Domtar acquires Xerox North America paper business

By David Ward, San Diego Wednesday, 27 March 2013

Montreal-based Domtar has signed a deal to acquire Xerox's paper and print media products in North America, though the Xerox brand will continue on both coated and uncoated paper for office and commercial printing.

Domtar spokesman Nicholas Estrela told PrintWeek that Xerox had essentially been operating as a paper reseller, adding: "They were basically purchasing about 200,000 tons of paper, mostly uncoated free sheet - which is what we make - from Domtar and other manufacturers. In Canada we had essentially 100% of their business."

Estrela added that Domtar will honor the suppliers agreements Xerox has in place in the US for the time being. "Short-term it's going to be business as usual," he continued.

"We're going to continue to supply them Domtar paper in Canada. In the US we'll continue with some of the supply agreements with the other manufacturers, but over time we'll bring some of that tonnage into our system internally."

Though Xerox does not have any paper manufacturing capability of its own, its brand is very well thought of in both the office and commercial printing paper space.

"We'll continue to make that paper; we're just taking over another step in the process," Estrela said, adding Domtar will be picking up some Xerox employees in the US as part of the agreement.

Estrela emphasized there will be no change in Xerox paper pricing or supplies, noting: "About the only thing that could change is maybe a phone number or contact information. But we will be able to start building relationships with some of the 1,500 paper clients they have, so it's a win-win for both sides."

Though it is getting out of the paper reseller business, Xerox said it will continue to manufacture, sell and support consumables such as toner and ink.

In a statement announcing the deal, Xerox Senior VP-Global Paper and Supplies Frank Edmonds said: "As Xerox broadens its business to focus more on services and innovative document technology, we saw an opportunity for our paper business clients to be better served by a leader in the industry.

"Xerox benefits through a trademark licensing agreement with Domtar; Domtar adds a well-regarded brand to its portfolio; and our respective clients get a simplified, ‘one-stop’ experience through Domtar’s extensive offerings and distribution network."

Global Imaging to Implement Digital Gateway’s e-automate™ System

March 18, 2013 - Provo, Utah

Global Imaging to Implement Digital Gateway’s e-automate™ System

Provo, Utah— March 18, 2013: Digital Gateway, Inc., the leader in dealer management solutions for the independent dealer community, today announced that Global Imaging Systems, Inc. (GIS) will be implementing Digital Gateway’s e-automate™ dealer management system throughout its facilities. GIS is a leading provider of business technology solutions and one of the largest in the United States. GIS has approximately 200 offices operating across 38 states and the District of Columbia.

“We are excited to have Global Imaging Systems make the move to e-automate,” said Laryssa Alexander, President of Digital Gateway. “Leveraging the strength and efficiencies of Digital Gateway’s solution further enables GIS to continue its impressive growth. The synergies we have between our highly experienced staff at both OMD and Digital Gateway will enable GIS to transition its locations to the eautomate system quickly with minimal business disruption. Digital Gateway continues to prove its ability to scale with our valued customers as they grow from start-ups through mid-sized dealerships to large, nation-wide operations.” “e-automate is a great fit for GIS,” said Don North, Vice President of Information Technology for GIS.

“Upgrading to the e-automate dealer management system will allow us to modernize our ERP platform, realize process efficiencies and, most importantly, enable our businesses to provide world-class service for our customers”.

e-automate is a leading enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution providing total integration and automation from sales through service. It is specifically designed for service contract-centric organizations of all sizes and complexities. The e-automate system improves processes that save time, resources and money. With more than 20,000 direct and third party users, 35 partner integrations, tens of millions of data transactions per year coursing through its partner integration network, and a constantly evolving product suite, e-automate provides the comprehensive infrastructure for supporting the growth and success of office equipment dealers today and into the future. For more on Digital Gateway and e-automate, visit www.digitalgateway.com.

About Global Imaging Systems, Inc.

Global Imaging Systems is a leading provider of business technology solutions. GIS companies sell and service Document Management Systems including printers, multifunction devices and copiers; Network Integration Services; Software Solutions; and Audio Visual & Video Conferencing Systems. Their solutions incorporate products from Xerox, Konica Minolta, Kyocera Mita, Panasonic, Muratec, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Microsoft, InFocus, Equitrac, eCopy, Sony, and other leading companies. Xerox acquired Global Imaging Systems in 2007 and operates it as a wholly owned subsidiary within Xerox’s North American operations.

