no denying that. Everyone loves to have the biggest, best, and newest products. When choosing to upgrade though, there are so many factors to take into account. One being price. The price tag on a particular machine can really trigger some of those "Oh my..." faces if it is through the roof. Then comes the price of consumables to help the machine function as needed. All of it adds up quickly. The next thing that should come to mind is practicality and usage. What are you going to need this machine for? What are going to be its main uses? All of these factors come into play at some point. What machine could I even be talking about, you may wonder? A copier, of course. Mind you, not just a regular copier, but one of the newer 3D copiers.

Are you unsure of what a 3D copier is? Well it works a lot like its 2D counterpart. Unlike a regular photocopier that scans a document or some piece of paper, the 3D copier is used to copy actual physical objects. The 3D printer has been out for a little bit now, and works in tandem with a 3D copier. Particularly one from MakerBot. The copier went up for sale last October, and as stated, works together with the 3D printer from MakerBot. How the copier works is through a small turntable. By placing whatever object you are trying to scan upon the turntable, the turntable will then spin. This will allow the laser scan the object properly, and then upload a 3D rendered image onto the products software. All that's left to do is print the object.

Does Your Business Need A Short Term Copier Rental? Contact www.Rentacomptuer.com Today At 800-736-8772

All in all it's a good product and one that could be practical in some situations, but not all. That, paired with a nice $1,400 price tag can really stifle any buyer at that price. This is where a review of what you and your company may need comes into play. If all you are looking for is to photocopy documents and reports, then obviously you don't need a 3D copier, a 3D printer, and its software. However, should you see yourself in something that requires a bit more artistic focus, this may not be a bad investment. Also, there in lies the other factors of using a 3D copier. You will need to companion printer and the software to make everything work properly should you need it. The positive is that in the rendering process, you can edit the scanned object to add and take away from it. The only real case where the copier could be used by itself is with some type of graphic design or digital animation. Other than that, there may be no real use for it.

3D copiers are very fun to use and even more fun to watch operate. The bottom line is though, is that it may not be the most practical thing for a typical office space. However, if you are still interested, it never hurts to rent and try before you buy!

Source.