Proprietary solid ink technology “takes cost out of the equation” as businesses benefit from the high impact of color printing

NORWALK, Conn., May 07, 2009 — Xerox Corporation (NYSE: XRX) today launched the world’s first high-speed solid ink multifunction printer, which cuts the cost of color pages by up to 62 percent compared to traditional color lasers – without compromising print quality.
The Xerox ColorQube™ 9200 Series multifunction printer uses Xerox’s proprietary solid ink technology to lower the environmental impact of office printing. The cartridge-free design generates 90 percent less supplies waste and reduces the effects of manufacturing and transportation on the environment. A study reviewed by the Rochester Institute of Technology estimated that the ColorQube series uses 9 percent less lifecycle energy and produces 10 percent fewer greenhouse gases than a comparable laser device.

The multifunction system prints, scans and copies all in one device with advanced technology that simplifies use and maintenance. The crayon-like ink sticks are non-toxic and easy to load.

The ColorQube 9200 Series is offered with Xerox’s new Hybrid Color pricing plans that significantly reduce color page costs. The plans eliminate traditional “one-size-fits-all” pricing, where the cost of a page with full color, like printing a photo image, is the same as the cost of a page with just a little bit of color, such as a company logo on letterhead.

With the ColorQube’s Hybrid Color Plans, customers pay only for the amount of color they use on a given page. For example, an office document with a logo and small graphic will cost the same as if it were printed in black: one penny. Documents with moderate color coverage, like a Web page or brochure, will cost three cents, while those printed pages with heavy color, such as a real estate flyer, will cost eight cents. At the company’s newly launched Web site, www.FinallyColorIsLess.com, users compare their current cost of color printing to what they would pay using ColorQube.

“Our customers are looking for ways to achieve more with less,” said Ursula Burns, president, Xerox. “With ColorQube we are unlocking the benefits of color by taking the cost barrier out of the equation.”

Solid ink technology, which has been used in Xerox desktop printers for more than a decade, has been completely redesigned to achieve faster speeds and higher print volumes. The ColorQube 9200 Series is available in three models with different color speeds. Each has four print heads that can jet more than 150 million drops of ink per second, enabling speeds from 38 pages per minute (ppm) up to 85 ppm. The series also meets the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s rigorous new ENERGY STAR® requirements.

Developed by Xerox researchers and engineers in Rochester, N.Y., Wilsonville, Ore., and Welwyn Garden City, U.K. – and supported by 361 patents – the ColorQube was tested in actual customer environments for ease of use, image quality and the cost-saving features of the technology.

“Like many companies, Technip is looking for ways to be more sustainable and reduce costs, and I immediately saw the opportunity to do so with the ColorQube,” said Cliff Lee, IT operations manager, Technip USA, Inc., an engineering and project management company for the oil and gas industry and a ColorQube beta customer. “With ColorQube the majority of our color prints cost the same as black and white, and it takes just a fraction of the space to store solid ink compared to laser cartridges.”

Hassle-Free Operation

Enough solid ink to print up to 55,500 pages before refilling; when a refill is needed, the easy drop-in ink sticks can be loaded while the MFP is printing so there is no downtime.

Only one customer replaceable unit (no fuser, drum, etc.), for easy maintenance and lower operating costs.

Large color touch screen clearly displays basic features like copying and scanning, and offers video tutorials to help users load paper and assist with troubleshooting.

LED lights illuminate within the device when the front access door is opened for easy maintenance.

An Intelligent Ready system uses a patented learning technology to activate a power-saving mode based on the users’ schedules.
Great-Looking Prints, Brochures and More

Range of color-enhancing technologies, including true Adobe PostScript3 PANTONE® spot-color matching and color correction options.

Three finishers to choose from, including booklet makers and folders to create brochures and pamphlets.

Great print quality on a variety of media including recycled papers.
Under the Hood

Advanced security features to control access, track usage and protect confidential information.

Encrypts data traveling on the network to keep scanned documents safe from unauthorized viewers.

Xerox Extensible Interface Platform™ can be used to create customized workflow applications like Xerox Secure Access Unified ID™, which displays personal preferences on the touch-screen of the MFP with the swipe of an ID badge.

More components designed to last the life of the system.
“The ColorQube 9200 Series represents printing technology that is very timely for today’s office,” said Angèle Boyd, group vice president, IDC. “Going green and saving money while adding color as needed is what customers are looking for.”

