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Monday, October 25, 2010

Printer Companies Flunk Recycling

Compatibe & Remanufactured Printing Cartridges The Electronics TakeBack Coalition released a new report card that grades computer, television, printer, and game console companies on their efforts to take back and recycle their old products. Most of the manufacturers passed muster, but most printer companies and some TV ones flunked.

The highest marks go to Dell, Samsung, and Asus, but there were still some companies with failing grades, including Brother, Kodak, Lexmark, Philips, Funai, Epson, and RCA (now owned by Technicolor). Samsung also got a “dishonorable mention” because of concerns about their occupational health record at manufacturing plants in Korea where many young workers have been diagnosed with blood cancers and several have already died.

“Announcing that you have a takeback program really isn’t enough,” said Robin Schneider, Executive Director of the Texas Campaign for the Environment, and Vice Chair of the Electronics TakeBack Coalition. “Most electronics companies have some kind of takeback program – but what we are looking at is whether these programs are actually effective in collecting their old products, and are making sure they are not just being exported to developing nations.”

Key grading criteria:
* How extensive are the takeback programs, especially in states that don’t have strong laws requiring them to do so, including:
- How many collection sites are in each state?
- How much volume is coming back?
* Are products being recycled responsibly (not exported)
* What are the companies doing to promote reuse and closed loop recycling?
* Transparency in reporting
* Positions on government policies related to recycling

The printer industry generally scored the lowest marks – all failed except for HP - as well as a few TV manufacturers like Funai (5th largest U.S. seller), RCA, and Philips.

“If you don’t offer physical collection sites or events, you are not serious about your takeback program. With so many cheap consumer printers being practically disposable these days, the printer companies should be doing a lot more to make sure they get their old equipment back,” said Barbara Kyle, National Coordinator of the Electronics TakeBack Coalition. “Most of the printer companies simply offer mailback recycling programs, but statistics show that people won’t mail back larger products like printers.”

Companies generally performed poorly in the “responsible recycling” category, which requires transparency in recycling policies, vendor requirements, and vendors used, as well as giving the most credit to companies whose recyclers are qualified under the e-Stewards program. The e-Stewards program evaluates electronics recyclers against the highest standards in the industry, including a ban on exporting toxic e-waste (included untested and non-working products) to developing countries. The program has evolved from a voluntary “Pledge” program into a certification program with a comprehensive standard and accredited third party auditors who certify whether a recycler conforms to the standard.

The report card was released in advance of the holiday buying season, when consumers typically buy a large volume of electronics in the U.S.

“People are increasingly looking for "green" electronics, and convenient and responsible recycling programs are a significant part of that picture,” said Robin Schneider. “Consumers should consider a company’s recycling program when they decide what to buy.”

Link to Electronics Recycling Report Card

Original source: Printer Companies Flunk Recycling

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Monday, October 11, 2010

TotalFlow is Ricoh's new global brand for production solutions and services

Ricoh Printing Cartridges The Production Printing Business Group (PPBG) of Ricoh Americas Corporation today announced a new strategy for solutions and professional services called TotalFlow™. TotalFlow is a Ricoh branded open architecture under which all production printing solutions will be positioned. For customers seeking to improve process efficiency and effectiveness, under the TotalFlow umbrella Ricoh will provide a "one-stop" experience, including both Ricoh and leading 3rd party solutions. TotalFlow provides four fundamental document processes for customers: Capture, Manage, Produce, and Innovate. The TotalFlow concept is designed to help manage entire workflows, simplify workflow processes and expand access to a wide range of solutions.

Under Capture, Manage and Produce, TotalFlow offers a full range of offerings, including web-to-print, personalization, document and job management, and multi-channel marketing capabilities, all supported by Ricoh’s industry leading printing platforms.

Innovate consists of services such as Ricoh’s newly launched Business Booster Program which includes a Resource Center, Consulting Services, Marketing Services and much more. The Ricoh Business Booster program is available today and can be accessed at www.ricohbusinessbooster.com.

