New Fast and Efficient Light Production Series of Copiers and Printers Released by Xerox

Xerox recently launched its newest light production series of devices at the Africa Print Expo in Sandton. The new devices include the Xerox D95/D110/D125 Copier/Printer and the D110/D125 Printer, both of which are capable of delivering sharp black-and-white image quality with speed and efficiency.

In addition to that, these devices were designed to meet the demands of print-intensive environments and make it easy for people like educators to create things like curriculum materials, student directories, course packs and bound materials. Productivity can also be increased with archiving and stamping software, allowing legal, insurance and healthcare users to store documents electronically and guarantee their authenticity with numerical markings.

Commercial, quick and franchise printers are capable of meeting tight turnaround times in the print-for-pay market and can also offer more applications and services, like newsletters, on-demand book publishing and customized catalogues. These new copier/printer models are available in speeds of 95, 110 and 125pp, while the D110/D125 Printers are available in speeds of 110 and 125ppm, which is perfect for the transactional print environment.

There are also a lot of key customer benefits with these new models, including things like fast and easy operation, advanced workflow tools and multipurpose finishing options, making them perfect for a variety of settings and operations.

According to Marketing and Product Manager for Bytes Document Solutions PSG Paul Haglich, "The faster scanner, expanded robust inline finishing options and simplified graphical user interface should make these new products popular in light production environments where ease of use and affordable productivity are key. This range of highly productive digital printers are ideally suited to quick/franchise or enterprise in-plant printers, legal, insurance and healthcare companies and the educational market."

Source: Graphic Repro - Xerox SA launches fast, efficient light production series

Sharp Considering Selling Copier Business

Sharp Corporation is mulling over a decision to sell its copier and air-conditioner businesses according to Japanese media, which includes the Nikkei business daily. The reason for the decision could be shrinking finances, causing the company to consider restructuring any and all non-core assets.

Sharp, which also makes screens for Apple's iPad and iPhone, is in desperate need of a refinancing, as much as ¥360 billion, which translates into approximately $4.45 billion USD, of short-term commercial paper and will also need an additional ¥200 billion in September of next year to cover a maturing convertible bond.

Sharp, which is desperate for funds to refinance looming debt rollovers, is seeking more than ¥100 billion for its key solar panel plant, which is located in Sakai, Western Japan, as part of an asset sale, local media reported. In addition to that, Sharp may sell its buildings in Tokyo as well as television assembly plants in Poland, Malaysia and Mexico, according to a company source.

Kyocera Corporation, Daiwa House Industry Company and Daikin Industries Limited are just a few of the companies that have reportedly shown an interest in buying the copier and air-conditioner businesses according to reports from the Nikkei. Sharp also signed contracts with two overseas consulting firms to help it determine which assets to sell.

Sharp, which also makes Aquos televisions, will also sell its 0.6% stake in Japanese camera maker Olympus Corporation and is also leaning towards disposing of its 9.8% interest in lithium ion battery joint venture Eliiy Power Company, the Nikkei reported. Sharp said in a recent statement that it is considering a plethora of options to improve operations, though refused to comment further on the reports.

Source: Reuters - Sharp may sell copier, air conditioner businesses

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Lantonix's xPrintServer Allows You to Print Directly from Your iPhone or iPad

Plug-n-play devices don't usually live up to their names, which is unfortunate. What usually happens is you plug it in, fail, look at the instructions, get confused, re-read the instructions, get more confused, call customer service, get put on hold, hang up, get no helpful information, look on Google or YouTube for an answer and then throw everything in frustration. However, the one exception to that rule is the xPrintServer from Lantonix. Well, it may be the exception...

The only problem is how to print from your iPad or iPhone. If you've already purchased a printer with AirPrint capabilities then this should be easy for you to accomplish because, well, that's what it's made for. Though, if you are like most other people in the world and hold onto your printer way longer than you should, then you have limited options.

One of those options is to add a printing app to your iPad or iPhone. Unfortunately, those apps are generally tied to specific models of printers, which makes finding the right one hard. However, if the printer upgrades its drivers then you may have a problem.

The xPrintServer simplifies this. Essentially, the xPrintServer is a box that attaches to your router and to your printer. Once that's done, you can print from your iPad and iPhone, no matter where you are in your house or office. All is not perfect with the xPrintServer. Signs of stubbornness abound and connecting to a wireless printer via WiFi without the USB cable can be difficult and unresponsive.

Pricewise, the xPrintServer runs $100, which is a lot, especially when compared with an app that does the exact same thing for $5. The first thing you need to do, if you decide to go with the xPrintServer, is see if you have an AirPrint compatible printer and then check if there is an i-device app specifically for your printer. After that, consider how much you value simplicity. If the answer is worth $100 then you should give the xPrintSever a try.

Source: The New York Times - Printing From Your iPhone, at a Price

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Zebra Technologies Releases New 4" Desktop Printer Series

Zebra Technologies Corporation has just announced the release of the GC420 desktop printers in EMEA. The GC420 series are compact printers that allow businesses, both big and small, to see more and do more by enabling track-and-trace capabilities for numerous applications.

Like I said, the GC420 series is capable of performing a lot of different applications, including:

• Manufacturing - light industrial work-in-process, product and shipping labeling.
• Transportation and Logistics - boarding tickets, bag tags and parking passes. 
• Retail - price labeling, shelf marking and receipt printing. 
• Healthcare - laboratory specimen and blood bank labeling. 
• Post - electronic stamping and address labeling. 

According to EMEA Product Manager for Zebra Technologies Mark Togher, "Zebra prides itself on not only being innovative, but also being able to meet the unique needs of our customers globally. The GC420, like all of our printers, provides flexibility and high performance for increased productivity. In addition, our EMEA customers also appreciate that the printers offer excellent value, providing features and performance at a very competitive price, and making it easier to adopt bar code technology."

The new GC420 printers offer productivity enhancements that are essential for small to mid-size manufacturers, transportation and logistics businesses in addition to retail, healthcare and post. These compact printers also provide excellent value performance based on customer-proven mechanical design. They also offer flexibility to print in either thermal transfer or direct thermal mode. What's more is that they also offer powerful performance and throughput with a 32-bit processor, co-resident EPL and  ZPL programming languages and triple connectivity. Other features include:

• Large 8MB memory with support for large fonts and graphics. 
• Peel/Dispenser (optional). 
• Energy Star compliance. 
• Odometer for print length tracking and supplies management. 
• Unicode for global character printing. 
• ZBI 2.0 for integration, adaptation and handling of data peripherals.

In addition to that, the GC420 printers are easy to load and operate and are also backward compatible with select Zebra 4" printers. These low-maintenance and durable printers also reduce training requirements and operating costs and are built to withstand rough handling in busy work environments with their dual-walled construction.

Source: Market Watch - Zebra Technologies Introduces new 4-Inch Desktop Printer