Leasing a multifunctional vs Buying a machine
Owning a multifunctional printer can be a potential headache. Office supply stores are full of seemingly good deals on copier/printer/fax devices. However, these are primarily designed for occasional use and are not built or heavy-duty operations. Leasing a multifunctional machine is an excellent way of lowering your costs while keeping up with the changing technology. You can expect to spend several thousand dollars for a new multifunctional printer but can spend less than a hundred a month for a leased one. On the other hand, purchasing can be a great option if you plan to use the machine for a long period of time.

Consider bundling your costs
Printers and copiers have many components that are subject to maintenance or supplies that need to be refilled. Administrators have better things to do than be constantly servicing a machine. There are many businesses that bundle these costs into one flat monthly rate, making it one less thing for your company to worry about. Materials such as ink and toner are supplied to demand and any service issues are quickly addressed. This is particularly convenient for small offices and businesses.

Speed
A high speed multifunctional printer will save you a lot of time and frustration. If you work in a busy office, 100 pages per minute is a good bet to keep documents flowing. For lower workload offices, 40-50 pages per minute will ensure your business operates smoothly. In addition to this, queues and print management software will keep the overall process running quickly and efficiently. It’s best to discuss this key metric with a product representative in order to determine a good match.

Adding extras
Busy businesses do not have time to be constantly standing over the machine feeding single sheets through a printer or refilling paper trays. If you consistently do high volumes you will want to look for a printer with a higher paper holding capacity. There are multifunctional printers that can hold as many as 3000 sheets of A4 paper in a single tray. You can also add finishers to your multifunctional device so that it can automate stapling, hole punching and more. Examine how your office machines are being used to find opportunities for improved efficiency.

KMnet is every administrator’s dream come true. You no longer have to worry about the hassle of multiple programs or having to walk to each printer. KMnet Admin provides a unified solution for network device management. Using a web-based platform, network administrators can easily control every device in the organisation. You can easily monitor the device status and problems can be quickly and remotely identified.

Device Manager
The device manager allows the administrator to organise devices into logical groups, view their status at a glance, set up automatic e-mail alerts and upgrade Kyocera device firmware. Device Manager also provides intuitive grouping, instant status overview, comprehensive device searchers, change settings in multiple devices at the same time, proactive management, alert management and device troubleshooting.

Accounting
KMnet accounting collects meter count data of each device across the network. Administrators can easily analyze the data to see the usage environment. The optimal distribution of devices can be determined by analyzing the data and determining were the devices can be determined to maximize efficiency and productivity. Print and copy volumes generated for individuals or departments can be clearly identified and can raise awareness about the costs that they are generating.

Print Job Management
The Print Job Manager provides end-users and administrators queue and job control functionality which is extended to desktop and workgroup level devices. The Print Job Manager is a server-based job accounting system that is able to link usage to domain users instead of account codes, which are often limited in number and need to be programmed to devices.

The new TASKalfa MFPs include vibrant colour and crisp black & white printing, colour scanning and copying, and optional Super G3 fax/network fax for high-speed document delivery.This new Multifunctional Copier line maintains Kyocera’s award-winning technology with key features that include:

• Up to 7,650 sheet paper capacity with optional paper feed units.
• Standard Color Scanning to multiple destinations, including Scan-to-Email, Scan-to-FTP, WSD scanning, and LDAP support
• Standard USB host interface for convenient print-from and scan-to any USB drive in PDF, JPG, TIFF and XPS formats – all via the touch screen control panel.
• 12 x 47 inch banner printing on all new TASKalfa color MFPs
• A wide range of advanced finishing options, including hole punch, off-line staple, booklet and tri-fold finishing

For 2011 Kyocera has brought a full line of 11 new MFP's

Powerful Applications

Business’ can further maximize their productivity in a variety of places. There are several applications that are compatible with Kyocera MFPs that offer increased flexibility and mobility in the workplace including;

Capture2Go allows iPhone users to scan documents and print documents on any authorised Kyocera networked printer

OpenText RightFax users are able to scan and send documents to the RightFax server from TASKalfa MFPs for full fax integration.

