The Konica Minolta bizhubs C220, C280 and C360 have taken home the 2009 BLI "Pick of the Year" awards as "Outstanding A3/Ledger Color MFPs" in their respective speed range. Independent testing lab, Buyers Laboratory Inc (BLI), was impressed by the overall performance of the multifunctional devices, especially their ease of use and productivity.
The powerful triumvirate stands for high quality colour functionality in printing, copying, faxing and scanning and is best equipped for everyday monochrome document production at low cost for offices and workgroups.
According to the BLI testers, the Konica Minolta bizhub C220, C280 and C360 offer exceptional ease of use and strong productivity in key test areas, while also proving to be highly reliable.
In addition, they showed impressive effectiveness in the BLI's job stream test in colour, as all three models achieve above-average results from both the PCL and PostScript drivers. Furthermore, the monochrome and colour duplex copy and print efficiency were found to be very good to outstanding, which is crucial for users attempting to lower running costs and improve environmental friendliness.
One of the reasons for the three bizhubs' ease of use, which was explicitly mentioned by BLI experts, is the MyTab feature - a Spring 2009 BLI "Outstanding Achievement" winner.
"MyTab allows for commonly used print job selections to be configured and saved on one tab, permitting users to take full advantage of the driver feature set, as all required features can be viewed at a glance," explains Andrew Griffith, product manager at Bidvest company, Konica Minolta South Africa. "Users can also easily integrate third-party software with the devices via bizhub Extended Solution Technology (bEST)," he adds.
As demonstrated by the BLI tests, the bizhub series C220, C280 and C360 easily and reliably handles all kind of office tasks in monochrome or in colour. Thus, the multifunctional devices meet all demands of modern offices and workgroups in corporate environments, making them the ideal substitute for standalone printers, copiers, scanners and fax units.
"The BLI 'Pick of the Year' award for our bizhub series of colour MFPs is proof of the devices' cutting-edge performance and eco-friendliness," Griffith continues. "With these three models, users stand to benefit from reliable and low cost printing, copying, scanning and faxing with high image quality."
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Buyers Laboratory
For 48 years, Buyers Lab (BLI) has been the leading independent office-equipment testing lab and business consumer advocate. In addition to publishing the industry's most comprehensive and accurate test reports on office document imaging devices, each representing months of exhaustive hands-on testing in BLI's US and UK laboratories, the company has been the leading source of competitive intelligence for industry professionals on copiers, printers, fax machines, scanners, duplicators, wide-format devices and multifunctional products. The company's databases cover over 12,000 products globally and have a long-standing reputation for being the industry's most trustworthy and complete source for specifications and side-by-side comparisons, all of which are available as part of bliQ, BLI's Web-based encyclopaedic resource. Subscribers also have access to BLI's renowned Lab Test Reports, First Look Reports, Solutions Reports, Environmental Reports, news articles and a complete library of manufacturers' product literature, as well as valuable tools including a Product Configurator and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Calculator.
Buyers Lab also provides business consumers with How-To-Guides, a Needs Assessment Wizard and Free Vendor Quotes via its Buyers Lab Advisor Web site, as well as independent purchasing advice and consulting from its Buyers Alliance procurement experts. A vast array of confidential for-hire private testing services that include document imaging device beta and pre-launch testing, performance certification testing, consumables testing (such as toner, ink and photoconductors) and software solutions and print media testing (including virgin and recycled papers) are also available for business consumers and manufacturers.
Konica Minolta South Africa
Konica Minolta South Africa, wholly owned by the Bidvest Group, stands at the forefront of business solution providers as the principal importer and distributor of the innovative and award winning Konica Minolta range of bizhub digital multi-functional devices, laser printers, fax machines and business solutions, into South Africa as well as Namibia, Malawi, Botswana and Swaziland.
Konica Minolta South Africa's head office is based in Johannesburg and its distribution network is supported by 14 branches and 43 dealerships. With an operational stance of consultative business partnering, the group provides clients with holistic document management solutions: through pre-sales analysis, audits to sales, installation, ongoing onsite technical and software management as well as the supply of spare parts and consumables.
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