About Digital Gateway, Inc.

Digital Gateway, Inc., a subsidiary of ECi Software Solutions, is a leading provider of dealer management software solutions for the office equipment industry. Since 1995, Digital Gateway has helped over 1,200 dealerships drive their business operations successfully with its innovative e-automate dealer management software.

Managed Print Services Accelerate: Three Is a Trend

Managed Print Services Accelerate: Three Is a Trend

Posted March 14th, 2013 by CJ Arlotta

 

The managed print services (MPS) market is showing more signs of progress. The latest moves involve EFI (NASDAQ: EFII) launching PrintMe Mobile 2.4; Level Platforms integrating with DocuWise managed print services; and Auxilio (OTCBB: AUXO) promoting MPS in the health care vertical. Are we finally starting to see managed print going main stream?

Let’s start with PrintMe Mobile 2.4. The dashboard includes search, filters, tags, and data export/import features to identify, configure, and check the status of hundreds of printers from a central, single location. Also, administrators can track mobile printing usage in job accounting software, such as Equitrac Office and Express, GoPrint, PaperCut, Print Audit, and Sepialine Argos, the company says. And yes — the solution extends across iPads, iPhones and Android devices.

“Our software now allows IT departments to quickly view, configure and address challenges in enterprises with multiple brands of printers, making it simple and less time-consuming for IT administrators so that they can turn their attention to other critical job functions,” said EFI Marketing Vice President John Henze.
Meanwhile, Auxilio continues to gain momentum with managed print in health care. Key adopters, according to the company, include Catholic Health East’s 19 hospitals (spanning the entire East Coast from Maine to Florida), Bon Secours Health System’s 14 hospitals in six states, Barnabas Health’s six hospitals in New Jersey, Sharp Healthcare with seven hospitals in Southern California, and Memorial Health System in Colorado.

Auxilio claims its MPS solution is vendor-neutral. The company manages over 1.5 billion documents annually while managing more than 45,000 devices coast to coast.

Of course, you don’t need to go vertical to offer managed print services. Horizontal tools — including most RMM (remote monitoring and management) software — also support MPS. Level Platforms’ integration with DocuWise is the latest example in that area.
Oh, and one closing thought: Keep an eye on Veterans Ink – another intriguing MPS provider…

Ricoh Unveils MFPs and Printers Engineered for Healthcare

NEW ORLEANS, March 4, 2013 – Ricoh U.S. Healthcare today unveiled at the HIMSS 2013 Annual Conference and Exhibition a suite of versatile multifunction products (MFPs) and printers engineered specifically to help healthcare organizations improve outcomes in the face of rising costs, new legislation, security risks and provider consolidation.

Created after extensive research into unmet customer needs, the Ricoh Multifunctional Products and Printers for Healthcare – SP 5210DNHW/SP 5210DNHT, SP C431DNHW/SP C431DNHT, SP 5200SHW/SP 5200SHT, and SP 5210SFHW/SP 5210SFHT – offer a range of features to streamline the input, processing and output of healthcare information.

For example, healthcare organizations can now print patient wristbands from electronic medical records without the need for expensive single-purpose thermal printers or extensive configuration. Ricoh’s new Multifunctional Products and Printers for Healthcare provide a simple yet powerful turnkey solution for wristbands, which today carry an increasing wealth of clinical information, including barcodes, color-coded alerts, patient photos and more. The new Ricoh MFPs and printers further reduce cost of wristband production by deftly handling media as narrow as 3.25 inches, reducing consumption of expensive wristband stock. Ricoh will be offering demonstrations of wristband printing at its HIMSS booth #1361.

Other new features
Ricoh’s Tray Locks Solution makes it easy to secure sensitive and expensive forms, such as prescription paper. To reduce device management costs, workers can use an SD Card as a Portable Print Configuration Module to simply and efficiently swap out mission-critical devices or replicate system settings across fleets. New Teflon-coated paper trays easily accommodate specialty papers and minimize misfeeds for efficient, uninterrupted print runs.

The new devices also help organizations address their HIPAA compliance and privacy requirements through features such as: Locked Print technology, which holds documents until an authorized user provides credentials such as a password; Hard Drive Encryption, which encrypts address books, passwords and certain data stored on the device; and the DataOverWriteSecuritySystem (DOSS), which protects valuable information by overwriting digital images on the hard drive. To optimize information flow, Ricoh healthcare MFP users can scan records directly to secure email addresses, folders, FTP sites, document servers and archives.