Kyocera’s Card Authentication allows business to manage the security of their documents by controlling user access

Kyocera SharePoint connector Microsoft SharePoint users are able to access and scan documents into SharePoint directly from the Kyocera MFP device panel

DMS Link allows users to capture, index, route, search and manage paper and digital documents on the control panel of the TASKalfa MFP

All these business applications are powered by Kyocera’s HyPAS and can help streamline your documents workflow and efficiency. No business is too large or too small to reap the benefits.

I couldn’t believe my ears the other day when IT blurted it out – “configure your multifunctional device to scan directly to an account on Google docs”. Up until now, I hadn’t been too excited about cloud computing, but Google docs is something I use almost every day to share and manage documents with clients and colleagues. Everyone these days seems to have a Google account, so this kind of solution will likely appeal to at least some of those users.

How does it work?

With a simple piece of middle ware, and by configuring the machine correctly, your multifunctional device can be set up to link directly to Google Docs. You simply select the appropriate path or designated folder on your device, and if the script is working correctly, it should appear in your Google doc account in no time (depending on the size of the document).

Why is this relevant?

For some customers this will be a very simple document management solution, where files can be uploaded and managed using a secure online account (Google Docs). For others it can be a cost effective innovation for their business into cloud computing. The ability to store documents (for free) and share them with whomever you like (by email address) could prove very convenient for some customers.

For more information on how to set this up for your own business, inquire with a 4 Office representative today.

Are you Buying from a Reputable Supplier?
Research the company or supplier you are buying from and make sure they have a reputable track record for selling quality products and servicing clients in your area.  Don’t always trust a big “brand name” either.

Has the used machine been properly re-conditioned or re-manufactured?
If the machine was previously owned or used, make sure it has been properly serviced / reconditioned. Make sure they didn’t just clean the outside or slap on new panels. A reputable dealer (who intends to honor business into the future, will likely replace all of the crucial components and parts, giving the machine a fresh and predictable life span. Also, if they intend to service the machine for you under a contract, they will make sure it is running very well before shipping out the door.

Does the machine sale / lease come with a guarantee?
Does your supplier offer you a guarantee? Do you get to test drive the machine for a few months in advance? Will they guarantee the machine will run properly under normal use for a given amount of years?

Who will service the machine when it goes down?
If you are just buying a used photocopier “as is” or not opting for a service contract, make sure you understand what it will cost you to have the machine serviced when it does break down. If not under a service contract, you could be paying for hours of labor as well as parts costs.  One of the great things about having a service contract is that you can be sure you are getting a decent machine up front. A supplier would never sell you a lemon if they knew they had to service it themselves.

Have you researched the equipment brand / model?
What model / brand of equipment are you buying? How does it rate for reliability? At the end of the day, reliability is probably the most crucial factor in your day to day business needs. If the machine goes down, and you depend on it for mission critical tasks, that can be an expense in itself.

If you are in business for yourself or work for a company and are searching for used photocopiers online, naturally you want to get the best value at the best price.  Just remember, the best value is not always the lowest price, and sometimes the lowest price up front, ends up being the most costly choice down the road.

Designed with the end-user in mind, these newly engineered MFPs encompass a budget-conscious solution offering the document imaging functionality required by customers.  Now businesses can print, copy, colour scan or fax — all while remaining within budget.

Kyocera Taskalfa 255

Perfect for any office environment

The TASKalfa 305/255 multifunctional systems with SMARTtech (Simple Management and Replacement Technology) assure simple-to-operate and simple-to-manage MFP functionality making them ideal for virtually every busy office and workgroup, especially round-the-clock document environments, highly secure offices and satellite locations.

Reliability
With Kyocera’s SMARTtech design, when service is required there is minimal interruption to business activities, to ensure maximum uptime.

