Reseller ME Supplement June 2012

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INTrODUCTION “For many media products, the printed word has proven to be too slow to produce and too costly to distribute.

As a result, newer forms of media have been leeching away this industry’s demand.”

With revenue declining at an annualised rate of 5.5% in the five years to 2012, the printing industry as a whole is in decline. During 2012, however, a moderate rebound in economic conditions is expected to lead to a shortterm revenue boost, with revenue gaining 0.5% during the year to an estimated $79.6 billion,” said Caitlin Moldvay, industry analyst at industry research firm IBISWorld.

According to a recent report

by IBISWorld, over the past five years, declining sales volumes and downward pressure on unit selling prices have hampered industry profit margins.

The report also found that this industry is further crippled by the

substantial capital investments in new technology that are needed to remain competitive.

“Although the printing industry is highly fragmented, throughout the 1990s and 2000s, there has been an increase in market share concentration due to mergers and acquisitions.

This industry is expected to continue consolidating due to overcapacity and the rapid pace of technological change and digital media adoption.

Furthermore, rising barriers to entry and increasingly strategic and complex relationships with customers will also contribute to industry consolidation over the next five years,” said Moldvay.

The report says, in the five years to 2012, the number of firms operating in the industry is expected to fall significantly and the industry is projected to continue its decline in the five years through 2017.

“Substitutes to commercially printed material, such as online media and advertising, will continue to adversely affect industry activity. The industry will also continue to struggle as digital media replaces paper products.

In order to adapt to declining demand, printers will diversify into cross-media products, including multimedia layout and design,” he predicted.

Although, the above paints a rather daunting picture both vendors and their channel partners in the region are confident of their abilities to bring new innovations to this industry. In fact, prominent vendors offering printing technology are heavily investing in the channel through trainings and knowledge transfer while others are exploring managed print offerings and mobile print solutions to leverage maturing technologies that are only just beginning to gain traction in the Middle East.

CONTENTS 04 Rising Again

13

Interview

Industry updates

06 Gearing in Dialogue

09 Driving value Spotlight

10

Positive outlook Research

11

Aiming higher Analysis

09 In it for the win Analysis

Epson TM-S9000MJ

Arun Chawla, CEO, Trigon LLC pPRINTERS

3

HP

Rising again The HP Imaging and Printing Group Middle East suffered through the recent recession. The company’s laser and enterprise solutions business manager tells us about how its slowly getting back on its feet to reach higher ground.

How has the demand for printing technology changed over the last few years? How is your organisation leveraging this demand?

Naturally we saw the effects of the global financial crisis, and the effect it had on the Middle East was a delayed reaction, but it did effect us. Slowly and steadily we have gone back to normal business activity levels, and the trends here are very positive.

We are close to double digit growth, but it is also a question of seasonality, we go through periods where business activity in general slows down; but when you look at the fiscal year, we have been very happy with where we have been heading. HP IPG Middle East offers a diverse product portfolio ranging from smaller personal use printers to large industrial printers and everything in between.

We have remained committed to our channel programs and our resellers over the years, and we are now seeing increasing demand for printing hardware across the market. We believe that as long as the expectations remain within limits, we will continue to have positive growth.

Are enterprises in the region actively investing in cloud/ managed print services?

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Describe your solutions or services across this space?

Reliance on cloud computing is growing around the world at an exponential rate, and HP is leading the way with innovative products like HP ePrint, which allows users to send photos wirelessly from a mobile device to a web connected printer from anywhere around the world. Technologies like ePrint are entering the region with increased frequency now with a more balanced economic outlook, and we believe that cloud computing will be the next big thing to sweep the local markets.

Which product segments, within your portfolio, would you say are witnessing the most demand/ generating the most revenue?

Why do you think this is so?

Specifications and USP of the product.

The Multi-function colour products are witnessing accelerated growth in the Middle East market. With products that are more affordable and smaller footprint, Colour Laser Multifunction products are growing at a rapid pace.

How would you say you differentiate your products or services from the competitor?

HP is the largest technology

company in the world, and we use our global networks and experience from around the world to create products that matter to individual local regions and markets. Whether it be offering lower cost, high quality or large format types of printing hardware, HP tailors its product portfolio to the needs of each market. We believe this increased relevance, alongside trend-setting online technologies like ePrint, make HP printers extremely competitive in the Middle East.

What is your strategy for the region for the next 12-18 months?