“This new line of Ricoh devices exemplifies the printer/MFP’s growing service role across the entire continuum of care,” said Michael Campana, Senior Manager, Healthcare Marketing, Ricoh Americas Corporation. “It satisfies the broad-based need for new, innovative business information solutions that directly address the unique challenges of healthcare information systems’ output in the most cost-effective manner.” Specifications

The new devices print in the 32-52 ppm range with resolution up to 1200 x 1200 dpi. Each MFP or printer comes standard with a Java VM card that enables customers to easily add on Ricoh and third-party applications to gain powerful new capabilities.

The MSRP for each device is as follows: SP 5210DNHW/SP 5210DNHT at $2,399/$2,199, SP C431DNHW/SP C431DNHT at $2,399/$2,199, SP 5200SHW/SP 5200SHT at $3,699/$3,499, and SP 5210SFHW/SP 5210SFHT at $4,719/$4,519.

To learn more about Ricoh’s full line of products, services and solutions for healthcare, please visit www.ricoh-usa.com/healthcare.

| About Ricoh |
Ricoh is a global technology company specializing in office imaging equipment, production print solutions, document management systems and IT services. Headquartered in Tokyo, Ricoh Group operates in more than 200 countries and regions. In the financial year ending March 2012, Ricoh Group had worldwide sales of 1,903 billion yen (approx. 23 billion USD).
The majority of the company’s revenue comes from products, solutions and services that improve the interaction between people and information. Ricoh also produces award-winning digital cameras and specialized industrial products. It is known for the quality of its technology, the exceptional standard of its customer service and sustainability initiatives.
Under its corporate tagline, imagine. change. Ricoh helps companies transform the way they work and harness the collective imagination of their employees.

For further information, please visit
www.ricoh.com/about/

Ricoh unveils MFPs and printers engineered for healthcare

Ricoh unveils MFPs and printers engineered for healthcare  
Multipurpose devices dedicated to cost reduction can supplant expensive thermal wristband printer
New Orleans, LA, March 4, 2013 - Ricoh U.S. Healthcare today unveiled at the HIMSS 2013 Annual Conference and Exhibition a suite of versatile multifunction products (MFPs) and printers engineered specifically to help healthcare organizations improve outcomes in the face of rising costs, new legislation, security risks and provider consolidation.

Created after extensive research into unmet customer needs, the Ricoh Multifunctional Products and Printers for Healthcare – SP 5210DNHW/SP 5210DNHT, SP C431DNHW/SP C431DNHT, SP 5200SHW/SP 5200SHT, and SP 5210SFHW/SP 5210SFHT – offer a range of features to streamline the input, processing and output of healthcare information.

For example, healthcare organizations can now print patient wristbands from electronic medical records without the need for expensive single-purpose thermal printers or extensive configuration. Ricoh’s new Multifunctional Products and Printers for Healthcare provide a simple yet powerful turnkey solution for wristbands, which today carry an increasing wealth of clinical information, including barcodes, color-coded alerts, patient photos and more. The new Ricoh MFPs and printers further reduce cost of wristband production by deftly handling media as narrow as 3.25 inches, reducing consumption of expensive wristband stock. Ricoh will be offering demonstrations of wristband printing at its HIMSS booth #1361.

Other new features
Ricoh’s Tray Locks Solution makes it easy to secure sensitive and expensive forms, such as prescription paper. To reduce device management costs, workers can use an SD Card as a Portable Print Configuration Module to simply and efficiently swap out mission-critical devices or replicate system settings across fleets. New Teflon-coated paper trays easily accommodate specialty papers and minimize misfeeds for efficient, uninterrupted print runs.

The new devices also help organizations address their HIPAA compliance and privacy requirements through features such as: Locked Print technology, which holds documents until an authorized user provides credentials such as a password; Hard Drive Encryption, which encrypts address books, passwords and certain data stored on the device; and the DataOverWriteSecuritySystem (DOSS), which protects valuable information by overwriting digital images on the hard drive. To optimize information flow, Ricoh healthcare MFP users can scan records directly to secure email addresses, folders, FTP sites, document servers and archives.

