Printers are described by some as one of the most unglamorous technologies in today`s IT-enabled marketplace. However, Zandr'e Rudolph, divisional manager, printing products at Rectron, highlights why printing is not that unglamorous and will discuss how printing, especially colour printing, can provide a clear business advantage.
Printing is not always the first thing that springs to mind when companies evaluate their business models.
However, no one can really deny the significance of printing in our daily lives. Printing is as much a business process as drafting a proposal - it has a definite effect on an organisation`s bottom line.
It has the ability to lean weight and power to information and plays a key part in a company`s overall productivity.
But, basic black and white printing does not fully realise the abovementioned points. It is colour printing that rises to the occasion, contributing to companies` business strengths.
A recent Colour Adoption Study by Hewlett-Packard states that people feel that colour adds three very important benefits to their communications:
1. Colour informs - from mundane uses such as highlighting outstanding payments in red to dramatic full colour graphics and charts in a report.
2. Colour persuades - colour documents can sell ideas more readily. Unlike colour, black and white documents often appear "draft-like".
3. Colour promotes - brochures, flyers, advertisement and marketing collateral are more eye-catching and memorable when created in colour.
Analyst firm, Lyra Research also comments that the top three benefits of adding colour to a document are: it is easier to remember, more professional and easier to read.
There are also some other interesting statistics, such as the use of colour can increase the likelihood of a purchase by 80%, readers pay attention up to 82% longer, and brand identification and information is increased by 70% with colour.
With such a strong argument for colour in printing, why hasn`t it become a business "norm" yet?
Morgan Stanley Dean Witter states: "Colour technology has been on the horizon for years, but it is only now starting to make its way into the mainstream."
Mainstream? In SA we`ve always taken a pessimistic glance at market trends and only follow them when they`ve proven viable. However, it now seems that colour printing`s viability has become eminent.
Early colour laser printers were slow as their multiple-pass printing engines printed four times longer than their monochrome peers. By incorporating in-line technology, which prints colour onto a page in one single pass instead of four, colour printing is now significantly faster.
In-line printing generally features a simple paper path design that streamlines the printing process. In the case of HP, in-line printers also contain a vertical stack of four print cartridges.
How it works, is that during the printing process the paper is transported upwards pass each of these cartridges. This enables the printer to deliver colour in a single pass, which is in contrast to traditional products that bring each of the four colours to the paper one after the other - thus needing four passes.
Colour laser printers were initially quite difficult to use, with many additional supplies to change. Now printer manufacturers offer colour laser printers with easily changeable supplies.
Another key benefit of colour printers is that they are very reliable. Lyra Research found that 84% respondents thought colour printers were just as, or even more reliable than monochrome printers.
A strong case for colour printers. Their evolution throughout the years has been remarkable and their sustainability evident. Colour printers` influence will grow as more and more companies start to add colour to their business processes.
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