In keeping with the recent trend away from desktop printers and towards a centralised digital networking solutions able to meet the exacting demands of the busy work environment, principal importer of Minolta printers, Minolco, has introduced its top-of-the-range, feature-rich PagePro 25 monochrome laser printer to the South African market.
The product, said to be ideal for a network environment within a mid-sized business with big needs, is a high-performance, powerful office laser printer with a variety of paper handling options. Its 25 page-per-minute print engine, combined with a RISC processor, will achieve high-speed output and exceptional productivity, while its large volume paper cassette holds a standard 750 sheets - or, as an option, a maximum 3 750 sheets.
With an 8MB standard memory - plus the option to enlarge to a maximum of 104MB - the PagePro 25 also delivers high-speed processing of large-volume graphics.
Product manager for laser printers at Minolco, Ivo Baiao, adds that the Minolta PagePro 25 enjoys the power of network expandability via the optional Network Interface Card, in both Ethernet and Token-Ring environments.
"It supports TCP/IP, AppleTalk and IPX/SPX, while another feature is the Minolta PageScope network utility, which allows the network administrator to quickly set up the printer, and regularly check on printer status and settings.
"Moreover, the PagePro 25 is compatible with the most recent printer languages, including PLC6 and Adobe PostScript 3, and also offers paper handling flexibility to accommodate various paper stocks and sizes, with options for either a five-bin or 10-bin mail box, and a duplexing function for double-sided output," explains Baiao.
He argues that the product is particularly well-suited to deliver increased cost-effectiveness through an unmatched price:performance ratio, and cites the conclusively proven fact that the cost per printed copy on larger machines is comfortably less expensive than would be the case with standalone applications.
Baiao further allays any security fears users may have, by pointing to the impressive mailbox features of the machine.
"Recent developments in software mean that users print their documents, which then remain in memory until they key in their password at the centralised PagePro 25. Only then will the document be printed, thus ensuring that even in a multi-user environment, the security remains as tight as was the case in the desktop environment," he says.
New technologies also allow for greater management of the printers, tracking the number of copies generated by a company or department.
Another recent innovation, spearheaded by Minolta, is the introduction of the concept of web-ready printers to all the new networked and colour printers. This new technology means the network administrator can now install the printers personally, from a remote desktop via the Internet.
The technology is such that Web-ready printers allow the network administrator to install the software and printer drivers - as well as monitor the status of the printer - from, say, Johannesburg, for a machine in Cape Town.
"One needs to think only of the tremendous savings in time and travel expenses to understand the growing appeal of Web-ready printers!," concludes Baiao.
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