Kodak and Konica Minolta Debut Fully Integrated Workflow and Front-end Solutions

For the first time in the industry, Kodak and Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. (Konica Minolta) will demonstrate fully managed monochrome and color digital press solutions for commercial print and graphics communication professionals.  From September 8-12, at Print ’13 Booth #518, the companies will showcase three new Kodak CREO Color Servers to drive the new and existing Konica Minolta bizhub PRESS digital presses that are connected to KODAK PRINERGY Workflow 6.

“Customers with color devices have benefited for years from CREO Color Servers, and they are now available for monochrome systems with a common customer experience,” says Chris O’Connor, Vice President, Global Business Group, Kodak. “This unique connectivity between solutions from Kodak and Konica Minolta means that there is no longer a need to manage different types of traditional and digital presses as islands—whether the need is for light production, full production, color or monochrome.”

In a partnership spanning more than 20 years, Kodak and Konica Minolta have demonstrated a commitment to print customers through continued joint research and development, resulting in leading digital and hybrid technology innovations for the industry.

“The ongoing partnership between Kodak and Konica Minolta is represented at Print ’13 in these market-leading solutions,” says Kevin Kern, SVP, Marketing, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., “We are truly excited about delivering new and continued value to our customers with the right solutions to ensure a seamless, integrated experience.”

Kodak will also be demonstrating its recently released PRINERGY Workflow 6 at the Konica Minolta booth. PRINERGY Workflow 6 is the latest evolution in prepress workflow, bringing the automation of production into the manufacturing process with not one, but two user experiences. The new Workspace interface, shown only at the Konica Minolta booth, provides advanced job management through three views—Manage, Plan and Track—allowing for quick job creation, simple intent-driven workflow processes and output device monitoring in real time

“PRINERGY Workflow 6 allows for quick access to output device information for jobs already in production, providing real-time project status with ability to make adjustments from a central point,” says O’Connor. “The ability to automate, see all jobs, equipment and process status provides an advanced level of integrated control and efficiency over digital and offset production for customers in a single interface to a level never seen before.”

Print ’13 attendees can also see CREO Color Servers driving Konica Minolta bizhub PRESS digital presses at the Komori Corporation and MCS booths.

http://www.print2013.com/

Sharp cuts off talks with Samsung over copier business tie-up

Sharp Corp. has cut off talks with Samsung Electronics Co. of South Korea over expanding their business collaboration to the copier business, sources said Wednesday.

The move comes after other Japanese firms, including Canon Inc. — which cross-licenses patents used in the production of copiers — opposed the plan over concerns that key technology would fall into the hands of the rival South Korean manufacturer, according to the sources.

Japanese manufacturers control a large share of the global copier market. Canon, Ricoh Co., Konica Minolta Inc. and Sharp, together with U.S. maker Xerox Corp., account for around 80 percent of the global market of mainstay copiers capable of printing on A3-size paper. Sharp alone is fifth in the global rankings of A3 copier shipments.

Sharp will continue talks with Samsung over their envisioned cooperation in white goods, with an eye to supplying products such as refrigerators and washing machines to Samsung on an original equipment manufacturer basis, the sources said.

Samsung initially sounded Sharp out about its acquisition of Sharp’s copier business. Sharp turned down the proposal and the two were looking to jointly set up a copier sales company.

Sharp received around ¥10.38 billion in investment from Samsung in March under a business and capital tie-up, as the Japanese company struggles to strengthen its financial footing.

Sharp logged a consolidated operating profit of ¥3 billion in the April-June quarter of the current business year as sales of liquid crystal display panels increased after the company started to supply Samsung under the tie-up.

 

Article published in The Japan Times

Epson to recall defective printers in China

China’s top quality watchdog said Tuesday that global printer maker Epson will recall 169,452 ink jet printers in the Chinese mainland starting on Wednesday.

Sixteen models will be part of the recall, including ME-10. They were produced between Sept. 12, 2011 and June 6, 2013, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said in a statement.

The recall is mainly due to design flaws in the power system protection that could result in carbonizing and electric conduction at power input sockets under abnormal voltage. In some cases, the problem may even lead to self-ignition, posing risks to safety, the statement said.

Epson China will provide free repair services to the defective products and undertake overall examinations on them, the statement said.

The recall will be carried out by Epson China Co., Ltd.

Did ABBYY Win, or escape from Nuance????

Foreign Abbyy Affiliates Escape Nuance Patent Suit

A federal judge has dismissed two foreign affiliates of Abbyy USA Software House Inc. from a patent infringement suit filed by rival Nuance Communications Inc. over optical character recognition software, finding that Nuance failed to properly serve the affiliates and that, regardless, the court lacked personal jurisdiction over them.

Judge Jeffrey S. White of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on Tuesday dismissed Abbyy Production LLC, a Russian entity, and Abbyy Software Ltd., a Cypriot entity.

Nuance had added the foreign entities to the complaint about 15 months after initially suing Abbyy and Lexmark International Inc. in February 2008 for allegedly infringing several of its patents.

