Skip to main content

Color Printing: Just What You Need

2009-12-03_203036 Color printing has been around for years, but until recently, it was not that widely used in everyday office environments.
According to industry observers at CAP Ventures, this may be because color printers have traditionally been perceived as too
expensive and complex to be of much value for everyday usage.1 However, now that color devices are becoming more affordable and functional, that’s changing. Even so, it’s still entirely possible to spend too much on color—by failing to carefully match needs to capabilities. As Don Jones points out in The Definitive Guide to Office Color Printing, many organizations don’t understand the range of options available to them for using color; as a result, they “often implement overly expensive solutions for everyday use.”2 This planner is designed to help you align printing requirements with devices in order to get just what you need in color printing—no more, and no less.

Think about it: Consider the ways in which you want to use color printing for everyday office document.

Act on it: Determine the criteria to apply to be sure that the devices you buy are appropriate for your needs.

Work with it: Evaluate how well the devices you are considering match your selection criteria.

Océ Solutions Showcased at Autodesk University 2009 Enable AEC Users to Streamline Operations, Leverage the Value of Color

December 1, 2009, Las Vegas, NV – Océ, an international leader in digital document management, will display its large format print and print management solutions designed to help architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) users leverage the value of color and streamline their daily print operations during Autodesk University 2009, December 1-3 in Las Vegas, NV. These solutions include the Océ PlotWave® 300, the next wave in monochrome, single footprint systems; Océ Repro Desk® Studio, the newest print software for CAD environments that eliminates complexity and reduces time spent on print jobs; and a range of innovative color print systems that make it easy to integrate the clarity and effectiveness of color into daily CAD workflow.

"Even with incremental improvements in the economy, the AEC industry is still under pressure to improve productivity and cost effectiveness," said Sal Sheikh, Vice President, Marketing, Océ Wide Format Printing division of Océ North America. "The Océ solutions on display at Autodesk University support AEC firms as they rethink traditional ways of moving from concept to construction. These solutions deliver economical wide format monochrome and color CAD printing and seamless print management to better enable users to finish projects on time, under budget and with reduced risk."

New Simple, Green, Durable, All-in-One Printer Saves Money and Space
The compact Océ PlotWave 300 all-in-one large format monochrome print/copy/scan system is ideal for lower volume monochrome print users. The system incorporates Océ Radiant Fusing technology, the most efficient way to fuse toner onto paper, with benefits such as no warm-up time, half the energy use of comparable systems, and virtually no ozone emissions - all while maintaining superior image quality for even the most complex documents. The Océ PlotWave 300 printer's eco-friendly design aids AEC users as they strive to meet their design and construction sustainability goals.
The Océ PlotWave 300 system does not need extra tables, paper racks or ventilation so it can easily fit into tiny spaces. Designed with simplicity in mind, the system includes features such as a built-in USB flash drive for printing and scanning at the system, an output delivery tray on the top of the machine, air separation to prevent prints from curling, and a scroll and click panel and smart buttons that make it easy to use for both experienced and new walk-up users. The system is constructed of solid, hard-wearing materials designed to make it last longer than comparable systems – perfect for AEC users looking to keep equipment costs in check.

Color Printing at Work

2009-11-30_183858 The right color printing solution can reduce
costs and improve efficiency in a variety of
printing and imaging environments. The
following scenario describes how one
organization is using HP color printers to
bring a key printing function in-house—and
dramatically cut costs and increase efficiency.

Scenario for Improvement

The organization: Professional sports team

The situation: Need for an alternative to outsourcing of
season-ticket printing

The problems: High printing costs, slow turnarounds,
limited ability to accommodate change

The solution: HP Color LaserJet 9500 printers

The results: 54 percent reduction in ticket printing costs,
as well as faster delivery and increased flexibility

Canon U.S.A. Launches Digital Printing Solution for Healthcare Professionals at RSNA 2009

CHICAGO, November 29, 2009 – At the 2009 Radiological Society of North America Annual Meeting (RSNA 2009), Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digita1 advanced imaging technologies (Booth #8339), will showcase the Canon imagePRESS C1+ digital printing solution with Virtual Imaging's CYPHER printer server, a DICOM1 print solution which has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) 2.

The imagePRESS C1+ digital printing solution produces high quality color prints intended for non-diagnostic purposes by healthcare professionals looking for a cost effective way to add value and introduce new capabilities in environments where quality is a critical factor in relaying messages and presenting data. When combined with the CYPHER print server, and utilized with Canon's advanced portable and general digital radiography (DR) systems and solutions or other DICOM modalities with Print SCU capability3, the imagePRESS C1+ digital printing solution is a cost effective digital printing solution capable of producing ancillary patient exam results on paper with outstanding image quality and vibrant colors to share with referring physicians, patients, insurance companies and authorities, as well as for teaching purposes.
Although the prints are not intended for diagnostic purposes, the imagePRESS C1+ digital printing solution is specifically designed for print environments that require high levels of accuracy, detail and consistency in image reproduction. By printing secondary copies on paper rather than film, this print on demand solution can help reduce costs and time, helping support quicker patient turnaround time.

