Apple Files 2 New "Shake to Print" Patents for iOS Devices

Yay! New patent filings from Apple! Just what you always wanted! Unless you're Samsung, that is. Anyway, there are a new pair of patent filings from the company that would allow users to select custom settings for printing by moving or interacting with an iPhone or an iPad in different, unique ways.

The filings were recently published this week by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and are entitled Systems and Methods for Defining Print Settings Using Device Movements and Systems and Methods for Defining Print Settings Using an Input Interface.

One example of how the applications could be used described how a user could shake their iPhone back and forth in order to enable a print settings mode. In addition to that, the patents gave an example of a user shaking their iPad to cancel a print job. This isn't exactly new tech for the company, as Apple already has a system-wide feature that allows users to shake their device to undo things as well as a shake option that shuffles music on devices.

This new concept, however, could allow users to change settings, like print orientation, by rotating or moving an iOS device. One example included in the patent stated that viewing a photo in portrait mode could then send the picture to a printer with the same layout.

The patent application also presents new ways that a user could interact with an iPad to select printer settings. Users could select an array of pages to print from a document, while the template selector would show a user how their content would appear on various paper sizes.

Whenever viewing multiple pages of a document at one time on a touchscreen device, a user could also use their finger to draw across the pages and signify the order in which the pages should be printed. Whether or not this technology actually makes it on to future Apple devices remains to be seen, though the ideas are definitely interesting.

Source: AppleInsider - Apple's 'shake to print' concept would add custom printing options to iOS devices

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Kodak Steps Away from the Printer Industry

After only recently putting hundreds of millions of dollars into creating a new line of business in desktop inkjet printers, Kodak has already decided to scrap the project. The company announced recently that it is planning to shift its focus in 2013 from ink sales to printers it has sold, which is the most profitable part of that particular business. The company also announced that it would stop selling printers, an area where competition is leaving little room for Kodak.

The news only gets worse from there as the company also announced that it would be asking Federal bankruptcy court for more time to put together a Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization plan. Plans like this would spell out how a reorganized company will operate after bankruptcy and the steps that company will take in order to make creditors as whole as possible.

Kodak has made a plethora of big changes ever since filing for bankruptcy back in January in attempts to raise money and cut costs. These measures have included shutting down its digital camera business and selling its online Kodak Gallery operations. Kodak currently has a few other businesses that are also up for sale, including document scanners and still camera film.

Kodak has talked about profits in desktop inkjet printers for a while now, with the company stating that the main profits are found in consumables like the ink itself. According to a recent statement from the company, getting out of the printer business "will significantly improve cash flow in the U.S. beginning in the first half of 2013."

Source: USA Today - Kodak quits printers, wants new deadline

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A 7% Increase in Printer and Copier Market Discovered in Q2 2012

According to the research firm Gartner, the combined serial inkjet and page printers, copiers and multifunction products market in the United States totaled 7,150,202 units in the second quarter of 2012, a 6.8% increase over the same period last year. The total end-user spending reached $208.1 million USD, an increase of 35% from the same period last year as well.

According to Gartner Research Analyst Amrita Choudhury, "The MFP market growth here has been driven by the banking, financial services and insurance, education and government sectors." Choudhury went on to say that the market also gained some traction in the high speed segment, often used by large publishing houses or organizations to print their outbound communications. 

HP remained on top in the markets for printers, copiers and multifunction printers, accounting for 51.4% of shipments. Canon pulled in the number 2 spot with 23%, while Samsung and Epson rounded out the leaders with 8.3% and 8.1%, respectively. In the A4 MFP segment, HP was the market leader as well with a 48.2% market share, followed by Samsung with 22.7% and Canon with 13.7%. The A3 flatbed copier MFP segment saw Canon leading the pack with a 28.9% market share. Konica Minolta took the number 2 spot with 19.7% and Ricoh commanded 12.8% of the market. 

Not everything was positive, however, with the inkjet printer market declining 7.2% in the second quarter compared to the same period last year. HP, which accounted for 50.8% of the total sales in the segment, also saw a decline of 23.6%. Epson held a market share of 30% and also had a shipment decline of 8.8%. Canon also improved shipments in the inkjet division by increasing by 136% compared to the second quarter of 2011, contributing 18.8% of market share.

Source: NDTV Gadgets - Printers and copiers market grows 7%: Gartner

Canon Updates Dedicated Photo-Printing Products

Canon recently updated its photo-printing products, the Pro10 and the Pro-100, to follow the same design as the high-end Pixma Pro-1 which was released nearly one year ago. These devices now offer WiFi/AirPrint and Ethernet connectivity as well as a new plug-in for Lightroom and Photoshop.

