Document capture technology is not new. In the 1990s, many organizations that were generating or taking in large volumes of inbound documents and costly complex processes (think of insurance claims processing and credit card application processing) invested in sophisticated centralized scanning and document handling operations to digitize and automate paper-based processes. While the benefits of document capture are many (faster processing, improved quality and accuracy, reduced paper storage and tighter organizational control over critical content), the costs associated with this centralized approach made it inappropriate for all but those with the greatest paper pain point. Today, however, new advances in this proven technology enable IT organizations to take a less costly and more efficient decentralized or “distributed” approach to document capture.

Just as networked computing and the Internet forever changed how information is shared, innovations in bandwidth as well as advances in imaging hardware and software are similarly changing how, where, when and by whom information is captured. Today it is not uncommon for those who process an organization’s most time-sensitive and business-critical documents to be located in satellite offices around the globe. In many cases, the expertise provided by these remote workers is applied while the information is ingested or captured. Distributed document capture hardware and software enables such workers to capture and process information directly, ensuring that valuable business information is handled quickly, cost-effectively, accurately and securely.

By Marc Bussanich, Assistant Editor, December 23, 2009

RISO is pushing forward with inkjet technology for the mid-volume transaction output market, which the company says ranges between 50,000 to 5 million monthly impressions. Believing that the mid-volume transaction output market is underserved, and to help spread the word among small businesses, in-plant shops, non-profits, and religious and education institutions about the value of high-speed, low-cost inkjet printing of transaction documents (invoices, bills, statements, notices, checks and letters), RISO recently launched “The MVTO Movement” Web site. Currently in BLI’s lab for testing, the 2009 launch of the ComColor Series, including the 90-ppm ComColor 3050, 120-ppm ComColor 7050, and the flagship 146-ppm ComColor 9050, is RISO’s strategic hardware offering for the MVTO market. Stay tuned to bliQ to review the final lab test results.

RISO ComColor 9050

At the PRINT '09 event in Chicago in September, David Murphy, vice president of marketing at RISO, said that while the main vendors, e.g., HP, Xerox, Océ and Canon, are targeting the High Volume Transaction Output market with high-cost digital presses, he was surprised that the competitive vendors seem to be overlooking the opportunities in the MVTO market. RISO claims to have an install base of 10,000 “light production inkjet printers, and a 2009 report cited during a recent Webinar sponsored by RISO indicates that inkjet printers account for approximately 33 percent of placements in the MVTO market. In addition to the new MVTO Web site, RISO is utilizing social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to convey the attributes of color inkjet printing at the cost of black-and-white.

According to Corey Reid, product marketing specialist at RISO, the ComColor Series will expand RISO’s capacity to compete for customers that print transactional documents (such as invoices and statements), personalized direct mail pieces and books. “There could be no better time than now to launch a series that offers users communication color that is affordable, fast and reliable, and features a low TCO,” she said. 

December 22, 2009 – NEW YORK, N.Y. – In the current economic environment, businesses continue to look for effective steps to contain costs and increase competitiveness. One area of potential savings, reduced risk and enhanced efficiency may come as a surprise to many organizations: document management activities such as print/copy, mail and records management.

Why a surprise? Because many organizations don’t know how much their document management activities cost as well as how more effective approaches could help reduce those costs and improve efficiency. The good news is that there are document management activities – whether outsourced or managed internally – that can yield important business benefits. Océ spotlights three of them to consider for 2010:

Print/Copy Management – According to industry analyst Gartner, most enterprises do not manage their office printers well, having too much and often the wrong equipment and supplies for their needs. Actively managing office print can reduce spending by 10 to 30 percent while reaping real environmental benefits (“Key Issues for Print Management, 2008,” Pete Basiliere, March 2008). One print/copy management best practice - replacing personal desktop printers with workgroup MFPs (multifunction peripherals that combine print/copy/scan/fax functionality in one machine) shared by departments - can have a strong positive impact. One financial services company replaced 1,100 copiers and printers and 1,000 fax machines with 400 MFPs. The initiative eliminated 1,700 machines that no longer consume resources based on their manufacture, transportation, operation, maintenance, and eventual disposal.