Pricing and Availability
The list price for the ColorQube 9200 Series starts at $23,500. Order taking begins immediately in North America. All systems are offered through Xerox direct sales, agents and Global Imaging Systems. In Europe, order taking begins in September 2009; other markets in 2010.

This year, 99 companies made the cut. Twenty companies dropped off the list from last year, and 25 companies were newcomers. A remarkable 44 companies are “three-peats,” making the list for the past three years.

Xerox Corporation is proud to be a repeat member of this prestigious list.

What is a Multifunction Printer?
A Multifunction Printer, often referred to as an MFP, is a device that consolidates the functionality of a printer, copier, scanner and/or fax into one machine. Multifunction Printers are becoming a common choice for budget-minded businesses that want to consolidate assets, reduce costs, and improve workflow.

Multifunction Evaluation Considerations
To make an informed decision about what multifunction printer is right for you, you need to ask the right questions. Here are the ten things you must know before you buy a multifunction printer.

1. Know your requirements
Understand what you need the multifunction printer to do for you and your end users. Beyond printing and copying, how do you want to use the MFP to help manage documents, reduce paper, simplify workflow, manage forms, etc? How many copy, print, fax, scan, and email jobs will you run each day? How many users will share the device? Will you need it to be color capable? There are a number of requirements to consider. Our Multifunction Buyer’s Guide can help you further define your requirements.

2. Know the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and Cost/Value benefits
When evaluating a multifunction printer, beware of looking only at the cost of the initial hardware. There are a number of other factors to consider, including the cost of supplies. Once ink costs are taken into consideration, inkjet multifunction printers, initially perceived as being low cost, often turn out to have an equivalent or higher TCO than the higher performing laser and solid ink multifunction printers. TCO can also increase significantly for devices that are hard to use and maintain, unreliable, or lack the features and capability to efficiently and effectively produce the results you need.
Your multifunction printer can become a useful asset in managing and controlling costs for printing and imaging, and can also add new capabilities to your organization if you choose wisely. Consider how MFPs can address total cost of ownership for printing and imaging assets, better consolidate and improve management of resources across the organization, and improve business process efficiency.

3. Know what third parties have to say
Compare the data on the actual performance and management and support issues promoted on the vendor’s spec sheets with data from independent testing agencies. What are experienced people in the industry saying about the quality and performance of the product you are considering?

4. Know how easy it is to connect to an existing network
Consider how easily the system will integrate with your existing network. Is it easy to deploy? Does it require minimal start-up training? Does it come with software or wizards to guide you through installation, troubleshooting, and upgrading?

5. Know how easy it is to use
Prevent bottlenecks and costly employee down time by finding a multifunction printer

About Stewart Business Systems
LOCAL BEGINNING, XEROX ADVANTAGE
• Founded locally in Haddonfield, New Jersey in 1959, then acquired by Xerox Corporation in 2005.
• Serving over 10,000 client’s needs across New Jersey, PA, Northern Delaware for over 50 years
• 60+ service professionals locally with a total of 840 years service and an average tenure of 14 years.
• The largest office technology company in the Tri-State area. 5 Regional offices located in Burlington, Lakewood, Clifton and Princeton New Jersey, plus Willow Grove, Pennsylvania
• For more information on how we help businesses reduce costs and become more efficient, please visit www.stewartxerox.com or contact Harry Hecht @ 1-800-322-5585

Xerox Tries to Go Beyond Copiers

Vendor Pushes Services That Eliminate Office Machines, Reduce Paper Use 

By WILLIAM M. BULKELEY

With sales of printers and copiers slumping and businesses looking for new ways to save money, Xerox Corp. and its rivals are changing their sales pitch.

For decades, Xerox and others built their businesses by pushing companies to buy more office machines and supplying pricey ink and toner. But increasingly these vendors are now advising big customers to reduce their number of machines and find ways to cut printing costs.

“That sounds like a strange way for a manufacturer to make money,” concedes Stephen Cronin, president of Xerox’s global-services business.

Xerox, Hewlett-Packard Co. and others say they are seeing strong demand for consulting services that show companies how to eliminate desktop printers and force workers to share multifunction devices that copy, print and fax. The vendors say such moves can reduce printing costs up to 30%.

Associated Press

Xerox’s services business reached $3.5 billion in sales last year.

The printing companies want to entice clients to sign up for exclusive contracts, allowing them to replace machines made by rivals and thus provide all printing supplies. In some cases, clients let a single supplier manage the whole system for a monthly fee.