But according to Judge White, Nuance failed to properly serve the Russian and Cypriot affiliates in accordance with the Hague Service Convention, a multinational treaty that governs service of summons on persons in signatory foreign countries.

Nuance argued that the Hague Convention was not an agreed-on means for service of process in Russia because the Russian Federation had unilaterally suspended all judicial cooperation with the U.S. in civil matters, but the judge rejected that argument.

“There is no authority for this proposition and nothing before the court indicates that the Hague Convention is not the proper vehicle for service of the foreign defendants in this matter,” the opinion said.

Judge White also found that Nuance had not met the burden of showing that the Northern District of California had jurisdiction over the Russian and Cypriot affiliates, because there was no evidence that either entity “purposefully directed any specific activity at the residents of California or within the form state.”

In dismissing the foreign entities, the judge also dismissed as moot their motion for a protective order.

“While we disagree with the court’s conclusion that the Russian Abbyy entities lack sufficient contacts with the U.S. for the court to exercise jurisdiction over them, the ruling has no impact on the case,” a representative for Nuance said. “We believe that Abbyy has infringed, and continues to infringe, our patents and trademarks in the U.S., and Abbyy USA has represented to the court that the accused conduct and revenues are controlled by Abbyy USA, and not the Russian entities.”

 

By Julie Zeveloff

Global printer shipments drop 1.8% in Q2

Worldwide printer shipments decreased by 1.8% to 26.1m units during the second quarter of 2013 compared to the corresponding period of 2012, according to a report from International Data Corporation (IDC).

According to the report, the hardcopy market generated revenue of $13.8bn during the second quarter of 2013, a 1.7% year over year drop compared to the same period last year.

During the second quarter, hardcopy segments including the colour laser market have driven the growth across the global market.

IDC Worldwide Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker programme manager Phuong Hang said that the initiatives like managed print services and wider availability of digitally-based content is expected to continue to gradually shift such devices away from the desktop and toward more shared and centralised machines.

“As such, vendors who concentrate on these opportunities should find the best payback for future hardcopy peripheral unit and value shipments,” Hang said.

Regionally, the markets including the US and Western Europe experienced positive year-over-year growth in the hardcopy peripheral shipments of 1.4% and 3.9% respectively.

The inkjet market dropped 6% year over year during the quarter to a 58% market share with shipments of 15.1m devices.

The monochrome laser market grew 3.5% with 8.2m shipments generating revenue of $5.4bn, which represents 39% share of shipment value.

For the second quarter, the colour laser devices lead the market with 9.7% year-over-year growth and 43% share of the hardcopy market shipments, while MFP experienced year-over-year rise of 13% in shipments.

 

 

Google Buys Virtual Imaging Patents from Foxconn

The patents relate to a technology that permits virtual images to be super-imposed over real ones.

WASHINGTON – Google has bought virtual imaging patents from Taiwanese supplier Foxconn that could be used in its interactive “Google Glass” devices, according to a document acquired Saturday.

No details were released on the amount of the transaction.

The patents relate to a technology that permits virtual images to be super-imposed over real ones, according to media reports.

They could be used in the interactive voice-activated eyewear being developed by the Internet giant.

Facebook, Twitter and major news organizations have already tailored applications for Glass, which has only been made available to developers and a limited selection of “explorers” who paid $1,500 each for the eyewear.

Envisioned uses range from practical tasks such as shopping or delivering local weather reports to sharing real time video streams or playing augmented reality games in which the world is the board.

Foxconn Technology, whose parent company is Taiwan-based Hon Hai Precision Industry (IW 1000/24), is the main supplier in Asia for Google’s biggest rival Apple (IW 500/4), particularly for the manufacture of iPhones.

Article by http://www.industryweek.com/author/agence-france-presse

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2013

MFP (Photocopier) Scan Security… cutting through the hype

There’s been a lot of talk in recent times about the security of your MFP (Photocopier) when it comes to scanned/copied/printed documents, and the storage of such on the HDD of the MFP.

Konica Minolta MFP’s DO NOT store copies of print, scan, fax or copy jobs on the HDD of the MFP.

Copy/Print/Scan/Fax jobs are processed in the MFP’s Random Access Memory (RAM). As such, every time the MFP is power cycled, any remnants of a job processed in RAM erased permanently.

The only items stored on the HDD are those that are scanned/faxed/printed to a “box” on the MFP.

Therefore there is no possibility of documents being unintentionally stored on the HDD.

The HDD is protected against unauthorised access to its data by the following methods:

• Automatic Job Overwrite (Temporary Data Overwrite)
• Password protection
• Encryption
• Auto Delete of Jobs Stored in a User box
• HDD Overwrite

It is important to note that the administrator of the device has the ability to turn these features on or off.

For added security, there are several modes provided as standard on current Konica Minolta MFP’s that assure data security;

As always, the best advice for your security needs is available from your local authorised Konica Minolta representative.

Please visit http://www.konicaminolta.com for more information.