HP is interested in sustained reliable growth here in the Middle East, we will continue to grow our channel offerings, continue to innovate and bring new products to the region; all in order to create a sustainable environment with our partners and resellers and pave the way for better technology markets throughout the Middle East. We will likely see demand in web connected devices increase over the next 12-18 months as demand for cloud computing hardware here surges forward to unprecedented levels.

We are very excited for the future of the technology industry in the Middle East.

HP

Ernest Azzam, Laser and Enterprise Solutions Business Manager at HP Middle East

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5

LEXMARK

Mark Thompson, channel sales manager, Lexmark International Middle East

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LEXMARK

Gearing up for more Lexmark has invested in a series of game changing business and innovation strategies in a bid to leverage the growth in the regional printing industry. Mark Thompson, channel sales manager at Lexmark shares the details:

How has the demand for printing technology changed over the last few years? How is your organisation leveraging this demand?

Customers are continuing to look for value in their purchases, customers no longer look for a device that only prints or scans or copies. Lexmark prides itself in offering out of the box solutions, this allows our channel partners the opportunity to offer this value to their clients, providing end to end solutions right from the word go. Lexmark has also in the past 18 months purchased five software companies so our offerings are just getting stronger providing an end to end support on hardware, ECM and Business process management.

Which product segments, within your portfolio, would you say are witnessing the most demand/ generating the most revenue?

Why do you think this is so?

Specifications and USP of the product.

Lexmark sees a growing demand for all our eSF (embedded Solutions Framework) products.

Our clients see the benefit from been able to do so much more with their devices as well as managing their output therefore

reducing costs.

Lexmark’s eSF gives you control to accomplish a variety of tasks from the multifunction device, through an intuitive Java®-based platform.

Lexmark offers a wide variety of embedded applications of which 23 out of the box solutions of the 28 available are at no cost.

The Lexmark e-Task interface is the entry point to your Lexmark multifunction device. It’s a customizable touch screen with capabilities for high-demand multitasking. The e-Task interface requires virtually no set-up or installation and can be easily integrated with your network.

Lexmark’s workflow software enables your business to print less, move more information fast and manage documents more effectively.

What do you believe is your technology USP? Lexmark focuses on document output and solutions, no cellular phones, no fridges, no laptops, no servers, only printers and everything that goes with printing, including profitability to our resellers and our end users by reducing their printer costs.

Are enterprises in the region actively investing in cloud/

managed print services?

Describe your solutions or services across this space?

Enterprises are certainly investigating the cloud and managed print services, but let us not get confused with MPS, MPS is when the manufacturer directly manages the pages thus eliminating the need for a channel partner and would only be done on a very large scale, Lexmark offers both scenarios and the one we are here to promote are our channel solutions that allow our partners to benefit from managing the pages with many software solutions through the Lexmark Fleet Manager.

What is your strategy for the region for the next 12-18 months?

Lexmark’s strategy is to continue growing the channel and empowering the resellers with knowledge on how to be different, how they can be unique by selling value. Selling a printer now is no longer just about selling a mono or colour printer that prints 30 pages per minute. It is changing as customers are asking for solutions around their output fleets that helps them to be more efficient - and Lexmark is here to help our partners transition in this way.

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HP

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TRIGON

Driving value With a well balanced mix of offerings, Trigon Gulf focuses on enhancing value through its resellers, says the company’s CEO.

Over the last few years, there is an enormous growth being witnessed in the printing industry. The emergence of the retail revolution and growing demand from SME & education sectors is acting as a fuel to the growth of the printing industry.

Lot of efforts are being put in the research and development works and as such Printing Industry is experiencing high level of technical advancement.

Trigon is one of the most long standing distributors in the UAE channel. Being part of the Al-Ghurair Group, Trigon has a strong commitment to the local and the regional market and is always willing to adapt to the latest technological trends. Trigon is the authorised distributor for leading printing and imaging brands like Samsung, Xerox, Plustek & Mustek and with a wide array of products from these brands, Trigon, in collaboration with its partners, has created inroads in segments like government, educational, SME and retail.

During the last few years, Trigon has expanded its sales force and has added to its existing resources on the ground in a bid to reach out to the growing market especially across the emirate of Abu Dhabi where it witnesses substantial interest from the healthcare and education sectors.

Trigon firmly believes that a strong workforce with a clear direction is the key to staying competitive. For Trigon, the focus is not just on enhancing the skills of its internal workforce but also those of its partners. While

Arun Chawla, CEO, Trigon LLC

we offer specialised product trainings, we also emphasise the idea of innovation and creativity, encouraging partners to do things differently.

