By Lynn Nannariello, assistant managing editor, and Joe Tischner, wide format test specialist, May 1, 2012

When BLI recently spoke to representatives from two major wide-format manufacturers—HP and Océ—about the state of the wide-format market, we found that, contrary to recent reports, not all news in the print industry is bad.

According to Sal Sheikh, vice president of marketing for Océ North America’s wide-format printing systems division, Océ’s wide-format devices cover two applications environments—technical documents and display graphics—both of which have seen significant growth. He attributed the company’s growth in the technical document sector to Xerox’s exit from the wide-format technical document market. After Xerox left the market in 2011, Océ expanded its distribution by establishing relationships with resellers who previously sold Xerox products and with Xerox customers. In the display graphics market, growth came from sales of the Océ Arizona product line, a portfolio that continued to expand in 2011.

By Melinda Emerson, author, speaker and small business coach

Ever since color television was invented in 1953, color has been critical to telling a visual story. Whether you are a start-up or established business, spending the extra money on color images or color ink may seem out of the question when you are launching a marketing campaign. But using color could mean the difference between whether you’re marketing materials get read, or tossed into file zero—the trash. Putting it simply, color gets noticed. Printing in color can improve retention, productivity and generate significant financial returns. A recent Xerox Color Survey reported that 76% of respondents said they could find information faster when printed in color. So as you think about developing collateral materials for your small business -- think color.

Here Are 5 Ways Color Can Improve Your Small Business:

Create a color logo: There are five common principles of logo design. A logo must be simple and memorable which means it is easy to recognize. A logo must also be versatile & appropriate. This means it can be scaled to any size and it must be right for your type of business. You wouldn’t use an elegant font for a pizza joint. Good logos feature something unexpected or unique without being over the top. An effective logo should be timeless and stand the test of time. Always use at least two colors in a logo and hire a professional to assist you. Your company name in a stylized font is NOT a logo.

By Carl Schell, Associate Editor, February 1, 2012

Near the outset of his remarks at Konica Minolta’s Business Conference & Expo at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Rick Taylor, president and COO of Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., proclaimed, “Dealers are the champions of our industry.” While it could’ve been perceived as a statement to curry favor with the dealer community, Taylor and Konica Minolta have every reason to be thrilled with the performance of its BTA channel.

The manufacturer has experienced a resurgence over the past five years—and not just in sales totals, of which an increasing share has come from dealers. An aggressive yet measured plan of attack in all things document imaging has netted Konica Minolta a stellar portfolio of hardware and software, a stable of strong partnerships and, of course, a healthy distribution model. “We’ve positioned ourselves as a value-add organization,” Taylor said. “We’ll never choose to be the low-cost provider, and will always choose quality over price.”

by Shell Haffner, manager, Desktop Product Marketing Team, Xerox Corporation

In a sluggish economy, businesses of all sizes are squarely focused on two things: sales and productivity. But in the era of information overload, the burden is on the consumer to distill meaningful information from the noise, including the nearly 3,000 marketing messages the average person is exposed to every day.

Employees face a similar challenge as many struggle to stay focused on priorities amidst constantly refreshing social media feeds, a 24/7 news cycle and phones that serve as a pocket-sized entertainment system. For bottom-line oriented businesses, the answer to both of these challenges may lie in color.

In a color survey[1] conducted by Xerox Corporation, 69 percent of people said that they understand new ideas better when presented in color. Seventy-six percent of those surveyed say they can find information faster if it’s presented in color.

By Jamie Bsales, Senior Product Editor, Solutions, February 1, 2012

While there was no shortage of new and improved hardware on display at the Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. 2012 Business Conference & Expo reseller event held earlier this month in Las Vegas, it was solutions offerings that took center stage. Literally. Occupying the middle of the expansive tradeshow floor set up in one of the Bellagio’s ballrooms was a circular display divided into four areas, each designed to resemble a real-world locale—medical center, law office, classroom and library—addressed by various Konica Minolta and third-party partner offerings.

