This Week in Imaging: What’s the Next Tech Jump for Copier Companies? Plus Epson A3, Sharp Dealer Meeting

While at the Sharp National Dealer Conference last week, we enjoyed an interesting presentation from Professor Tassu Shervani of the Cox School of Business, who detailed the “S curve” of technology innovation.

In a nutshell, the S curve describes how companies must continually innovate and the technology jumps required of them. For instance, in the computer market, that’s meant evolving from mainframe computers, to desktop computers, to handheld tablets, to computers small enough to carry around in one’s pocket (smartphones).

In the office document-reproduction market, we’ve gone from making copies by hand, and then with carbon paper and stencils; to typewriters, carbon paper and stencils; to the analog copier; to the network-connected digital copier; to the network-connected digital copier MFP with print, copy, scan, and fax; and now to the Web-connected MFP.

With the Web-connected MFP, recent tech jumps have included: OCR software for converting scanned documents into editable text documents; contextual software that automatically distributes documents into digital workflows, repositories and the cloud; and scan-and-send to email. On the ease-of-use front, tech jumps include the tablet-style touchscreen control panel with swipe-and-scrolling capabilities. Perhaps the most radical tech jump is from 2D printing on paper, to 3D printing for prototyping and manufacturing. But for the digital MFP, the next jump is voice-activated MFPs, with other current jumps addressing maintaining maximum uptime and maximum security.

Office-Imaging News

Sharp National Dealer Meeting: Foxconn Benefits, Smart Office, Smart MFPs, Smart Meetings, and More – Read more here.

Epson Expands Enterprise Copier/MFP Portfolio with New A3 WorkForce Color MFP and Print-Management Offerings – Read more here.

Copier Careers: Average Copier Sales Rep Compensation Relatively Flat at $116,978 – Read more here.

Epson Expands Rugged Impact-Printer Lineup with New FX-890II Series Printers – Read more here.

Acquisitions

Sharp Acquires Multi-Line Dealer Federalgraphics – Read more here.

Expanding Atlanta Operations, NovaCopy Purchases Services Technologies’ Copier Division – Read more here.

Consumer-Imaging News

Epson Expands Wide-Format Photo-Printer Family with Expression Photo HD-15000 – Read more here.

Legal Briefs

U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission Obtains Judgment Against MPHJ Technology’s Rust, Disbarred – Read more here.

Other News

Konica Minolta Expanding Corporate Campus in Ramsey, New Jersey – Read more here.

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