The Color Connection

Color copier connectivity rates are soaring, as is the quality, speed and ease of color output. How does this impact your in-plant?

WITH THE demand for color documents on the rise, color copiers are getting more use than ever in in-plants. And with the number of color copier devices and color impressions projected to skyrocket within the next five years, vendors are working hard to provide equipment for every speed requirement.

"A few years ago you only had very slow, six page-per-minute devices, and controllers from a relatively few manufacturers," recalls Tim Griffin, director of product marketing for Danka. Speed, he says, went up quickly. "Now you are seeing a middle ground product emerge," he says.

One of those products is the Xerox DocuColor 30, which has filled the gap between the nine-page-per-minute (ppm) Xerox 5799 and the DocuColor 40, a 40-ppm copier. Paul Hartley, vice president of business development for Xerox, says that Xerox is planning to release other mid-range products in the near future.

Connect And Conquer

Linking your color copier to the computer network is all the rage, according to Sam Errigo, director of digital products at Danka. He has seen the connect rate for color devices rise drastically in recent years, and says well over half of his customers now have networked their color copiers.

"We are probably selling more connected devices today than not connected," Errigo reveals. "That is where your value is. If you think about where everything is being created, it is being created at the desktop."

Canon USA reports that it is also seeing an increase in the connectivity rate of color copiers. Mason Olds, director and general manager of the graphic systems division, reveals that 92 percent of Canon high-end color copiers, like the 1000 and 2400, are now reported to be networked. But he has found an interesting trend concerning the rate of connectivity with other Canon products.

"The slower the units get, the lower the connectivity ratio," explains Olds. About 75 percent of Canon's mid-range copiers are networked, while only about half of the lower-end machines are reported to be connected.

Hartley, of Xerox, notes that about 80 percent of his company's color copiers are connected, and attributes this high percentage to the fact that the cost of connecting a copier to the network has come down drastically in the past three years. He says back then it cost well over $20,000 to connect a mid-range copier, while today it should cost under $10,000.

Kathy Vinci, product marketing manager for Minolta, also sees an advantage to networking color copiers. She suggests linking copiers to cluster systems like the T/R Systems Micropress, where multiple devices can be connected to one server.

"You don't have to worry about if one machine is down or is out of paper because it will automatically section it off to another machine," Vinci says. "It helps you when you are managing multiple jobs."

Beyond the convenience factor, networking a color copier can also make an impact for shops that charge back.

"If you are not connected, I think it is a big mistake, especially in color," contends Olds, of Canon. "What's driving the demand is the color software—things like PowerPrint and PhotoShop and PageMaker. If you don't have the ability to take files over the network and RIP them out on the product, I don't see how you would make enough profit."

Counterfeiting Concerns

With all of the advances in color copier technology, it's now much easier to get high-quality work done for your customers. But one problem that these easy-to-use, high-resolution copiers present is the temptation to use this technology for illegal means—namely, to illegally reproduce U.S. currency.

Some of the counterfeiting cases of the past few years have involved employees of in-plants. So to keep your employees from transferring to the local prison print shop, several vendors have come up with ways to help you protect against counterfeiting.

"It's not even considered a joke," warns Canon's Olds, who acts as a liaison between the company and the United States Secret Service. "It is a strong violation of U.S. law." Olds says all Canon copiers come with warning labels on the machines, and technology built into the system to deter or catch potential counterfeiters.

"There are anti-counterfeiting capabilities on most products now," reveals Minolta's Vinci. "There are systems that if you use special lighting, you can actually see the serial number, so you can track what machine it comes from." She says an alliance has been formed by many copier manufacturers to protect against copying cash.

Danka's Errigo suggests requiring pass codes and user identification numbers for everyone with access to the color copiers. This, he says, will eliminate any desires to "walk up and slap a dollar bill on the glass." It also keeps unauthorized users away from the machine.

With faster copiers becoming available at more reasonable prices, consumers are often lured into making a purchase based on speed only. But that can be a risky proposition, warns Hartley of Xerox.

"Speed alone is not the only factor," says Hartley. "The pure speed concept just does not apply. Anybody that has creative graphics types of applications knows it doesn't cut it unless the image quality is there." Hartley suggests that consumers look for color copiers that allow you to control the color management of your work, are easy to calibrate and have a reliable service record.

"If the image quality is not acceptable, then nothing else matters," adds Danka's Griffin. He gives these tips to managers looking to buy a color copier:

• Determine your current color needs.

• Determine how much work you think you will do in the future.

• Study your workflow.

• Calculate your necessary level of RIP robustness.

Fast Forward

Looking at what lies ahead for the color copier market, the consensus is that an increase in speed and quality of imaging is inevitable. Also, prices are bound to come down even more, experts say. This includes not only the cost of the copiers, but also operating costs. Griffin feels this is what will help color copiers take more work away from the offset market.

"I think we will continue to see that crossover between color printing and color copying and production-type press work," he says. Griffin contends that the advances in color copying will help fuel more competition between the two markets.

Canon's Olds agrees that color copier quality has improved, but it has not reached the level of offset yet.

"I don't see color copiers doing it yet," Olds observes. "In general though, the two nicely co-exist. With every generation it improves. People have come to accept color copier output."

For the future, Olds sees no limits to what color copiers will be able to do. He speculates there will be some exciting advancements in the near future, such as built-in RIPs and the merging of black-and-white and color copiers into one unit.

Find Out More

To get the specifications on all color copiers, Buyers Laboratory provides a Copier Specification Guide, updated quarterly. It costs $29.95 plus $4 for shipping. Get a year's subscription for $69.95 plus $6 for shipping. For more info call (201) 488-0404 or visit www.buyers-lab.com.

Quick Look

• Vendors are filling out their color copier lines with mid-range units.

• Large numbers of users are networking their color copiers.

• Vendors are building anti-counterfeiting systems into their color copiers.

• Technology advances are heating up the battle between offset and copiers.

• Speed is not always the most important feature.

• Look for color copiers that allow you to control the color management of your work and are easy to calibrate.