The Pro-10, which sells for $699, uses the Lucia pigment inks, supplemented with the same Chroma Optimizer as the Pro-1, minimizing gloss differential and bronzing of black inks whenever you print on glossy paper. In addition to that, Canon reformulated the yellow ink and claims that there is now increased coverage in the red/magenta/yellow area of the color gamut.

If you are a fan of dyes, then the Pixma Pro-100 is what you will be interested in. This $499 device uses a reconfigured ChromaLife 100+ ink set, dropping the red and green primaries to add gray and light gray. Canon also incorporated a reformulated magenta which, according to the company, "delivers better reds for improved black and shadow reproduction."

Both of these printers have also received increases to print speeds while the drivers also ship with a new Pro mode, designed to deliver more accurate automated color matching. Both printers are expected to be released this October. These devices seem to be optimized for photographers and photo enthusiasts as they have a lot of features that help with the production of pictures. 

Source: CNET - Canon updates prosumer photo printer line

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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

Xerox Seeks to Increase Business with Digital Services Model

Xerox isn't having much luck in terms of share worth these days as the company's shares have failed to break $8 per share since falling below that point in the beginning of May. The company's stock fell dramatically last August from $10.45 per share to $7.70.

Digital commerce and communication have been identified as threats to Xerox's traditional core business of photocopiers and printing. As a result, diversification spread into other services. Xerox acquired Affiliated Computer Services back in 2009, which also slightly turned the business model away from printing and more towards things like add-on services, though the branching out has proved to be fruitful for Xerox.

According to a statement from Morningstar's Michael Holt, "These services aren't tied to printing, but instead stem from IT outsourcing and processing Medicaid claims, which account for half of Xerox's revenue." Holt also stated that printing is cyclical, which exposes Xerox to headwinds. However, as our economy transitions its business model to services, Holt expects greater stability of operating results.

Tablets and smartphones have not been kind to consumer printing, though Xerox has had less exposure to this than some of its competitors like HP and Lexmark. According to Keith Bachman, analyst for BMO Capital Markets, "Xerox is in better shape, since Lexmark has a residual inkjet business and HP has a very meaningful inkjet business - this is positive for Xerox given the trends over the next five years."

The remnants of Xerox's printing business focuses on business and commercial printing, which is also dying at a slower rate than consumer printing. According to Bachman, "There are trends at the corporate level where companies are consolidating four or five laser jets into one in an attempt to lower the cost of printing." In addition to that, Bachman mentioned how Xerox, Cannon and other business printing manufacturers are managing companies' print services by putting printers on office floors that are located away from offices in an attempt to deter employees from printing, though they are still close enough to keep employees from complaining.

However, Xerox's shift to a services business model is one of the clearest signs that the days of a thriving printing industry are well in the past. The consensus analyst estimate for Xerox is $0.26 per share on sales of $5.6 billion. Xerox shares were recently trading at $7.25 and have dropped 12% year-to-date. Lexmark and HP, two of Xerox's biggest rivals, were also trading negative.

Source: Forbes - Xerox Works To Duplicate Copier Glory In Digital Services Model

Stocks for Printer Makers Drop Significantly

Laser and inkjet printer maker shares fell recently after Lexmark joined a whole host of other technology companies warning of falling sales in Europe. Lexmark's stock dropped as much as 17%, making it one of the biggest losses on the New York Stock Exchange. In addition to that, Lexmark's drop dragged down Xerox and HP, two rivals of the company.

Deteriorating economic conditions in Europe and a stronger dollar have led to grim forecasts from several American technology companies, including Advanced Micro Devices and Applied Materials. HP shares decreased by 3% to $18.77, the lowest in over a year, while Xerox saw stocks decrease as much as 3% as well. Japanese rival companies Canon and Ricoh both closed down on the Tokyo Stock Exchange as well.

Michael Holt, an analyst for Morningstar, stated that printing, which is always one of the most dispensable parts of a company's budget, is always the first target of cost-cutting measures. According to Holt, "When you see times of macro economic distress, printing is one of the areas most susceptible to changes in demand. Even if we have long term negative trends in printing, they can be exaggerated in the short run by economic conditions."

Lexmark derives nearly 40% of its sales from Europe, the Middle East and Africa, though it recently cut its profit outlook on Thursday and said second quarter revenue would decrease by nearly 12%, a number greater than what was initially anticipated. Lexmark also stated that it would be hurt by a strong dollar in the second quarter as well. The euro has shed 5.5% against the U.S. dollar this year alone.

Unlike Lexmark, HP has other business ventures that it can fall back on, including its Personal Systems Group, which is currently being merged with its printing group. HP derives nearly 20% of its revenue from its Imaging and Printing Group, which the company considers a steady cash flow due to recurring sales of printer cartridges. According to Holt, "Lexmark is focused on mainly business printing but HP has exposure to both businesses and consumers. We see consumer printing as declining much more rapidly than business."

Source: Reuters - Lexmark's outlook warning pulls down printer makers