News

Kodak Announces Intent to Acquire Design2Launch

Rochester, NY, March 4 -- Kodak announced its intent to acquire Design2Launch (D2L), developer of a collaborative end to end digital workflow solution for marketing and creative teams in the pharmaceutical, food and beverage, automotive, and consumer package marketplaces. D2L is a proven player in the rapidly expanding corporate solutions software market and is a pioneer of "Graphic Lifecycle Management."The D2L System is a suite of integrated modules created to save time and money at every step of the graphics creation process, from project initiation, collaboration and revision to approval and production. D2L, a privately held company formed in 2000, is based in Stamford, Conn.



"Kodak's strength in workflow is one of our greatest competitive assets, and we are committed to investing in and growing our capabilities to better serve our customers," said Philip J. Faraci, President and Chief Operating Officer, Eastman Kodak Company. "D2L is a proven player in the rapidly expanding corporate solutions software market and, when completed, this acquisition will enable us to broaden our portfolio of solutions and open new markets within the changing graphic communications marketplace."


IKON Introduces New ASP Web-to-Print Tool

MALVERN, Pa., Mar 04, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- IKON Office Solutions (NYSE:IKN), the world's largest independent channel for document management systems and services, today introduced IKON WebPrint(SM), an ASP web-to-print solution for copy/print center operators.IKON WebPrint is a web-based workflow solution designed to make print order and delivery more efficient and cost effective. Because IKON WebPrint is hosted by IKON and accessed via a web browser, there is no hardware to buy, and no software upgrades needed.



IKON WebPrint allows print operators to see order summaries and track jobs, and a production audit trail helps to measure and manage performance. Customers can modify or cancel orders at the click of a button, saving time and potential confusion, and can check a project's status online, thereby reducing phone calls and interruptions to the print center and further improving productivity.


Lexmark makes home and student printing affordable and easy with built-in wireless and front laptop port

LEXINGTON, Ky. - 03/04/2008  - Lexmark International, Inc. (NYSE: LXK) today introduced a new line of inkjet printers and all-in-one devices geared toward the home and student user. The line includes two new wireless products and the world’s only all-in-one with a front laptop port for quick and easy printing access.



In 2007, according to market research firm IDC, U.S. sales of laptop computers outpaced sales of desktop units1, illustrating the increasing popularity of mobile computing. IDC also reports that interest in wireless computing continues to rise, as there are more than 29 million wireless home networks in the United States2.  To serve the growing number of mobile laptop users, Lexmark’s new line makes wireless printing easier and more affordable. For those who need quick and easy printing from their laptop, but do not have wireless capabilities, Lexmark also offers an all-in-one inkjet printer with a unique quick-connect front laptop port.

Sharp and Equitrac Announce Equitrac Embedded Solution for Sharp OSA™ Multi-Function Peripherals

AIIM-ON/DEMAND CONFERENCE & EXPO, Boston, MA, March 4, 2008 -Equitrac Corporation and Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America (SIICA) announced today the integration of Equitrac's award-winning print management and cost-control solutions with Sharp OSATM-enabled multifunctional peripherals (MFPs).Announced here today at the annual AIIM-On Demand Conference & Exhibition, the integration of Equitrac Office® 4 and Equitrac Express® 4 solutions with Sharp OSATM-enabled devices will provide users of Sharp MFPs in the general office, enterprise and education environments with embedded front-panel access to popular Equitrac document tracking and cost management features, including Secure Print Release and Follow-You PrintingTM.



Equitrac Embedded for Sharp OSA-enabled MFPs provides IT managers in enterprise, office and educational environments with flexible authentication and authorization capability, and the tools they need for accurate tracking of all document activities, including printing, copying, faxing and scanning. This advanced solution captures the number of pages, size, color and other job attributes, and designation of the desired output destination for all documents.


InfoPrint Solutions Company Enables Transactional Mailers to Simply Implement the New USPS Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB)

Boston, MA, Booth #647, March 4, 2007 – InfoPrint Solutions Company, a joint venture between IBM and Ricoh, today announced a new solution that will enable large mailers to continue to receive postal discounts on automated mailings by replacing current Postnet barcodes with the new Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB). This is a mailing solution that allows transactional mailers to make these barcode replacements without changing their base applications or over spraying finished envelopes to continue to benefit from the automated discounts from the United States Postal Service (USPS).



IMB is being introduced to improve mail tracking and give mailers continuous updates on the location and status of each mailpiece. This tracking system not only applies during the delivery process to the customer, but also responds with initial entry data if a return service is requested. 