Digital Mail – There are several approaches to the digital mail process. One is to convert incoming mail from physical to digital in the mailroom by scanning all mail capable of being scanned and then utilizing workflow processes for distribution. The digital images are stored in a database where, after being notified by email, employees can access them via a Web portal with password protection and interactive functions. Benefits of this approach include faster access to incoming documents and information, particularly for employees who are traveling or located in satellite offices. Other benefits include the ability to suppress non-essential company mail from entering the organization; a potential reduction in labor and facilities by centralizing multiple mail centers into one; and an opportunity to support “green” initiatives by reducing paper usage. Digital mail can be well-:suited for companies that receive a high volume of mail every month, including a high number of critical documents. Other factors include the number of employees who are mobile and telecommute, as well as the company’s desire to implement a centralized scanning solution and reduce paper.

Does your business offer large-format printing services? Here are some key tips and tricks that will help you remain productive when undertaking a large format scanning production and process.

Prep Your Documents. Large-format drawings can require a lot of repair and preparation. Always check for staples and notes—some of which may be attached to the middle of the document—and tape torn edges. If a large document has been rolled up and stored, it may need to be reverse rolled or flattened out for at least 48 hours. Dust can damage a scanner’s glass, so be sure to vacuum stored drawings. Don’t be scared to get out an iron and ironing board to get  drawings flat enough to scan.

Sorting Methods. Determine whether your project’s drawings should be sorted by size and/or by quality. This minimizes the time spent changing settings during the scanning process. Remember that PDF and JPG formats have limitations—up to 100 inches—to scanning.

Drawings-by-Numbers. Consider applying a unique ID number based on project and drawing. Labeled stickers instead of stamps or ink, which bleeds on Mylar, will help identify that the drawing has been scanned. ID numbers also help with quality assurance and avoid duplicating work.

By Carl Schell, Associate Editor, December 15, 2009

At its spacious and slick showroom, Samsung Experience, at the Time Warner Center in New York City, Samsung Electronics America (SEA) officially introduced its new flagship hybrid color laser printer, the MultiXpress CLX-8540ND. Additionally, company representatives provided a handful of industry analysts with an update on B2B sales. Though the briefing was short, the news was long on success stories and examples of how Samsung continues to be a factor in the document imaging market.

Converging On A3

News of Canon’s proposed acquisition of Océ is just the most recent instance of the consolidation that’s happened in the industry. However, with the economy still facing major hurdles to get back to respectability, device consolidation has become even more prevalent in the last year or two. Replacing an underutilized A3 device for a printer MFP that a few departments can share is one example of an organization streamlining its operation and being more cost-conscious.

And that’s why Samsung’s developed the MultiXpress CLX-8540ND—the flagship of the company’s B2B portfolio. The A4/legal color MFP, which carries a suggested retail price of $8,249, has a rated speed of 40 ppm in color and black. Offering standard network print and scan, and copy functionality, as well as all types of optional fax capabilities, the CLX-8540ND is “designed for workgroups in large corporate environments and SMBs,” said Doug Albregts, vice president of SEA’s Information Technology Division, adding that it’ll help bridge the gap between letter/legal versus ledger printers by including advanced features typically found on traditional A3 devices.

Three of these “advanced” features are auto-color detection, whereby pages in a mixed color-and-black document are output accordingly; scan-to-hard drive functionality, which allows a file to be stored on the unit and subsequently be printed on demand; and standard accounting, allowing administrators to manage usage for individuals that, in turn, provides increased security and helps conserve consumables.

Though more or less typical of A4 devices in this speed range, the CLX-8540ND has a customizable full-color touch-screen LCD; on-board editing tools to enhance color output—Easy Color Manager; and comprehensive security measures, including standard hard drive overwrite, various methods of authentication and IPsec, IPv6 and SSL support. Standard and maximum memory capacities are 1 and 2 GB, respectively, while standard and maximum paper capacities are 620 and 2,720 sheets, respectively. The internal tray has a capacity of 500 sheets, and organizations can purchase an optional internal finisher that staples up to 50 sheets in one position; the 2-bin staple finisher and 4-bin mailbox sorter offer a combined capacity of 1,000 sheets, while the former can staple up to 50 sheets in one position. (For more information about the CLX-8540ND, stay tuned for the upcoming Lab Test Report.)

New York, N.Y. (December 15, 2009) – Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP has again selected Océ Business Services to provide a comprehensive range of mail and print/copy management services. Sutherland is continuing its seven-year relationship with Océ via a three-year renewal agreement that spans the law firm’s operations in Atlanta, Houston, Washington D.C. and New York.

"One of our key goals is to leverage industry best practices in order to streamline our document management processes as well as reduce costs," said Patrick B. Hally, regional director of operations for Sutherland. "Teaming up with Océ supports this and expands Sutherland’s ability to promote the success of our clients’ organizations."

