By Paul Criswell, Xerox Product Marketing Manager

We’re here in beautiful Scottsdale, Ariz. this week for an important printing-industry event — the Photizo Transform 2013 MPS Conference.

This is where we as Xerox (a printing technology manufacturer and solutions provider) come together with other vendors, Channel Partners and industry experts to talk about the current state of managed print services and the ways in which we see the industry changing.

People have been talking about the paperless office for years, and the fact remains that people still need to print.  The printers, copiers and software are changing with the times and our products continue to evolve with the market.  This week will be spent discussing the future of document technology and how we, the technology experts, can make you, our customers, more productive and reduce your business expenses.

The Xerox Mobile Print solution is a highlight at this year’s show and is the exclusive mobile print solution for the conference. Did you know you can print from your mobile device to all Xerox ConnectKey multifunction printers?  Our software even allows you to print from your device to other non-Xerox devices, giving you the freedom to print when and where you need your documents.

Also at the show we are highlighting our newest ConnectKey MFP – the ColorQube 8900. The device combines our exclusive Solid Ink technology into a workhorse multifunction printer that not only gives you fantastic color output, but also delivers real cost savings with our Hybrid Color billing plans.

As Dylan once wrote, “The times they are a changin’,” and so is Xerox. Our Mobile Print solution, as well as our ConnectKey and Solid Ink technologies, allow businesses big and small run more efficiently, securely and cost-effectively.

We help you manage your documents so you can focus on what you do best – running a successful business.

Today we’re announcing the arrival of our latest color multifunction printers featuring the groundbreaking ConnectKey™ technology.

Now available for purchase in North America, the latest-generation ColorQube® 8700 and 8900 Multifunction Printers are the first letter-size devices to be introduced for workgroup productivity on the desktop, which also feature all the advantages of ConnectKey: unparalleled ease-of-use, industry-leading security, and easily integrated solutions that help mobile professionals work in sync with today’s on-the-go demands.

Plus, the ColorQube 8700 and 8900 also provide every advantage of our unique Solid Ink technology, including low-cost color printing and renowned sustainability advantages.

And there’s great news for those who already own devices from the previous generation of the ColorQube 8700/8900 family. Now you can download a free ConnectKey firmware upgrade. No additional hardware is needed.

Xerox and the ColorQube 8900 will be featured at the Photizo Transform 2013 Managed Print Services conference providing mobile printing for all conference attendees.

Visit the ColorQube 8700 and ColorQube 8900
product pages on Xerox.com to learn more about the many advantages of Solid Ink teamed with ConnectKey, and to download the ConnectKey firmware upgrade if you’re already a ColorQube 8700/8900 owner.

Today one of my Xerox colleagues, Catherine Reeves, posted an interesting article on our Business of Work blog regarding “greenwashing” as a growing phenomenon in the world of product marketing.

In a nutshell, the term greenwashing describes a marketing practice that uses misleading and/or unsubstantiated claims about a product’s “environmental friendliness.”

In an era of heightened public awareness of, and prominent headlines about climate change and other environmental issues, it’s easy to understand how consumers could be misled by disingenuous claims, either implicitly or explicitly stated, regarding countless products’ environmental benefits.

Read Catherine’s entire post here: http://businessofwork.blogs.xerox.com/2013/01/greenwashing-let-the-buyer-beware/#.UQFxbB3AeSo

By Nathan Van Ness, Xerox Corp.

Now that we’ve had more than a week to shake the post-holiday blues and settle back into the workplace groove, I think the timing’s appropriate to discuss the ways in which the recently passed “Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012” might impact America’s small businesses.

By no means is this a backdoor attempt to shove politics into our happy little blog. But because we’re here to provide tips, helpful information and food for thought for small-business owners, we’d be remiss if we didn’t at least comment on what the future might hold for small businesses as a result of Congress’ 11th hour agreement to avoid the “fiscal cliff.”

A quick search online uncovers countless reports and opinions on what the deal means for small businesses. And of course the voices that disparage the Act typically lean right, while the advocates are aligned more leftward.

But I’m more interested in the facts minus the political spin, and on Entrepreneur.com I found what I consider a solid overview of specific parts of the Act that relate directly to small businesses.

I recommend reading the whole article, but here’s one excerpt that I found especially noteworthy:

“…the fiscal cliff deal involves a 5 percentage-point increase in the capital-gains tax rate imposed on the highest earners. This provision will reduce the amount of equity financing flowing to small companies. By cutting the after-tax take of equity investors, Congress has lowered the incentive of investors to provide financing. At the margin, some companies that would have attracted angel and venture-capital investment in 2012 will not be able to get financing in 2013. While only a small number of companies will lose out on this investment — angels and venture capitalists tend to finance relatively few U.S. businesses — those companies tend to generate a disproportionate number of jobs.”