“Since Ricoh’s entry into production printing with the formation of PPBG in 2006, we have made steady progress in developing a solutions portfolio and technical staff with an eye on customer support at the highest level. Today, a high percentage of our customers rely on Ricoh to take advantage of today’s rapidly advancing software capabilities.” said Carl Joachim, vice president of marketing for PPBG, Ricoh Americas Corporation. “The announcement of TotalFlow as both a brand, and open architecture, is yet another statement underscoring Ricoh’s commitment to the industry. Future Ricoh developed solutions under the TotalFlow brand, in conjunction with those provided through our alliance program, will give our customers more options than ever before, all backed by Ricoh’s world class service and support.

Additionally, InfoPrint Solutions Software Advantage, which includes the industry leading workflow solution InfoPrint Process Director, is a component of TotalFlow’s open architecture.

TotalFlow solutions will be on display at GRAPH EXPO at the Ricoh booth, # 2017. Find out more about TotalFlow and Ricoh’s full line of solutions and services by visiting www.ricoh-usa.com.

Original source: TOTALFLOW IS RICOH’S NEW GLOBAL BRAND FOR PRODUCTION SOLUTIONS AND SERVICES

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Monday, October 04, 2010

Xerox Mobile Offerings Make it Easier for Office Workers to Print From Anywhere, Anytime

Xerox Printer Cartridges Xerox Corporation (NYSE: XRX) is helping mobile office workers and IT professionals stay productive with three tools that make it easier than ever to print regardless of location.
The Xerox Mobile Print Solution lets mobile professionals easily and securely print e-mails, presentations and other business documents from any smart phone or e-mail-enabled device.
Enhanced Mobile Express and Global Print Drivers tell workers instantly what printers are available to their laptop for fast printing options for the roaming workforce, while offering simplified print management by IT staff.
“No two mobile workers are the same – from the executive reviewing a presentation on his phone en route to a staff meeting to the NYC-based employee working at Paris headquarters – but all need an easy and secure way to print,” said Rick Dastin, president, Enterprise Business Group, Xerox Corporation. “Our approach delivers simplicity for any location, helping mobile workers focus more on their business and less on how to print.”

Smart printing via smart phone
The Xerox Mobile Print Solution allows users to print from e-mail-enabled devices without having to download drivers or applications. Users simply e-mail the file in its original format, such as Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF, to a secure server. A confirmation code is then e-mailed to the user to securely release the document for printing from any Xerox Extensible Interface Platform®-enabled multifunction printer (MFP).
The Xerox Mobile Print Solution runs on a company’s private server to maintain full compliance with the existing security infrastructure. The solution also:
* Preserves all formatting and data when printing Microsoft Office documents, just like printing from the desktop.
* Offers full preview of the document on the MFP’s user interface before printing.
* Provides the same print settings such as duplex, color and finishing options that are available to users on a desktop.

Simplified print drivers
Enhancements have also been added to both the Xerox Mobile Express and Global Print Drivers. These tools allow mobile workers to print to virtually any printer or MFP available on the network, regardless of location or brand, and reduce the time spent managing print drivers for various devices.
The updated drivers:
* Eliminate the need for IT professionals to install new drivers to support full functionality on current and future Xerox products.
* Provide access to the latest set of features on Xerox printers and MFPs such as Color by Words, which displays simple words to select colors such as “red apple” or “blue sky” for easy and accurate color printing.
* Help workers identify print jobs in busy workgroups without banner pages by automatically including user and job information in the unused page margin eliminating wasted pages.
* Offer Earth Smart print driver defaults that can be set to include two-sided printing, proof print, recycled paper and draft mode.

Availability
The Mobile Express and Global Print Drivers are free and currently available for download at www.office.xerox.com/software-solutions/mobile-printer-driver/enus.html and www.office.xerox.com/software-solutions/global-printer-driver/enus.html.

The Xerox Mobile Print Solution will be available for early customer installs beginning in the fourth quarter, with general worldwide availability in early 2011.
Learn more about Xerox’s Mobile Print Solution at http://www.xerox.com/mobileprintsolution.

Original sources: Xerox Mobile Offerings Make it Easier for Office Workers to Print From Anywhere, Anytime

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Since 1999 we have been a major supplier of original brand (OEM), compatible replacement and remanufactured Premium Quality inkjet cartridges, laser toner cartridges and other printer supplies. Our customers range in size and include the United States Government, small and large businesses, schools and individuals. Each of our customers is equally important to us and is treated with the same friendly professionalism. Visit us at Price Less Inkjet Cartridge Co.