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Document Solutions
Oki customers can look
forward to tighter integration
of their MFPs with business
processes and document
workflows, following the
launch of a new generation
of colour and mono printers
based on the company’s
open architecture smart
Extendable Platform (sXP).
The colour MC700 series
introduced in the summer
and the newly launched mono
MB700 series meet the needs
of businesses that want to do
more than just print, copy, scan
and fax.
The combination of an
embedded open architecture
and 9-inch colour touchscreen
display enables users to
interact with bespoke and
third party solutions such as
Papercut print management;
Docuware document
Scarcely a week goes
by without another
announcement from NAPPS,
the Document Solutions
Association. Set up two
years ago to raise standards
of customer care in the print
industry, it has been adding
new members and partners
on a regular basis ever since.
At last count, 75 members
had signed up to its code
of practice, which gives
customers reassurance that
an organisation’s business
practices are sound and ethical.
NAPPS director Aaron Warham
says that, as awareness of
NAPPS grows, membership is
proving to be a useful sales tool.
“We go back to our
members every quarter to find
management; and drivve image
scanning and OCR.
Previous generations of Oki
MFPs could be integrated with
solutions to improve device
management and facilitate
digital workflows. However,
the process is much simpler
and easier with Oki’s sXP
architecture and customisable
touchscreen. Graham Lowes,
marketing director of Oki
System (UK) Ltd, likens the
combination to a tablet that
can be installed with apps for
performing different tasks.
High volume A4
The MC700 series is an A4
colour MFP based on a variant
of Oki’s popular C711 colour
printer. Designed to meet the
needs of medium and large
workgroups, it comes in a
choice of three models: the
MC760 (28 pages per minute
colour and mono); the MC770
(34ppm colour/36ppm mono);
and the MC780 (40ppm
colour/mono).
All three machines have
a colour scanner; a large
colour control panel like that
found on Oki’s A3 devices;
a paper capacity of up to
3,160 sheets to suit the
needs of organisations with
high A4 print volumes; the
option of a 2,000-sheet large
capacity feeder; and a built-in
convenience stapler on the
side. The MC780 also has an
internal finisher for the collation
and stapling of document sets.
Allaying the security
concerns of enterprise
customers, the MFPs come
with an encrypted hard disk,
secure PIN printing, disk wiping
and a secure print with card
release option.
For businesses that prefer to
print bills, statements, invoices
and other transactional
documents in black and white,
Oki has just launched the
MB700 series of sXP-enabled
mono A4 MFPs.
The MB760 and MB770
have print speeds of up to
52ppm and boast many of the
same features as the MC700
series including a 9in colour
touchscreen, convenience
stapler, 160GB hard drive,
paper capacity of up to 3,160
sheets and an internal finisher
on select models.
www.okieurope.com
Powerful platform
Still work to do
Oki’s new generation of A4 MFPs simplify the transition from
paper-based to digital workflows
As NAPPS approaches its two-year anniversary, James Goulding
speaks to Aaron Warham about recent developments at the
independent certification body set up to raise standards in the UK
document solutions industry.
out how they are getting on
and the big thing we hear is
that the NAPPS logo acts as
a differentiator. It’s a positive
sales tool for them,” he said.
Meanwhile, NAPPS
continues to raise awareness of
the association in the end user
community.
“We work with NASBM (the
National Association of School
Business Management) and
the BAPC (British Association
for Print and Communication)
and through them we can get
to their members, who are end
users, and spread word of who
we are and what we do. Our
affiliate members and partners
also help get word out to the
end user community.”
To date, the Association has
not been called upon to arbitrate
between a member and a
dissatisfied customer, which
is one of the services it can
provide. Instead, its involvement
with end users has been limited
to occasional advice.
What has been growing fast,
according to Warham, is the
NAPPS partnership programme
that enables NAPPS to draw
on the expertise of leading
players from all parts of the
industry. Partners include
finance companies BNP Paribas
Leasing Solutions, Siemens
and LDF; manufacturers Xerox
and Kyocera; independent MPS
provider Balreed; and software
providers Adobe, Laserfiche
and Docuware.
The latest partner to join is
Photizo Group, organiser of this
month’s Transform Europe MPS
conference, which will help
NAPPS to develop accreditation
specifically for managed print
services (MPS).
“At the moment we have
a standard accreditation
backed by the United Kingdom
Accreditation Service (UKAS).
We are now looking to develop
an MPS accreditation to
differentiate channel resellers
who are primarily focused on
MPS,” Warham explained.
So after two years, is there
still a need for NAPPS? Warham
certainly believes so.
“From discussions we have
had and from members who
pass the accreditation process,
it is clear that there are people
in the industry who are doing
things correctly and looking
after their customers. So,
yes, the industry is in a better
state than it was 5 or 10 years
ago. Even so there are still
practices that are not in the
best interests of consumers,”
he said.
www.napps.org.uk