#konicaminolta

@konicaminoltaau

Konica Minolta Executive, Gavin Jordan-Smith, To Be Inducted Into the Walter E. Soderstrom Honor Society

VP of Solutions and Production Planning Named as One of Fifteen Print Industry Leaders To Be Inducted in 2013

Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta) today announced that the National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL) recently named Gavin Jordan-Smith, Vice President, Solutions and Production Planning for Konica Minolta, as a 2013 inductee to the Walter E. Soderstrom Honor Society. 

Named for the late Walter E. Soderstrom, one of the founders of the National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL), the Soderstrom Society is an honors organization that recognizes the contributions of industry leaders, including printing company owners, equipment manufacturers, educators, journalists, and consultants.  Jordan-Smith will accept the honor at NAPL’s annual Soderstrom Society Dinner on September 7, 2013, at the University of Chicago Gleacher Center, the evening before the start of PRINT 13.

“We are delighted to welcome Gavin as a member of NAPL’s Walter E. Soderstrom Society,” says Joseph P. Truncale, Ph.D., NAPL President & Chief Executive Officer. “For nearly half a century, Soderstrom Society members have represented our industry’s ‘best and brightest’ through their outstanding accomplishments and their continued contributions to the growth and success of graphic communications. Gavin is a very deserving recipient of this important industry honor.”

“I am honored to be included in the Soderstrom Society with so many notable industry leaders,” says Jordan-Smith. “This is an exciting time for the commercial print industry. At Konica Minolta, we are working on delivering innovative digital production print technology solutions that will automate workflows, improve processes and increase profitability for commercial printers.  Now, more than ever, customers can count on Konica Minolta to deliver next-generation production solutions that will have an immediate impact on their business productivity and bottom line.”

Jordan-Smith is a 20-year veteran of the graphic communications industry in the United States and United Kingdom.  He oversees Konica Minolta’s software planning, vertical market strategy, the Solutions Engineering Center, and production print business planning and software development. Jordan-Smith has been instrumental in developing Konica Minolta’s EnvisionIT Production solution portfolio which includes EngageIT Automation and EngageIT XMedia. These solutions provide commercial printers the capabilities they need to improve productivity and increase profitability.

“Gavin’s induction into the Soderstrom Society is an example of Konica Minolta’s ability to attract and retain exceptional industry talent who have a passion for the document imaging and graphic communication industry,” says Sam Errigo, Senior Vice President Business Intelligence Services, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. 

About NAPL
NAPL is a not-for-profit business management association representing companies in the $80+ billion commercial printing and graphic communications industry in North America. NAPL’s Business Advisory Team services are part of a comprehensive slate of business-building solutions that provide company leaders with the management tools they need to make informed business decisions in an ever-changing market environment.  For more information, visit http://www.napl.org or call (800) 642-6275.

 

#KonicaMinolta “Emerald Learning Program” Series: Container Planting Art Workshop

Konica Minolta has organized “Emerald Learning Program” for 2013 with Green Sense again to enhance students’ experience outside of the classroom, encouraging them in environmental protection. On 17 August 2013, the second activity, Container Planting Art Workshop, was held for sharing sweet grass planting techniques.

The workshop taught participants how to identify sweet grass species and what is organic planting. The tutor introduced 4 sweet grasses: basil, Chinese basil, common rue and lemon balm. Pupils learnt the uses of sweet grass and observed the plants by using their senses. With the guidance of Konica Minolta’s volunteers, participants designed their own container plants with the use of recycled materials. In future, Konica Minolta will continue to organize various environmental activities for students to experience green living with creativity.

Staples lowers 2013 outlook after dismal 2Q results; shares plunge

Staples Inc. (NASDAQ:SPLS), the world’s largest office-supplies chain, cut its full fiscal year’s outlook after reporting weaker-than-expected results in the second quarter as it closed some stores and faced falling traffic and decreasing sales of business machines, ink and toner, and computers. Shares tumbled in premarket.

Per share earnings from continuing operations for the full year will be $1.21 to $1.25, the Framingham, Massachusetts-based company said in a statement today. That’s less than its May projection of $1.30 to $1.35 and below the $1.32 predicted by analysts tracked by Thomson Reuters.

Staples said it anticipates full-year sales to drop at a low single-digit percentage rate rather than the low single-digit rise it had forecast in May. Analysts were modeling sales of $23.64 billion, down from $23.9 billion in the prior year.

For the three months ended Aug. 3, net earnings dropped to $102.5 million or 16 cents a share, from $120.4 million, or 18 cents a share, a year earlier. Analysts on average were predicting a profit of 18 cents a share.

Second-quarter sales fell 2 percent to $5.31 billion, lagging behind the analysts’ average estimate of $5.37 billion. 

The company attributed the sales decline to 54 store closures in the 12 months preceding the second quarter and to weakness in business machines and technology accessories, ink and toner, and computers. 

Sales in the international business lost 8 percent, due to broad-based weakness in Europe and Australia, according to the statement. Online sales climbed 3 percent.

Same-store sales, which exclude online sales, retreated 3 percent on lower traffic and a drop in the average order size.

Staples declined 12 percent to $14.86 at 9:02 a.m. in New York, headed to the lowest price in more than two months. The stock rallied 47 percent this year through yesterday.

Article by: Mourad Haroutunian