“This new line of Ricoh devices exemplifies the printer/MFP’s growing service role across the entire continuum of care,” said Michael Campana, Senior Manager, Healthcare Marketing, Ricoh Americas Corporation. “It satisfies the broad-based need for new, innovative business information solutions that directly address the unique challenges of healthcare information systems’ output in the most cost-effective manner.”

Specifications
The new devices print in the 32-52 ppm range with resolution up to 1200 x 1200 dpi. Each MFP or printer comes standard with a Java VM card that enables customers to easily add on Ricoh and third-party applications to gain powerful new capabilities.

The MSRP for each device is as follows: SP 5210DNHW/SP 5210DNHT at $2,399/$2,199, SP C431DNHW/SP C431DNHT at $2,399/$2,199, SP 5200SHW/SP 5200SHT at $3,699/$3,499, and SP 5210SFHW/SP 5210SFHT at $4,719/$4,519.

To learn more about Ricoh’s full line of products, services and solutions for healthcare, please visit www.ricoh-usa.com/healthcare.

| About Ricoh |
Ricoh is a global technology company specializing in office imaging equipment, production print solutions, document management systems and IT services. Headquartered in Tokyo, Ricoh Group operates in more than 200 countries and regions. In the financial year ending March 2012, Ricoh Group had worldwide sales of 1,903 billion yen (approx. 23 billion USD).

The majority of the company's revenue comes from products, solutions and services that improve the interaction between people and information. Ricoh also produces award-winning digital cameras and specialized industrial products. It is known for the quality of its technology, the exceptional standard of its customer service and sustainability initiatives.

Under its corporate tagline, imagine. change. Ricoh helps companies transform the way they work and harness the collective imagination of their employees.

For further information, please visit
www.ricoh.com/about/

Monthly Leasing and Finance Index

Washington, DC, February 26, 2013— The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association’s (ELFA) Monthly Leasing and Finance Index (MLFI-25), which reports economic activity from 25 companies representing a cross section of the $725 billion equipment finance sector, showed their overall new business volume for January was $5.9 billion, up 16 percent from volume of $5.1 billion in the same period in 2012. Volume was down 49 percent from December, following the typical end-of-quarter, end-of-year spike in new business activity.

Receivables over 30 days increased to 1.8 percent in January after hitting their lowest level in the last two years in December at 1.6 percent.  They were down from 1.9 percent in the same period in 2012. Charge-offs were at an all-time low of 0.3 percent, down from 0.6 percent the previous month.
Credit approvals totaled 78.3 percent in January, down 0.3 % from December.  Finally, total headcount for equipment finance companieswas up 0.7 percent from the previous month, and increased 0.6 percent year over year

Separately, the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation’s Monthly Confidence Index (MCI-EFI) for February is 58.7, an increase from the January index of 54.2, reflecting industry participants’ increasing optimism despite a wary eye on economic conditions and government management of fiscal policies.
ELFA President and CEO William G. Sutton, CAE, said: “The year begins where 2012 left off—on a positive note—as new business volume continues to trend in a positive direction.  A flurry of activity at the end of the year gave way to more moderate growth in January.  MLFI-25 participants also indicate strong credit quality metrics as both losses and delinquencies improved over the year-earlier period.  This good news belies an overhang of continued uncertainty that lingers in the marketplace, as policy makers in Washington continue to struggle with fiscal matters, which only serves as a damper to economic growth.”
Irv Rothman, President & CEO, HP Financial Services, located in Berkeley Heights, NJ, said, “We remain optimistic for industry growth as enterprise and government entities increasingly utilize leasing and financing offers to help keep pace with technology change.  With rapidly evolving business and IT demands, we continue to see interest from customers for the flexibility leasing, financing and lifecycle asset management provides.”