InfoPrint Announces Availability of Support for AFP on InfoPrint 5000

Boston, MA, Booth #647, March 4, 2007: InfoPrint Solutions Company, a joint venture between IBM and Ricoh, announces that its InfoPrint 5000 full-color continuous forms printing system is now shipping with Advanced Function Printing™ (AFP™) support, providing AFP monochrome users all the benefits of AFP for their full color applications and making TransPromo a realistic proposition for businesses that print transaction documents.



Companies using AFP for their monochrome transactional documents can now seamlessly add the InfoPrint 5000 to their environment to implement full color TransPromo applications with relevant promotional and marketing messages to increase the value of the document.   



The InfoPrint 5000 fills the gap between offerings with very high quality but low speed and high cost; and alternatives with lower quality but very high speed.  InfoPrint 5000 is positioned as a best-of-breed offering in this mid-range area.   It enables customers including transactional printers, service bureaus, direct mailers, and some book printers to efficiently print high volumes of variable data documents in full color, with the security, controls and high performance of the AFP output environment.


InfoPrint Solutions Company and Prinova Bring State-of-the-Art Customer Communications to Market

Boston, MA, Booth #647, March 4, 2007– InfoPrint Solutions Company, a joint venture between IBM and Ricoh, today announces a collaboration with software and professional services provider Prinova, to combine InfoPrint’s suite of TransPromo solutions with Prinova’s messagepoint™ software. This includes the professional services of InfoPrint’s consulting team and Prinova’s expertise in document design and systems integration, to give customers the tailored support needed to implement a successful project combining data and print on transactional documents.



Prinova’s messagepoint is a web-based software solution that allows control of messaging across multiple channels. It allows end users to manage and deliver campaign content while easily targeting and tracking campaigns via a single, web-based portal. messagepoint is a vital part of the InfoPrint TransPromo suite of hardware and software solutions alongside InfoPrint’s AFP-enhanced InfoPrint 5000, InfoPrint ProcessDirector software, and other best-of-breed software offerings from Mapping, StreamServe and Exstream.


InfoPrint Extends Its Cutsheet Solutions Portfolio with New High-Speed InfoPrint EMP156

Boston, MA, Booth #647 – InfoPrint Solutions Company, a joint venture between IBM and Ricoh, expands its broad portfolio of output devices, ranging from industrial and workgroup printers to high speed continuous form printers, with the addition of the InfoPrint EMP156 monochrome printer.  The InfoPrint EMP156 extends the current InfoPrint cutsheet family at the high end, brings increased productivity, and targets an affordable cost per page for in-house print operations.  The addition of the InfoPrint EMP156 provides another key component that will further expand InfoPrint's ability to provide its customers with a wide range of solutions to its output needs.



The InfoPrint EMP156 will join an award-winning portfolio comprised of the InfoPrint 2190, InfoPrint 2210 and InfoPrint 2235 high-speed printers.  These solutions print 90, 110 and 135 pages per minute (ppm) respectively.  The InfoPrint EMP156 boasts increased speeds of up to 156 ppm.  With advanced paper handling technology, excellent print quality and a monthly duty cycle of up to 4.5 million impressions, the InfoPrint EMP156 helps customers keep up with demands of a high volume production environment.


Marketers Are Still Not Targeting Their Customers Effectively

Boston, MA, Booth #647, March 4, 2007-- Many marketers are still missing a trick when it comes to targeting their customers properly and are not taking advantage of opportunities available through trusted communications such as bills and statements, according to independent research released today by InfoPrint Solutions Company, a joint venture between IBM and Ricoh.57 percent of consumers surveyed by Zoomerang for InfoPrint stated that mail remained the preferred method of delivery for "must-read" documents like statements or bills, despite the multi-channel methods of delivery now available such as email and text messaging. Added to this, nearly a quarter of consumers surveyed receive between four and six statements by mail each month, showing the high touch-rate of this document.



Yet a staggering 86 percent of consumers said they have never purchased a product or service after receiving a separate promotional document with their monthly statements, with 40 percent of respondents mentioning that the inserts that accompany their monthly statements are always impersonal and irrelevant.


InfoPrint Solutions Company Launches Suite of TransPromo Solutions to Improve Marketing Campaign ROI

Boston, MA, Booth #647, March 4, 2007- InfoPrint Solutions Company, a joint venture between IBM and Ricoh, today launched its suite of TransPromo solutions which will enable marketers to create transactional documents with added incremental value and significant response rate, through combining the latest in output and personalization technology with their existing IT infrastructure.This comprises InfoPrint's AFP-enhanced InfoPrint 5000, InfoPrint ProcessDirector (IPPD), campaign management software from partner Prinova alongside other best-of-breed software offerings from Mapping, StreamServe and Exstream. This marries InfoPrint's strengths in document production, color and system integration with supporting software and design and engineering services.


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