The company’s product portfolio is perhaps the best example of our well planned business approach with a well balanced mix of volume and value brands.

When selecting partners we make a strong assessment of the partner’s business capability, their financial strength, vertical strengths and strategic insight.

Based on these facts we then work out various business models for different resellers.

For instance if a reseller is more focused on adding value or system integration, we offer them product or solution trainings. For resellers are more keen on retail or showroom operations we offer POP material and do in-store promotions.

In addition, we work out quarterly or annual rebate

based programs which helps our resellers generate better profitability.

I believe that the Middle East channel is very dynamic In spite of so many difficulties during the past, we continue to move forward and I have no doubts that the next 12 months will see us only emerge stronger.

On the technology front, we believe, the channel will witness a significant shift towards offering sustainable business solutions and products as more focus is driven towards adopting the cloud computing. Having said that, I believe, it will take be another two to three years before enterprises really begin to invest in managed print services, as that is yet a young technology arena. However, we are confident that this transition will happen and have already begun working with our vendors to create value with MPS offerings. pPRINTERS

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CANON

Positive outlook Over 70% of buyers view print to be as effective as or more effective than any other media in the communications mix, says Canon The outlook for the printing industry is positive according to new research from Canon – a provider of imaging solutions.

In a study covering 18 countries, 70% of the buyers interviewed view print to be as effective; if not more effective than any other media in the communications mix.

Findings from research were presented in Canon’s Insight Report –The Bigger Picture – at drupa 2012, a large print media trade fair that took place in Dusseldorf, Germany in May. Based on 420 telephone interviews with senior decisionmakers in corporate organisations and marketing and creative agencies across Europe, the findings confirm that print is still a highly valued component of the marketing mix. Nearly 90% of respondents see professional print as important to their organisation - 15% in fact, say that print is ‘critical’ and more than 70% see it becoming more important or remaining as important.

However, the responses indicate that printing service providers are missing opportunities to raise awareness to their customers of the capabilities of digital printing, so buyers may be far from clear about what digital printing can do for them. For example, 36% of the buyers surveyed were unaware of print-on-demand, even though speed to market is a key driver in selecting media channels for marketing. Likewise, a third were unaware of the scope for short run publishing, and almost half are not using targeted customised direct

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mail.

This point is supported by the fact that more than half of customers, when questioned about proactivity in offering advice and guidance indicated that their printing service providers do not make them aware of new printing developments or alternatives.

Respondents are confident of the effectiveness of print, with 71% perceiving it to be equally effective or more effective than any other type of media in the communications mix. The proven effectiveness of print is cited as one of the key drivers of print’s anticipated future growth, as is print’s increased use as a support mechanism for online and cross media. Print is also considered a key component of multichannel communications, which respondents see as the most effective way to maximise reach and exposure.

While the study also confirms what many already know - that ‘value for money’ is the primary factor in choosing a PSP –only 10% cite ‘lowest cost’ as their key selection criteria, whereas 20% prioritise print quality.

Regarding the quality of service that printers are providing to customers, 97% of respondents reported that their PSPs

meet their printing communications needs and a similar percentage perceiving their PSP to offer value for money. However, taking into account the buyers’ lack of awareness, this high level of satisfaction may be in part due to their ignorance of what information they’re not receiving.

Naoshi Yamada, deputy MD, Canon Middle East said, “According to some studies, globally the print industry is estimated to be worth $640 billion and drives $3.8 trillion in related services. This presents an enormous opportunity for printers to educate their customers and to raise awareness of what printing – especially customised printing on demand – can do to reinforce their brand and increase the effectiveness of their marketing efforts. We see similar trends in the Middle East where despite the increasing importance of digital and social media, print remains a strong focus for corporate organisations and marketing and creative agencies.”

Representatives from Canon reported that 420 print buyers across 18 European countries were interviewed for the Insight Report.

Respondents from the following five sectors were interviewed: manufacturing and primary industry; retail and wholesale; finance and business services; marketing and communications services; public, voluntary and other.

BROTHER

Aiming higher Brother International Gulf (FZE) is mapping emerging trends to emerge victorious in the regional printing industry.

Brother International (Gulf) FZE is a subsidiary of Brother Group, Japan, a leading manufacturer of printing, communication and digital imaging technologies for consumers and enterprises.