The tradeshow, general session and individual breakout sessions also highlighted software and services aimed at vertical markets and general business customers alike. Chief among the offerings: EnvisionIT-branded solutions for key vertical markets, managed IT services opportunities through Konica Minolta’s All Covered subsidiary, and an expanded managed print services portfolio in the form of an enterprise-class Konica Minolta Optimized Print Services (OPS) platform.

There are many great advantages to working from home, from the ability to be completely flexible to saving money in commutes. One thing however that it does often require is a home office and a space where you can separate the two parts of your life. It is true that being at home gives you the ability to work at your own leisure, but if you don’t do it right then it is easy for it to also take over your life. There is something to be said about leaving the jobsite and coming home. To maintain this separation you need to have a special space set aside that can serve this purpose.

When it comes time to set up your home office ideally you need a separate room, one that is not typically occupied. If you have a guest bedroom you can double the space by adding wood bunk beds. Before getting started on creating your own personal space, you must first make a list of the main most important office products that you need. This is important and does not include just the standard fax machine, computer, desk. You need to consider what it is that you are doing and in turn what that job will require. For example, if you are a graphic designer then a desk is good, but you will also need some additional space for your artwork as well. If you are a consultant, the desk is sufficient as far as actual work space, but you may also need several locking file cabinets, and possibly an area sufficient for clients to go over items with you.

By Lisa Reider, Senior Product Editor, Scanners and Environmental

As financial pundits and industry analysts wave their fingers, shouting “I told you so!” at the news of Kodak filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, a conversation with the people this announcement affects the most reveals that it is not all doom and gloom. In a recent conversation with Sue Cardot, Kodak’s worldwide director for BSSG Outbound Marketing and Communications, and Jackie Horn, Kodak’s worldwide marketing manager for Document Imaging, they seemed confident that their day-to-day operations wouldn’t be significantly impacted, and that the BLI award-winning Kodak-branded line of scanners, software and services would live on and continue to expand.

According to Kodak, its Document Imaging business, now part of the “Enterprise Services and Solutions” portion of the company’s newly formed commercial division, is one of the strongest areas for the company in terms of continued product growth, with a 15- to 20% increase in 2011 (compared to 2010). “Digital and Functional Printing” (its commercial printing operations) and “Graphics and Entertainment and Commercial Film” (commercial consumables), which also fall under the commercial division, remain a significant part of Kodak’s strategy.

There is a security threat lurking in your business right now and you may not even be aware of it. Your office copiers and multifunction printing devices have the ability to scan and store documents so they can be retrieved down the road without need for the original document. While this is a very convenient feature for most, if left unchecked when the equipment leaves your office, it can quickly become a serious security risk.

When you sell your office copiers or return them to the manufacturer after your lease is up, oftentimes the hard drives in the units will remain untouched. This means that down the road, someone with the correct toolset could decode your data. It is imperative that you take the steps to secure your data before it is too late!

The consolidation of equipment in your office is a positive step towards increasing office efficiency. However, if you do not properly consolidate equipment and don’t take into account the overall need and deployment of equipment throughout your office, it is easy to actually hinder the productivity of your employees. The top problems that businesses have in regards to the deployment and consolidation of their equipment include:

· Utilising too many devices, driving up supply costs.

· Consolidating equipment down to too few devices. This causes bottlenecks and does not allow your employees to work at maximum productivity.

By George Mikolay, Senior Product Editor, A3/Copier MFPs, and Marlene Orr, Senior Printer Analyst, November 21, 2011

At BLI’s 2011 A3/A4 Testing Advisory Committee (TAC) meeting, representatives from nine printer and copier vendors gathered to weigh in on BLI’s current and upcoming test procedures and evaluation criteria. This year’s participants included Canon, Dell, Konica Minolta, Kyocera, Lexmark, Muratec, Ricoh, Samsung and Xerox.

Established in 2006, TAC is intended to get input from key industry participants on BLI’s test methods and reports to ensure the reports evolve to meet the industry’s changing needs. Past meetings have resulted in numerous improvements, including an increased print-to-copy ratio, higher volumes of scan testing and the inclusion of optimum monthly volumes for each device based on vendor-supplied averages for each speed range.