Office tech update: from "print and distribute" to "distribute and print.".

AuthorHeld, Shari
PositionOFFICE: TECHNOLOGY

TECHNOLOGY IS virtually synonymous with change, and office technology is no different. Over the past few years it has changed significantly For one, standalone copiers, fax machines, scanners and printers have been replaced with multifunctional or multitasking devices. The paperless office has not yet arrived, but more offices have transitioned from a "print and distribute" environment to a "distribute and print" environment.

And "mesh technology" is eliminating the need for wiring buildings.

"Today we have moved to a world where everything is setting on the network, or at least the demand is for everything setting on the network," says Jim Fall, vice president of strategic planning for Indianapolis-based Cannon IV. "You can now distribute a document electronically to 20 people and then let them decide, on an individual basis, if they need to print it or nor. That is causing a huge shift in the industry."

According to Fall, three times more documents are being printed on a traditional laser printer today than are being copied on a central copier. In 1998 the ratio was closer to 50/50.

"Furthermore, employees can get that information instantly," says Brian McShane, president and CEO of McShane's Business Products and Solutions in Munster. "And it is saved in a digital format so they can store it and retrieve it at any time."

McShane estimates that over the last three years, the cost of hard drives and the ability to store documents digitally has come down nearly 50 percent. He anticipates future growth in the office-technology industry to focus on the software that drives the devices for archiving and retrieving documents.

More color. "Just in the last year, the average price on a color printer has declined by 30 percent while its speed has increased 30 percent," says Fall.

That scenario alone is reason for companies to provide full-color functionality to more employees than ever before. But there is another advantage: Color has a direct impact on employee productivity.

"Studies have shown that people retain documents that are printed in full color 70 percent better than if the document is in just black and white," says McShane. "Now businesses have the ability to produce documentation they want people to retain. Color used to be a big luxury and now it is everywhere. And the quality has improved dramatically, too."

Multifunctional. Multifunctional or multitasking devices (multitasking devices allow users to do everything but print and copy...

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