The company’s headquarters for Middle East, Africa and Turkey, with fully integrated sales, marketing and services capabilities, is located at the Jebel Ali Free Zone in Dubai.

With authorised distributors across the MENA region, including Africa and Turkey, the product range from Brother International (Gulf) includes laser printers, facsimile machines and Multi-Function Centres (MFC). Brother’s product range also includes labelling machines, electronic typewriters and mobile printing devices among others.

Jai Shankar, marketing manager at Brother International (Gulf) FZE says, “The demand for MFCs has significantly grown over the last few years, particularly for units that have facsimile (fax) features. The growth in the MFC segment has also reflected key demand for both A3 Inkjet MFCs, colour MFCs and mono laser MFCs.” Noting this demand, the company has recently launched a new range of A3 and A4 inkjet printers.

“Our newly released Mono Laser Printers (MLPs) offers printing speeds of up to 24 to 26 pages per minute. Each unit is presented in a sleek and easy to maintain body and comes with a 35 sheet Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) for fast and efficient multi-page scanning, copying and faxing.

These units have been designed to be low maintenance with a

250-sheet dust free paper tray and a manual feed slot for envelope printing. The printers can help drive in a reduction in printing costs with its automatic doublesided printing capabilities and makes use of optional high yield toner cartridge. The MLPs also offer a direct print feature, which allows direct printing without a computer. Also, the printer’s PC Fax function comes with a junk fax filter that eliminates the printing of unnecessary faxes by scanning documents directly to your computer instead of printing them out, thereby cutting down on paper and toner wastage,” Shankar says.

Brother International (Gulf) FZE has also launched ‘Brother AR,’ a new 3D Mobile Augmented Reality (AR) Application for Printer and MFC series. “The new offering is the first of its kind AR application specially designed to experience printers and MFCs at a more interactive level,”

he says.

“All of our products come with the promise of quality, durability and efficiency. Both our Mono Laser Printers and our Colour Laser Printers come with an extensive three year warranty offer. Best of all, our products offer a strategic ‘Total Cost of Ownership’ (TCO), basically a calculation designed to help consumers and enterprise managers assess both direct and indirect costs and benefits related to the purchase of any IT component,” Shankar adds.

Over the last year, the company has consciously worked with the channel community in the region to reach out to more customers.

For instance, Brother International (Gulf) FZE recently signed a strategic partnership agreement with United Electronics Company (eXtra), one of Saudi Arabia’s fastest-growing consumer electronics and home appliance retailer.

According to Shankar, the company is keen on investing in growing its channel and reach in the region to leverage on the emerging enterprise space in the region. “The new partnership also complements recent industry reports showing that Saudi Arabia will be a major contributor in the expected $7.6 billion growth of the region’s printing industry,” he says.

In fact, the company recently revealed its plans to achieve a 15% Year-on-Year (YoY) growth in the region. “These are truly exciting times for the region’s printing industry, where growth has managed to continue in an upward streak. Despite being new to the region, I am confident that the presence of a highly skilled and qualified Brother team will not only help in reaching our targets and goals but also consolidate our market presence across the region,” said Soichi Murakami, Managing Director for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa at Brother International (Gulf) FZE. pPRINTERS

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HP XEROX

In it for the win The printing industry is marked by its evolution and Xerox, a pioneer in the industry. Dan Smith, head of integrated marketing for the Middle East and African region of Xerox’s Developing Market operations, believes that resellers have a lot to gain from partnering with the company through the next stage of this evolution.

“Demand for printing solutions has grown, but changed.

Customers have been educated to understand that total cost of ownership (TCO) and quality are much more important than simple purchase cost,” says Dan Smith, head of integrated marketing for the Middle East and Africa region of Xerox’s Developing Markets Operations (DMO).

Smith adds that the company is in the right position to leverage this change with its managed print services and ColorQube offerings.

“ColorQube is based on a unique three tiered billing process which charges for colour used rather than prints made, while Xerox’s MPS offerings are recognised by industry experts as being the most comprehensive with over 50 years of experience exceeding customer expectations,” he says.

Smith says the Xerox is witnessing a steady increase in demand for its’ MPS offerings, a trend the company is actively encouraging.

“Our MPS offering helps customers gain visibility and control of their spending. This helps them free up budget for innovative projects that improve efficiency and drive competitive advantage. These offerings help customers improve employee satisfaction, enhance document security and workflow while being environmentally sustainable,” Smith says.