That’s of particular interest to me because so much of the small-business activity here in the greater Portland, Ore., area, as well as in my hometown of Seattle, is the result of high-tech start-ups receiving angel and/or venture capital financing. Had start-up financing been as limited in 1999 as it is today, it’s likely that I wouldn’t have landed my first post-college, career-oriented job at a Portland-based online retailer that relied almost entirely on venture capital to fund its hiring.

Regardless of the extent to which you expect the Taxpayer Relief Act to affect your small business, I think it’s safe to say that we’re still in an economic climate that requires a disciplined approach to business expenditures. So on that note I’ll share links to two services offered by Xerox that help small businesses affordably acquire and maintain their printers and MFPs.

Check out “Xerox FreeColorPrinters” and learn more about how we’re helping make color printing affordable for small businesses and organizations.

And if you’re already a Xerox customer—or even if you use a printer or MFP from one of our competitors—you still can take advantage of fast and easy online supplies ordering through our free eConcierge program.

IT departments, big and small, are challenged every day on multiple fronts. They wear a number of different hats from security guard for their network to environmentalist trying to keep their companies’ carbon footprint to a minimum.  All while trying to contain or reduce costs in their department.  IT professionals are similar to the one-man-band I wrote about a few weeks back on multifunction printers.

Recently InfoTrends, a leader in worldwide market research published a whitepaper on the challenges of the IT professional.  In it they refer to information security, cost savings and sustainability as some of the top challenges. These economic times have put a lot of pressure on IT departments to reduce cost without sacrificing productivity. This whitepaper encourages companies looking to meet these demands to consider Xerox Solid Ink multifunction printers (MFPs).

Download the free executive version of the whitepaper and see how Solid Ink meets those challenges head-on with the newest ColorQube 8700 and ColorQube 8900 MFPs.

Check it out and let us know what you think and if there are other concerns that could be addressed by solid ink technology.

My family and I were in Santa Monica, CA a few months back and we spent the day shopping on the Third Street Promenade. There are a number of shops, stores and restaurants – not to mention a lot of street performers. One particular person caught my eye. He billed himself as the world’s best one-man-band. I’ve never seen a Grammy category for one-man-bands and I’ve never seen Rolling Stone’s top 100 one-man-bands, but he seemed to think he was the best.

To be the best one-man-band, you have to play several instruments well all at the same time. To be the best multifunction printer (MFP), you have to perform several tasks well at the same time. That’s called concurrency. Think of it as a one-man-band playing inside your MFP.  Many of the inexpensive multifunction printers can only do one thing at a time – print or copy or scan. This can be a frustration to people sharing the product and cut into your office productivity.

Xerox multifunction printers have won numerous awards and have scored high with Gartner’s Magic Quadrant due in part because of our concurrency and productivity advantages. And our newest Solid Ink MFPs not only multitask but they will help get your office on a path to a greener workplace. The ColorQube 8700 and ColorQube 8900 use cartridge-free Solid Ink technology which creates great output and has a lower total carbon footprint than a comparable laser device. Check out these one-man-band MFPs for your office today and let us know what you think.

I’m going to date myself, but one of the first songs I learned on the guitar (other than the standard every young guitarist must learn – Stairway to Heaven) was Color My World by Chicago. The track has a very simple melody and laid back rhythm, but it’s a song that catches your attention and it’s hard to get that chorus out of your head once you’ve heard it. To this day, I can still play that song without any sheet music. I’ve learned a number of songs throughout my life but this one has stuck with me.

We’re always looking to learn something new – a new song, a new app or maybe you’re a small or start-up company looking for a new way to improve your business. We live in a colorful world and why not take advantage of color to help your business grow and get noticed. Melinda Emerson, a leading small business expert also known as the SmallBizLady, recently outlined  five ways color can improve a small business. From using color in a logo to creating a colorful flyer, use color in all your marketing materials and you will see a difference.

Melinda’s article also mentions a new color multifunction printer (MFP) we recently introduced, the ColorQube 8700. This MFP is big on features, great color output, and low on overall cost.  We also have a complete range of color printers and multifunction printers your office can use to get noticed. So take a look at Melinda’s recommendations and don’t be afraid to color your world.

Do you have additional ways to use color in your small business? Share them with us here!