The business, known as managed-print services, is “all about controlling the fleet” of document-producing machines, says Ed Crowley, president of Photizo Group in Lexington, Ky., which tracks the print-consulting market. He estimates revenue from managed-print services will jump 36% this year to $15.7 billion.

It is a market that is currently dominated by Xerox, with H-P a strong No. 2, according to the latest figures available from research firm Gartner Inc. Lexmark Corp. and several Japanese firms, including Ricoh Co. and Sharp Electronics Corp., have stepped up their own services offerings recently.

Mr. Cronin says Xerox doesn’t force customers to switch to Xerox hardware, noting more than half of the 1.5 million devices the company currently manages are from other vendors. But he says consolidating on a single brand helps cut costs.

“Total spending goes down, but my proportion goes up,” Mr. Cronin says. Last year, services, including maintenance as well as managed print, contributed $3.5 billion of Xerox’s $17.6 billion in revenue.

The services push comes as office copiers, fax machines and printers have merged into multifunction devices that are linked to corporate computer networks. Although these devices often cost $10,000 to $20,000, vendors install them when they manage a company’s printing because compared with desktop devices, they are more efficient, break down less and can use cheaper supplies.

Last month, Procter & Gamble Co. agreed to turn over to Xerox its vast fleet of printers and copiers in a multi-year contract valued at more than $100 million. Filippo Passerini, P&G’s chief information officer, says the decision is expected to cut paper usage 40% and costs 20% to 25%. He declined to disclose dollar figures.

Because of their push into services, the hardware makers are increasingly frank about the high costs of printing. Xerox says its research shows that companies spend between 3% and 4% of revenue on producing documents, or $3,400 per employee, so savings can be significant.

Other big companies are outsourcing their printing. Manufacturer 3M Corp. in St. Paul, Minn., hired Hewlett-Packard to mange its documents.

Tom Codd, H-P’s director of marketing for enterprise services, says H-P’s managed print services business has been growing at a 38% annual rate since 2004.

“H-P comes from a very strong position because we invented network printing, and historically IT guys bought the printers,” Mr. Codd says.

Dow Chemical Co. in Midland, Mich., which hired Xerox, says under the managed service it cut the number of printers, copiers and fax machines in its offices to 6,600 from 15,000.

“Most organizations don’t know how many devices they have and how many pages they print,” says Ken Weilerstein, who covers printing markets for Gartner.

In many organizations, copiers were purchased by facilities managers, printers by the IT department and fax machines by office managers. That results in multiple service contracts and a wide variety of brands and supplies — especially ink and toner cartridges, which are usually the biggest expense.

Mr. Weilerstein says “it’s not unusual to see dozens of suppliers and hundreds of different models.”

With networked printers, a company can keep track of how much each worker prints and copies and restrict use of color, which costs three-or-four times more per page than black and white. The devices print on both sides of paper, reducing paper usage by 30% or so.

Companies also save space, maintenance costs and electricity by consolidating on a uniform fleet of multifunction devices, which are shared by five to 10 employees.

Corporate buyers say that some office workers initially resist losing their desktop printers. Jim Lyons, a former H-P printing manager who is now an independent consultant, says he has heard of printers being hidden in closets and under desks to keep them from the outsourcers.

To win over disgruntled employees, the services firms preach an environmental message. They say having fewer printers plugged in reduces electricity use and fewer pages printed means fewer trees chopped down.

“There’s a big campaign at P&G for sustainability, and printing services is one of our steps,” says Mr. Passerini, adding, “The employees responded very positively.”

-XXX-

 About Stewart Business Systems, A Xerox Company

Providing reliable, efficient, and cost competitive equipment for over 50 years, Stewart Business Systems is one of the largest Office Technology providers in the country.  Stewart Business Systems corporate offices are located in Burlington Township, NJ, and employ over 160 people in five sales and service offices, located in Clifton, Princeton, Burlington, Lakewood, NJ, as well as Willow Grove, PA.  A leading core company within Global Imaging Systems, Inc., A Xerox Company, Stewart’s impressive annual sales and award winning customer service has led to extensive investment in parts inventory, state-of-the-art service tracking and dispatch computer systems and highly trained service professionals.  For more information about Stewart Business Systems, please visit www.stewartxerox.com or call Harry Hecht, General Manager @ 1-800-322-5584 for more information

How to Exercise While Sitting at Your Computer

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Sitting at the computer all day is not exactly good for the body. If you have to be at a desk all day long, doing some simple things can improve your posture and health.

