PrintIT Reseller - issue 49

PRINT IT RESELLER.UK 39 PARTNER EVENT can now offer a common user experience, whether customers are looking for colour or mono, A4 or A3, the user and IT experience is the same.” The new mono A4 devices offer a combination of intuitive and time-saving functions such as a customisable and tiltable 7-inch colour LCD touchscreen with easy UI mode that enables intuitive navigation of all MFP functions, and an integrated print release solution as standard. “Partners will be able to close on more MPS deployments,” Cort continued. “A3 colour is the most profitable part of our industry, having A4 mono in the mix of solutions available will enable our partners to win more fleet deals with profitable A3 devices in there. We’re confident this will accelerate Sharp’s market share and revenues – it will also open new doors to new customers for our channel partners.” Sharp will launch A4 mono Essentials models and a printer variant later this year, and according to Cort, the plan is to refresh the existing A4 colour range next year. Strengthened mono range Sharp further strengthened its mono range with the launch of ten new A3 models with a maximum speed of 60 ppm which come with a wide range of finishing options. The mono Essential Series models (MX-M3050, MX-M3550, MX-M4050, MX-M5050 and MX-M6050) meet all everyday office needs with the option to upgrade as required. The Advanced models (MX-M3070, MX- M3570, MX-M4070, MX-M5070 and MX- M6070) include additional functions such as Office Direct Print and cloud connectivity. “We’re now offering customers a single-fleet user experience, we’ve brought the A3 mono range up to speed with the A3 colour MX-Series launched in Malta 18 months ago,” Cort said. NFC readers are in-built and pull printing is included as standard across the A3 range, which, says Cort, is the first step on the security ladder, and a feature that worked well on the colour devices. The new print product line-up unveiled in Edinburgh also included two light production printers – the new MX-7090N and MX-8090N. These are available with an embedded Fiery controller which can be operated directly from the colour touchscreen eliminating the need for additional workstations. The embedded controller simplifies colour management and print job programming with easy to master colour tools with no compromise on quality. Operators don’t need to be hands- on, they can manage basic controls from a tablet or phone. One major advancement on these devices is the EFI Fiery Dynamic HD Text and Graphics functionality. These exclusive features reproduce accurate ultra-thin lines, small text and fine details in the printed output. It also delivers lead/trail edge correction – a unique functionality that evens out the colour of the characters’ lead edge and trail edge by compensating for the typically darker appearance of one edge and the lighter appearance of the other edge. Inspire Expo exhibition Sharp’s exhibition area showed a journey through the main business functions of a typical customer, demonstrating how a new generation of Sharp hardware and Sharp Inspire Expo is not just about our transformation, but how we can support partners on the same journey optimised software solutions, applications and services, can help its dealers differentiate themselves in the market. For example, Sharp’s Accounts Payable solution automates manual invoice processing, making the process quicker and more accurate. Sharp also recently added IT Services to its portfolio, to help businesses maintain a reliable and resilient IT infrastructure. The services include continuous remote monitoring of the network with pre- emptive corrective action for maximum uptime, hardware maintenance and a cloud-enabled data restoration and disaster recovery service. Speaking of how Sharp will support its channel partners in selling more complex solutions, Cort said: “One of our strengths is in having a direct and indirect business, and part of that is in enabling our dealers to engage – that’s exactly what we have done with our direct sales, we’ve made mistakes and learnt along the way so we can package it in a way that will work well for our dealers.” “It has been a momentous two years since our last flagship partner event,” Ashida stated. “During that time, our alliance with Foxconn has enabled us to transform our business, which can already be seen by the number of new products launched. However, Inspire Expo is not just about our transformation, but how we can support partners on the same journey.” www.sharp.eu Jason Cort Jeff Ashida