PRINT.IT
17
MFPs
KYOCERA Document Solutions
is building on a successful, but
difficult, 2015 with the launch of
a new range of A4 devices that it
believes will appeal to businesses
that tend to buy A3 devices purely
for their finishing capabilities, paper
capacity and print quality.
According to its analysis of print
volumes, 95% of pages printed
on A3 MFPs in a typical office
environment are A4, with just 5%
being A3. “This,” said product
marketing manager Trevor Maloney,
“begs the question: why are people
still looking to buy A3 MFPs?”
He suggests that for most
organisations, the reason has little
to do with paper size and a lot to
do with input and output paper
capacity.
“People who produce large print
volumes and large print runs will
typically look at A3 devices rather
than A4 because those devices are
able to produce large print volumes
and accommodate pages as they
come out of a device,” he said.
He added: “Where people
need true finishing capabilities
and need to staple and punch
documents, they will look at A3
devices because A4 will not have
the options that meet their needs.
The perception is that print quality
is better in the A3 market and
that running costs are lower –
traditionally click charges on an A3
device are lower than on A4, so if
someone is looking to reduce print
costs they will typically look at an
A3 device.”
For all these reasons, many
businesses end up buying devices
that have a higher price tag, take
up more room and consume more
energy than their print needs
warrant.
Now, KYOCERA Document
Solutions is offering an alternative
in the shape of the TASKalfa 306ci
(30ppm), 356ci (35ppm) and 408ci
(40ppm) – A4 colour MFPs that
have the look and feel of an A3
device but the compact footprint of
an A4 model.
In particular, they bring highly
productive paper handling and
finishing capabilities to the A4
market segment. These include
a maximum paper capacity of
3,100 sheets (500-sheets as
standard); a 5-bin mailbox (1,000
sheet capacity); an internal
300-sheet stapler-finisher; and a
1,000/3,000-sheet stapler-finisher
with hole punch (35
and 40ppm models).
Other features
include:
n
Duplex printing (up
to 220gsm) at the
rated engine speed;
n
Customisable
colour touchscreens
(4.3 or 7in);
n
1200 x 1200 dpi
print quality;
n
Mobile Print
support;
n
Longlife components for a lower
TCO;
n
3-tier billing for flexible click
charges;
n
Card authentication;
n
Data Security Kit;
n
HyPAS for integration with
document workflow solutions,
including HyPAS apps and
enterprise print management
solutions like AutoStore, Equitrac,
Papercut and drivve;
n
Up to 120ppm two-sided, single
pass scanning; and
n
Scan Extension Kit with automatic
OCR (35 and 40ppm devices).
More choice
Despite their many A3-like qualities,
KYOCERA’s new A4 MFPs aren’t
the equal of A3 devices in every
respect. They are designed for
lower print volumes than A3
devices, from 3,000-15,000 pages
per month (depending on model),
compared to 6,000-20,000 pages
per month on comparable A3 MFPs;
click charges are still slightly higher
than on A3 devices; and, of course,
they can’t print in A3.
For these reasons, Maloney
does not expect the new devices
to eat into KYOCERA’s A3 sales.
“With the introduction of these
new A4 products we are not
looking to cannibalise A3 sales.
We are looking for these products
to complement our existing range
and give our partners and our end
customers more choice,” he said.
This they certainly do. Last year,
KYOCERA had just one TASKalfa
colour A4 MFP – the TASKalfa
266ci, now replaced by the 306ci
– sales of which grew by 32%.
By tripling the number of colour
A4 TASKalfa MFPs in its range,
KYOCERA and its dealers can
capitalise on growing demand for
colour A4 MFPs, especially in the
high growth parts of the market
(21-30ppm and 31-44ppm).
KYOCERA also has six ECOSYS
A4 colour MFPs, with print speeds
from 26-35ppm, for transactional
sales and the IT channel.
kyoceradocumentsolutions.co.uk
KYOCERA’s new TASKalfa devices fill a gap in the market
by offering A3 finishing on an A4 device
Do more with A4
Managed print
The new MFPs are complemented by
KYOCERA Net Manager, a print tracking
and print accounting solution that also
incorporates document workflow and
process automation.
It can be scaled up from simply
monitoring who is printing, what, where and
when to a full secure pull printing solution,
including integration with single function
printers with print release by card or PIN.
It can offer reporting; personalised
home screens, showing only those
functions a user is authorised to access;
and OCR and scanning workflows –
scanned jobs are sent to the KYOCERA
Net Manager server, from where they can
be converted to Word, scanned to email or
network folder, or routed to Sharepoint or
another document management system.
KYOCERA Net Manager can also track
and apply three-tier pricing and integrate
with KYOCERA’s mobile print app, for
monitoring and tracking mobile users’ print
activity.
95% of pages
printed on
A3 MFPs in a
typical office
environment are
A4, with just 5%
being A3