According to Smith, one of the reasons that Xerox has been able to hold onto the primary position in

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Dan Smith, head of integrated marketing for the Middle East and Africa region of Xerox’s Developing Markets Operations (DMO)

the Gartner Managed Print Services Magic Quadrant is because the solutions are not just for large, global corporations. “We deliver services to companies of all sizes. We have more than 10 years’ experience as a managed print services provider with over 9,400 active patents in managed print services. We currently manage more than 1 million print devices made by Xerox and other manufacturers. We deliver 24x7 multilingual, global support and in fact have just added Arabic support to this offer,” he says.

This culture of innovation and ‘customer first’ approach is what the company looks out for when signing potential partners.

“Xerox has chosen to partner with eminent businesses in the Middle East. Each operation or country partnership has been established for many years with organisations that possess similar ethical and business attitudes to Xerox, as well as the drive and will to be successful. Each

of these partners has the ability to sell and support the full suite of Xerox hardware, software and document based services from large multinational enterprises to SMB customers. Examples are the Olayan Group in Saudi Arabia, Mohamed Hareb Al Otaiba Group in the UAE and the Bishara Group in Oman,” states Smith.

Smith adds the company intends to focus on building the regional channel.

“SaaS offerings in the graphic arts market space is an area of expected growth. Resellers can help their customers bring new offerings such as web to print through portals to their end users.

This will help printers and providers avoid large cash investments and skills accelerations whilst still giving their customers what they want. Incremental benefit is achieved as these models of business create annuity streams that resellers can rely on to consistently generate cash. Xerox is an expert in making workflow and process improvements in these areas and as such is the company for resellers to partner with,” he explains.

He adds that across the competitive MPS market, Xerox is still one of the few companies that can offer true value add to resellers both small and large. “This space is particularly set to grow even further as more organisations look cut back on spending and hardware while driving efficiency and productivity even further up,” he says.

“There are also the arenas that require a niche skill set such as document management and cloud consulting, yet the ability to partner with us across both these spaces will create a unique differentiator for partners. All in all the market will remain a tough place but the answer to success is to listen to customers, understand their needs and offer them the best of breed solutions.

Today, resellers understand that by partnering with Xerox they can achieve this,” Smith concludes.

INDUSTRY UPDATES

UAE schools stand out in HP Planet Partners Program

Canon grows channel network in Lebanon

HP held an award ceremony recently to recognise the student’s efforts to raise awareness about the importance of recycling in the UAE. The event, which was held at the Rainforest Café in the Dubai Mall, celebrated the efforts of five UAE students who participated in the HP Planet Partners Program, by awarding them and their participating schools with HP prizes and certificates of appreciation.

The winners were chosen for creating posters and videos that showcased innovative ways to encourage recycling in the UAE. Winners included students from Jebel Ali School, Al Waha School, Raffles International School and Westminster School; students received HP laptops, while their schools received energy efficient HP Laserjet printers.

“We are very pleased to have joined hands with the Ministry of Education and schools throughout the UAE to encourage recycling and eco-friendly practices,” said Ernest Azzam, business manager, laser and enterprise solutions, HP Middle East. “Since the HP Planet Partners

Canon Middle East is strengthening its channel network with the addition of a new strategic partner in Lebanon, the company has announced.

In partnership with PrintKom, a print solutions provider, Canon is consolidating its channel strategy in the Levant region, and is focusing on growing its market share in the thriving graphic arts industry in Lebanon, representatives said.

“The graphic arts sector in Lebanon is a highly competitive industry. Their success is anchored on delivering quality print solutions which Canon can address through its range of market-leading printing machines,” said Naoshi Yamada, deputy MD, Canon Middle East.

“We’re delighted to partner with Printkom which is an established and active player in the industry, and so will be a valuable partner in our strategy to dominate in this market.”

The agreement with PrintKom is focused on graphics arts clients, such as pre-press departments, printing and publication houses, as well as creative agencies, the company said.

Program was established, HP has recycled over two billion pounds of IT equipment and print cartridges, as part of our constant endeavour to help customers recycle responsibly. The award ceremony today celebrates the efforts made by students and schools in the UAE to create awareness around the importance of recycling, conservation and re-use for a sustainable future for the UAE.” The HP Planet Partners in Schools program was announced at Gitex Technology Week 2011 in conjunction with the UAE Ministry of Education, and has been underway since February 2012. HP met with 17 schools across the UAE to share sustainable values and practices to students.