Under the agreement, Sutherland will continue to leverage Océ’s expertise across a range of services that include print/copy center management, print/copy/fax fleet management, and mail and shipping management.

"We are pleased to continue working with Sutherland, which over the past 80 years has solved legal challenges for some of the world’s largest companies," noted Joseph R. Marciano, president and CEO of Océ Business Services. "This agreement will utilize our document process management expertise and best practices to help Sutherland drive operational efficiency and contain costs."

About Sutherland
Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP is a law firm with global reach known for solving challenging business problems and resolving sophisticated legal issues for many of the world’s largest companies. Founded in 1924, the firm handles matters throughout the United States and worldwide. Seven major practice areas – corporate, energy and environmental, financial services, intellectual property, litigation, real estate, and tax – provide the framework for an extensive range of focus areas, allowing Sutherland attorneys to serve a diverse client base that ranges from small and medium-sized start-up businesses to a significant number of Fortune 100 companies.

Dramatic changes in the ways that organizations define and use documents today have given rise to tremendous opportunities— as well as significant risks. The same documents that can have a negative impact on costs can have a positive effect on helping achieve an organization’s goals. To ensure that documents are used to their best advantage, it is important to have a clear understanding of the kinds of costs they can incur, as well as a sense of the ways in which they can create value. It may not be possible to determine precisely the value of a document in the same way that one can identify the specific costs associated with it, but recognizing that cost and value coexist is vital to managing documents effectively.

Why cost and value matter more than ever
Predictions of a paperless workplace were widespread as recently as ten years ago, when new technologies were radically transforming the ways in which people communicated and connected with each other. In the wake of developments from e-mail to electronic data storage, who could blame anyone for expecting the piles and piles of paper in organizations to eventually go away—along with the high costs associated with printing, sharing and storing them? Reality, however, has proven far different. Networked access to the Internet and all the information available there has led to more printing, not less, and e-mail appears to have caused a large increase, rather than a decrease, in paper consumption.* Documents have become a kind of currency for today’s far-frompaperless workplace, and the organization that hopes to realize the most value from them must build those hopes on a sound document strategy. Such a strategy starts by identifying some of the key sources of document cost and value.

Did you know, on average companies have to hire an additional employee for every 12 filing cabinets simply to maintain organization. This is just the beginning of what it costs to manage paper documents in an increasingly digital world. Whether you are looking for a way to improve personal or professional productivity, capture and distribute paper-based information amongst workgroups, departments, and small businesses, or even blend multiple business applications from networked printers/copiers or scanners, Document Scanning Solutions can securely transform paper documents into business value.

Paperwork is paper that works… Document scanning solutions turn everyday tasks into routine processes that take less time, involve fewer steps, and allow employees to accomplish more. Enabling document scanning services stop the inefficiency inherent in paper files and achieve greater productivity, better information management, and lower overhead expense-a benefit to any bottom line.

MAHWAH, N.J., December 9, 2009 – Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America (SIICA), a division of Sharp Electronics Corporation, today announced that its MX-C401, DX-C401 and MX-B401 A4 MFPs have received 2009 Pick of the Year Awards from Buyer’s Laboratory Inc. (BLI). These awards acknowledge “outstanding performance” and excellence “in areas of importance to IT professionals” in the MX- and DX-C401 models (Outstanding Mid-Size Workgroup A4 Color MFP), and the MX-B401 (Outstanding Mid-Size Workgroup A4 Monochrome MFP).

"We are very happy to accept these Pick Awards for the MX- and DX-C401 Models," said Gary Bailer, associate director product management, A4 multifunction printers, Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America. "Along with the BLI Pick Awards their counterparts (MX- and DX-C311) received in the spring, the Frontier Series is quickly becoming one of our most popular and critically acclaimed lines. These awards further validate Sharp's commitment to manufacturing high-quality MFPs in a number of different segments that meet our customers' needs for superior functionality, connectivity, security and reliability."

These products bring brilliant output closer to the workgroup with a design that has a small footprint to fit in to environments others won't, yet isn't small on functionality. A large 8.5 inch (diagonal) W-VGA color touchpanel display simplifies operation by providing an intuitive user interface. Incorporating next-generation common controller architecture, these Frontier Series models provide the same uniform functionality and operability that can be found across Sharp's award-winning MFP product line. These models offer modular expandability, remote-access capabilities, and a value-added approach to network and software integration. They also incorporate Sharp's award-winning Sharp OSA® platform and the industry-leading Sharp Security Suite to protect data and control access.