Steps

1. Sit properly in a good chair designed for desk work. Your back should be straight, your shoulders back, and the top of your monitor should be level with your eyes. If you have to look down or up, you need to adjust the height of your screen. Also, make sure that your wrists do not lay on the keyboard or on the mousepad (unless you have a pad with a wrist rest). This will help prevent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Keep your legs bent at the knees so that the knees are only slightly higher than your hips. Feet should be flat on the floor or on a step stool of some sort.
2. Stand up every half hour to stretch or walk around a bit.
3. Stretch your calves, and give your eyes a break from focusing on your computer screen. This will also help prevent blood clots from developing in your legs. Blood clots are very common among middle-aged computer users.
4. Learn to stretch. To stretch your neck, flex your head forward/backward, side to side and look right and left. Never roll your head around your neck. This could cause damage to the joints of the neck.
5. Roll your wrists regularly (this will help prevent carpal tunnel syndrome if you spend a lot of time typing).
6. Roll your ankles regularly, this helps improve blood circulation (and that tingling feeling you can get when blood circulation is cut off, also known as “Pins and Needles”).
7. Notice if you tend to hunch in front of the keyboard. To counter that, perform the following exercise: open your arms wide as if you are going to hug someone, rotate your wrists externally (thumbs going up and back) and pull your shoulders back. This stretch is moving your body the opposite way to being hunched and you should feel a good stretch across your upper chest.
8. Contract your abdominal and gluteal muscles, hold them there for a few seconds, then release. Repeat this for every few minutes all day long while you are working at your desk.
9. Stretch your arms, legs, neck and torso while sitting. This will help prevent you from feeling stiff.
10. Take advantage of the downtime created by rebooting or large file downloads to get up and try something more ambitious such as doing a few push-ups, sit-ups, and/or jumping jacks. Beware of your snickering co-workers though.
11. Acquire a hand gripper. They are cheap, small and light. When you have to read something either on the screen or on paper, you probably won’t be using your hands very often so squeeze your gripper. It is an excellent forearm workout.
12. Acquire an elastic band (also cheap, small and light) and use it to do the actions mentioned in step 9 (i.e., when stretching your arms, do it by pulling apart the elastic band). You will not only stretch but it will also work the muscles slightly.
13. Take a few deep breaths. If possible, get some fresh air in your lungs.
14. Invest in a large size stability ball or stability ball style desk chair, and sit on it with back straight and abs firm. The actual stability ball is more effective, however the chair is a more viable option for use in an office environment. Sit, bounce or do basic toning exercises while watching TV or talking on the phone as well. Use the actual ball form in moderation when typing, as this is probably not the most supportive seating to prevent carpal tunnel and tendonitis.
15. While sitting, lift up your legs on the balls of your feet and set them down. Repeat these until your legs are comfortably tired. Then repeat it again about 10 minutes later. Do this whole routine for about an hour or so. This will exercise your calves.
16. Have a bottle of water by your side and make a habit of drinking some every half hour. If you do this consistently you will begin to feel more alert and in the long run you will get thinner.

Video

Here’s an example for an exercise you can do, without ever leaving your seat.

Tips

• Set your chair back rest at an angle that is wider than 90°.
• Don’t neglect the health of your eyes! It is detrimental to your eyesight to focus at one thing for long periods of time (i.e. your monitor) so take breaks to look out the window and focus at something at a further distance away to maintain good ocular health. Also consider purchasing an LCD screen which is easier on the eyes. If you are at your computer screen for long periods of time, optometrists recommend following the “20-20-20″ rule–For every 20 minutes spent focusing on your computer screen, spend 20 seconds focusing on something else 20 feet away.
• As long as something is moving, you will be helping to keep yourself in better shape. Constant movement will burn calories and contribute to cardiovascular health. While exercising at your computer is helpful, it is not a substitute for going to the gym or conducting a regular exercise program.
• Don’t sit still. Fidgeting is a good way to keep moving. Even something like tapping your foot. But don’t make too much noise–however you fidget, the repetitive noises may bother other people.
• Try not to squint when reading something on the screen, squinting can be bad for your eyes.
• Always have water nearby to drink.
• If you’re all alone, try shutting off the computer for a bit and exercise. If you’re on a cell phone call, get up and do stretches, or leg lifts, anything to keep moving during down time away from the desk.
• Try exercises that combine opposing muscle groups (flexors and extensors, e.g., biceps and triceps) to get a good workout. Clasp your hands together with palms facing each other. Pull up with one hand while pushing down with the other.
• If you are a runner or jogger, you can sit on the floor and stretch as you use the computer. It will save you time too if you have to do both anyway.
• Play music while working to provoke body movement and relieve stress. A smaller instrument will be more convenient.
• Sit on a balance ball while you are working at your desk. You burn calories stabilizing your core and body on the ball. If this doesn’t seem possible for work, replace the desk chair at your computer at home.
• Perform Kegel exercises while sitting in front of the computer.
• Do not forget your neck: Careful bending and rotational movement of the neck from side to side as well as forward and backward are extremely important. This can almost anytime to lessen tension and strain.
• Most computers have an option to increase font size. If you press ctrl and + the font size will increase, so you don’t have to strain your eyes as much. Pressing ctrl and – will make the font smaller, and pressing ctrl and 0 will put the font back to normal. Even if you have 20/20 vision, it doesn’t hurt to try to keep it.