The Planet Partners environmental program, which has seen more than 389 million HP print cartridges recycled worldwide since its inception in 1991, offers free return and recycling services for original HP printing supplies.

The program, introduced in the UAE in 2009, ensures that no printer cartridge returned ends up in a landfill.

Canon calibrates for growth in Saudi large format printing market Canon Middle East has geared up for vertical growth in the Kingdom’s large format printing (LFP) market with two dedicated events catered to end-users as well as channel partners. The recent events witnessed the launch of new models and solutions to suit the CAD, Corporate, Photographic and Production markets in the Kingdom.

The event for resellers, gave over 50 new channel partners the unique opportunity to experience

interactive presentations of the new models and also gain insight into new channel strategies for Canon’s LFP segment in the country. The event also showcased the value-added services which come with Canon’s imagePROGRAF large format printers including solutions offered by third party partners: DevStudio and FastBind.

“Building on a heritage and expertise in digital color, Canon

is committed to the LFP market.

There is a huge opportunity in the Kingdom’s LFP market, especially in still untapped industries such as education, design and production where large format printing has become an essential tool in doing business. Through the reseller event, we were able to leverage our expertise and acknowledged leadership in imaging and business solutions to take advantage of this growth opportunity and create a viable business proposition for our strong network of channel partners,” said Naoshi Yamada, deputy MD, Canon Middle East. pPRINTERS

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INDUSTRY UPDATES HP

Epson launches SC-S30610 in the Middle East Epson has announced the Middle East launch of the SureColor SC-S30610, a 64-inch (162.5cm), four-colour (CMYK), ecosolvent roll-fed printer, that builds on the success of Epson’s wide-format printer range for signage and POS applications.

Khalil El-Dalu, GM, Epson Middle East, said, “With the Middle East’s printing and signage market growing rapidly in recent years, buoyed by the thriving exhibitions and events industry, we expect the SC-S30610 to generate significant interest here.

Apart from its high performance and economical functioning, the SC-S30610 is fast and easy to set up. Loading heavy media rolls, usually a two-person job can be handled by one operator with ease thanks to our unique jack. And

media tensioning, traditionally only accessible from the front of the printer, is controllable from both front and rear, so operators don’t waste time going back and forth. This reduces set-up time and maximises productivity.”

Moreover, Epson’s precision engineering and proven Micro Piezo print head technology ensure continuous and troublefree operation, minimising

maintenance and lost production time, the company said.

According to Epson, it has developed a new ink – Epson UltraChrome GS2 – designed to work perfectly with the SC-S30610 and Epson’s new generation of TFP print heads.

UltraChrome GS2 builds on the strengths of UltraChrome GS (used in the Epson Stylus Pro GS6000) with a new yellow formulation that is lightfast for longer. UltraChrome GS2 is odourless, nickel-free and requires no special ventilation, allowing the SC-S30610 to be used in an office environment, representatives said.

Further, costs and environmental impact are reduced with the printer’s Energy Star qualified power efficiency, the company added.

First 3-in-1 cheque scanner and printer from Epson aims to improve customer service Epson recently launched the TM-S9000MJ, an all-in-one cheque scanner, printer and receipt printer targeted at the region’s financial sector.

The TM-S9000MJ is designed to be truly integrated, combining double-sided colour scanning, endorsement inkjet printing and thermal receipt printing into one compact device. In addition to streamlining processing, this 3-in-1 format offers better economy than multiple devices by using less energy, reducing servicing and support costs, and removing the need to keep back-up stock of separate scanners and printers, the company said.

According to Epson, cheques can be scanned at speeds of up to

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200 documents per minute, with automatic skew correction and background noise filtering ensuring scans are straight and legible. Photo ID cards and cut sheets can also be scanned quickly and precisely, and efficiency is further boosted with an outstanding MICR recognition accuracy of at least 99.9% Khalil El-Dalu, GM, Epson Middle East said: “The TM-S900MJ perfectly leverages Epson’s heritage in scanning and inkjet printing, and also draws on the company’s thermal printing expertise. The TM-S9000MJ can print grey scale thermal receipts at up to 300mm/ sec while reducing paper usage by up to 30%. This ‘paper save’ feature works by printing the top of the next receipt before cutting

the current one, and by reducing the line spacing without altering the content. We are confident that several financial institutions in the Middle East will look to benefit from the significant value offered by this product and in turn boost customer satisfaction levels.”

Lexmark International Middle East

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