About the ELFA’s MLFI-25

The MLFI-25 is the only index that reflects capex, or the volume of commercial equipment financed in the U.S. The MLFI-25 is released globally at 8 a.m. Eastern time from Washington, D.C., each month on the day before the U.S. Department of Commerce releases thedurable goods report. The MLFI-25 is a financial indicator that complements the durable goods report and other economic indexes, including the Institute for Supply Management Index, which reports economic activity in the manufacturing sector. Together with theMLFI-25 these reports provide a complete view of the status of productive assets in the U.S. economy:  equipment produced, acquired and financed.
The MLFI-25 is a time series that reflects two years of business activity for the 25 companies currently participating in the survey. The latest MLFI-25, including methodology and participants is available below and also at http://www.elfaonline.org/Research/MLFI/
MLFI-25 Methodology
The ELFA produces the MLFI-25 survey to help member organizations achieve competitive advantage by providing them with leading-edge research and benchmarking information to support strategic business decision making.
The MLFI-25 is a barometer of the trends in U.S. capital equipment investment. Five components are included in the survey: new business volume (originations), aging of receivables, charge-offs, credit approval ratios, (approved vs. submitted) and headcount for the equipment finance business.
The MLFI-25 measures monthly commercial equipment lease and loan activity as reported by participating ELFA member equipment finance companies representing a cross section of the equipment finance sector, including small ticket, middle-market, large ticket, bank, captive and independent leasing and finance companies. Based on hard survey data, the responses mirror the economic activity of the broader equipment finance sector and current business conditions nationally.

Xerox Launches Four Models of Compact, High-Performance A4 Monochrome Printers

Fuji Xerox Launches Four Models of Compact, High-Performance A4 Monochrome Printers For Users With Limited Office Space

inShare

Monday, February 25, 2013

Wi-Fi Capable and Can Print From iPhone/iPad
TOKYO — Targeting small office / home office (SOHO) market and other users with limited office space, Fuji Xerox will strengthen its DocuPrint series lineup by sequentially launching four compact, lightweight and Wi-Fi® capable A4 monochrome printer models—DocuPrint P450 d, DocuPrint P450 ps, DocuPrint P350 d and DocuPrint P250 dw—from March 1, 2013.

Increasing the flexibility of the user’s office layout, all four models are suitable for usage at various places with space constraints, such as SOHOs, store counters, public services, and reception desks at medical institutions or back-offices.

DocuPrint P450 d and DocuPrint P450 ps have print speed of 45 pages per minute (ppm)Note1 and enhanced capability to meet printing needs on specially-treated papers for business and professional use, such as delivery forms, crimped postcards and card-type national health insurance certificates. These models accommodate high capacity feeding that match the level of A3 monochrome printers by having a maximum of four trays holding up to 2,350 sheets, allowing users to set several types of papers. Further, the DocuPrint P450 ps is capable of printing PostScript® data by incorporating Adobe® PostScript® 3™ as standard.
DocuPrint P350 d, capable of printing 35 ppmNote1, has a first printout speed of approximately 5.5 seconds to meet the speed required by reception work and others.
DocuPrint P250 dw, while maintaining its machine height at 225mm, has an output speed of 30 ppmNote1 and is equipped with duplex-printing as standard.

Compact and lightweight while pursuing high speed and high image quality
The DocuPrint P450 d, DocuPrint P450 ps and DocuPrint P350 d have incorporated a newly-developed print engine to realize high print speed and quick first printout time with its compact body. With the capability of delivering high-speed printout in the limited office space, these new models meet the demand of reception work at medical institutions, government offices and general service providers. Furthermore, the true resolution of 1,200 x 1,200 dots per inch enables high-definition printing, making small text and fine lines such as bar-codes clear.

Energy-saving EA-EcoNote2 toner and gloss controlled black toner
Using the EA-Eco toner, which has a fusing temperature of more than 20 degrees Celsius lower than the conventional EA toner, Fuji Xerox has reduced the printers’ power consumption during fusion. Further, these models incorporated the low-gloss black EA-Eco toner (Eco-LGK toner), which offers controlled gloss required for black and white business documents.

Direct printing from mobile devices
Users can directly print Web pages or photos by using Print UtilityNote3 from iPhone/iPad/iPod touch connected to Wi-Fi network or mobile devices equipped with Android™.
Note1: When printing the same, A4 single-sided document on plain paper
Note2: Emulsion Aggregation-Eco toner
Note3: Free software that allows printing from iPhone / iPad / iPod touch / Android™ devices

List Prices
Product Names List Prices (before tax)
- DocuPrint P250 dw - Open
- DocuPrint P350 d - 59,800 yen
- DocuPrint P450 d - 98,000 yen
- DocuPrint P450 ps - 158,000 yen
Availability
In Japan and Asia-Pacific regions
Note Please note that the linked pages in this news release or other information are subject to be shut down without notice.