Warnings

• Your body needs more exercise than just what you do at the computer, but following these steps will help contribute to a healthy, balanced lifestyle.
• Some of these activities, if not done in moderation, may cause you to start sweating, which may not be a pleasant sight or odor in an office environment. Keep in mind you are doing these to prevent stiffness, so save the enthusiasm for the gym.
• Your co-workers are likely to notice the increase in activity in your area. They may laugh at your pushups, situps, or stretches. Just smile, laugh, and enjoy the joke with them. People like it when you can laugh at yourself. It doesn’t mean you have to stop doing it–it’s your body, not theirs, so let them laugh. Also, if they notice you getting in better shape, they’ll stop laughing and may even join in with you!

Related wikiHows

• How to Do a Push Up
• How to Live a Long Life
• How to Exercise While Watching TV
• How to Set up an Ergonomically Correct Workstation
• How to Start Walking for Exercise
• How to Sit at a Computer
• How to Add Languages on a Computer
• How to Eat out and Lose Weight

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Exercise While Sitting at Your Computer. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Breathe. It may sound simple, but not enough people take the time to do it. So schedule breaks into your daily working routine. It helps productivity – even stepping away from your desk for a moment. Even a quick nap helps you regenerate and be more productive. Research supports this, we swear.

Simplify Your Schedule. Try scheduling all of your meetings on specific days so you have more time on non-meeting days to process information coming in – it’s much easier to focus when you don’t have a meeting looming in 20 minutes.

Back It Up. No information is worse than too much. Make sure you have a solution in place for regular back-up.

De-clutter Your Desktop (both of them). File, pile or toss papers as soon as you receive them. Scan and save important documents to reduce desktop clutter instead of filing. On your computer, consider getting rid of folders altogether and using desktop search engines to find things when you need them.

Touch it Once. Often we waste time dealing with the same piece of information again and again. Respond as soon as you receive it, put it in its file or delete it/shred it the first time you touch it.

Forget the Free Stuff. It comes at a price (e-mail garbage and unsolicited offers). Choose quality over quantity. Manage your bills and accounts online and sign up for the do not call lists and the no junk mail lists.

Use Your Tools. Make use of your phone for getting the right info at the right time. For instance, you don’t have to waste time printing maps if you can access them from your phone. GPS phones have the smarts to give you the right information based on your actual location.

RSS Reprieve. Sign up for an aggregator. It helps you see all your news in one place.

Manage Mobile Madness. Use a mobile device with e-mail support to make hours way from your desk more productive. Keeping track of e-mail throughout the day can help you anticipate future work, and take care of mini-projects as they arise instead of waiting until later to sift through a huge pile of e-mail.
“Tackling information overload is important for most global businesses today, tomorrow and five years from now,” said Jenny Perotti, ethnographer in the Xerox Innovation Group. “Our findings will help people around the world leverage the tools they have today and plan strategies and techniques that will enable effective collaboration and information management in the future.”

The findings from the ethnography team are used to help Xerox customers understand their future workforce, and they also impact the design of  Stewart Xerox products and services to make the future worker more efficient.

After launching the “sharing” era with the first xerographic copier 70 years ago,  Sterwart Xerox now helps customers navigate the flood of information. The company has kept pace with innovations that help clear the path between paper and digital content, cut through the clutter and make information relevant again. For more on information overload, visit www.infooverload.com.

• Understand the different strategies available for managing and securing digital records

·   Learn how to digitally convert your documents so that they are easily retrievable

· See how you can dramatically lower labor and filing costs while you increase information access through effective scanning techniques

·    Learn how to minimize the effort required to captures scanned and electronic documents

· Discover how  you can directly access documents from virtually any software solution

· Maximize your investment by sharing documents with remote office users