Works hard for your office

• Fast Output Speeds of 30 and 25 ppm
• Print, Copy, Colour Scan and Optional Fax/Network Fax
• Standard Duplex and 50 Sheet Document Processor (RADF)
• Maximum Paper Capacity of 1,600 sheets
• Newly Designed Easy Operation Touch Screen Control Panel
• Integration with Active Directory and Secure Identity Solutions
• Ultra-Reliability with an industry-leading PM Schedule of 300,000 pages
• Optional 500 sheet finisher with multi-position stapling capabilities

Safety and Security

• Secure Print feature
• Secure RAM-Based Memory equipped with 512MB of RAM and upgradeable to 1,536 MB
• Option to configure with Kyocera’s Card Authentication Kit
• No hard disk drive that can be breached by unauthorized personnel

The Kyocera TASKalfa 500ci Series redefines Color Multifunctional Systems with a bold and innovative design that delivers the power, performance, ultra-reliability and PANTONE® approved Color Output capabilities that your business demands.

Complete with custom Color Look-up Tables (LUT) and plug-ins for graphics software programs like the Adobe® Creative Suite, QuarkXPress®, Corel® and Freehand®, the TASKalfa 500ci Series offers you the ability to incorporate Pantone colors into your business output. Whether it’s your corporate logo or a custom color you want to highlight in your printed documents…

That’s Custom Color Output…

That’s the Kyocera TASKalfa 500ci Series.

Scan to Email

Need to send a document to someone in digital form?

Gone are the days when we used to have to scan the document, save it to our desktop and manually attach the file to an email message. Now, most MFP’s like the Samsung 6555n, allow us to send digital documents simply by using the touch screen.

Easy to use

For the Samsung 6555n, as well many other brands of equipment, sending a document is almost as easy as making a photocopy. The only extra work involved is the entry of yours and the recipients email address, however like most touch tone phones, you can program the addresses in just like having numbers on speed dial. In no time, the document is sent to your recipient in a convenient PDF format.

Document Management?

I sometimes even use scan to email as a crude document management system. For instance, if there is a really cool magazine or newspaper article that I want to have on file, I will email it to myself and save it to my hard drive to have on file. For more advanced versions of digital document storage, there are many powerful add on’s that can be accompanied with a Samsung or other version MFP. SmartThru™ is document management software that allows users to create, store and edit scanned images, as well as direct the files to dedicated folders on a given PC computer. There are a variety of document management software programs available for various MFP brands. Some are very robust systems and others are quite simple. It all depends on your individual needs.

I know many of the people in our office use document management software as an essential tool for digital document storage and other administrative processes. For now, I will continue to enjoy scanning my favorite article now and then.

For more information on both simple and complex document management solutions, or if you would like to someone to demo scan to email functionality on a Samsung MFP, call 4 Office at 1-800-463-3423 to schedule a consultation.

Over the past 8 years, Kyocera Mita has quickly  become a leading manufacturer in the MFP marketplace and is currently one of the more profitable companies on the Nikkei, Japanease stock index. Due to its heavy emphasis on R&D and investment in new technologies, Kyocera has developed products that lead the industry in both reliability and environmental sustainability.

Reliability:
The reason Kyocera MFP’s are so reliable is because they run on a mono-component developer system, much like a laser printer. Most other MFP’s made by Ricoh or Xerox for instance, operate on a dual-component system. This can lead to a wider variability in copy quality, and a higher likelihood of paper jams and mechanical errors. Owners of Kyocera MFP’s seldom find themselves in need of a service technician, beyond the standard PM cycle.

Environmental Sustainability:
With Kyocera’s advanced technology, all components have been designed for extra long life, which means a reduction in waste and discarded materials. All containers and waste bottles are made of recyclable plastic and even the remaining toner, which is non-toxic, doesn’t harm the environment. Kyocera MFP’s also use far less electricity compared to other brands of equipment.

To learn more about Kyocera MFP’s visit their corporate site, or the site of an authorized Kyocera MFP photocopier dealer.

Users can now scan documents directly to their Iphone or Ipad device using the software (now available on Itunes or the Apple App store),  via a wifi network. The ability to print directly from an Iphone or Ipod touch is also available, with the option for users to scan an entire local network for available devices.

This application is bound to grow in popularity as  Kyocera MFP’s continue to proliferate the marketplace, and as more and more users continue to surf the web with mobile devices rather than PC’s.

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