Using Color Access Controls to Maximize Value

2009-11-23_224311 Organizations that are incorporating color into their printing and imaging environments would like to be able to control access to color printing in order to maximize the return on their investments in color. This doesn’t simply mean limiting access to color, or placing controls on who uses color and who does not, although there is certainly value for some organizations in being able to do just that. But controlling access to color also means being able to monitor how color is used and to track usage by a variety of criteria, in order to make informed decisions that affect operational efficiency. And for some organizations, controlling access to color may also mean accurately determining color usage in order to bill clients or internal users for their usage. Applying color access controls in any or all of these ways enables organizations to use color as effectively and cost-efficiently as possible.

HP Color Planning Guide: Evaluating Color Printers Is Easier Than You Think.

2009-11-23_223505 Color printing in the office is no longer limited to a specialized department or niche marketing firms or large-scale enterprises with considerable financial resources. Today, color printing is an essential tool in everyday business, a necessity for competing in a fast-paced and dynamic marketplace. In fact, the question in most offices — large and small — is not “whether” to incorporate color printers into their operations, but rather “when and how.”

As you consider expanding the color printing capabilities in your own office, important questions will arise that affect not only your purchasing decision, but also your strategies for effective use of color printing throughout the organization. This guide provides answers to common questions about color printing that will make you a better and more-informed user of color printing.  Each section of this guide provides a different perspective for evaluating printers. You may not need to read the entire document before choosing a printer. Any one of the sections may provide the answers you need. If you find you need more information, simply move to another perspective (section). Each section begins by posing a question:

Unpublished

n/a

Balanced Deployment at Work

2009-11-19_200501 Recent IDC research suggests that “a large site with 1,000 plus employees is paying $200 plus per employee in direct hardcopy costs alone.”* So, not surprisingly Gartner research reveals a new trend in the way organizations think about managing their printing and imaging environments. “By YE05, 60 percent of all enterprises will have begun an enterprise wide effort to optimize document output fleet spending through changes to their purchasing and asset management policies.”** The same research suggests that there are significant savings to be had by those who turn their thinking into action, “Through YE08, enterprises that actively manage their document output fleets will be able to save between 10 percent and 30 percent of their recurrent spending.”

Canon U.S.A. Introduces New imageFORMULA DR-2020U Universal Scanner for Business Environments of All Sizes

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y.-- Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leading provider of advanced digital imaging and software solutions, today unveiled its new digital scanning solution for workgroup document imaging and general office applications – the new imageFORMULA DR-2020U – the latest model in the Company’s award-winning DR-Scanner line.

The DR-2020U incorporates the reliable paper handling and high-quality imaging capabilities inherent in Canon’s DR-Scanner line to provide robust functionality at an affordable price. Ideal for distributed scanning and general office workloads, the DR-2020U offers versatile three-way scanning – a 50-page Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) for batch scanning, a flatbed to accommodate unconventional-sized documents, and a dedicated business card feeder tray to handle batch business card scanning. The DR-2020U is capable of one-pass duplex scanning at up to 20 pages / 40 images per minute (ppm/imp) in black-and-white and up to 20 ppm/imp in color*. Combined with its user-friendly design and extensive bundled software, the DR-2020U is indispensable to nearly any office environment.

“Canon has a long-standing commitment to answering the digital imaging needs of all segments of the market. With the introduction of the DR-2020U, we are expanding upon our already robust array of digital imaging technologies,” said Jim Rosetta, vice president and general manager, Imaging Systems Group, Canon U.S.A. “With its user-friendly design, outstanding workflow and increased imaging flexibility, the DR-2020U is a cost-effective addition to help boost office efficiency and productivity.”

The DR-2020U features an intuitively designed, copier-like control panel allowing users to quickly navigate through job functions resulting in increased workflow efficiency. Users can easily begin scanning operations through three pre-defined Scan-To-Job buttons for Copy, File and E-mail functions, as well as five programmable Scan-To-Job buttons for assigning up to 50 different imaging tasks. The Scan-To-Job buttons enable multiple users within a workgroup to access frequently performed tasks at the touch of a button, providing for simpler use and greater office efficiency.

The Color Quality Advantages of Canon’s imagePRESS C1

2009-11-16_211333 As Canon informs customers about our new imagePRESS line, here’s a question you’re likely to hear: “What makes a digital press different from a color copier?” The quick answer is: Several things.

A digital press is engineered to meet more demanding requirements than a color copier.  Your customers may assume a digital press can: (1) produce noticeably better-looking prints; (2) handle a wider assortment of papers; (3) reproduce specified colors accurately and consistently; and (4) maintain the quality of images used in the document.

A digital press is expected to go beyond the bright, saturated colors of a color copier and must be able to produce neutral grays, natural skin tones and accurate “memory” colors such as green grass, blue skies, and red apples. A digital press also requires accurate tone reproduction. Tone reproduction refers to the number of tones between the highlight and
shadow areas of an image. Without correct tone reproduction, a printed image won’t be acceptable.