Printing doesn’t have to be complicated, but, let’s face it – for every user who wants something different from the print device, the complexity increases. What started as printing a piece of paper has grown to two-sided printing, imaging, multiple paper weights and colors, faxing, scanning, mobile printing – the list goes on and on.
Is it any wonder how printers, all-in-one printers and workflows got so complicated?
While the engineers and designers focus on how to make technical stuff work, the users are left to figure out how these multiple functions can make their work simpler, quicker and efficient. The good news is that the technology does all of this!
The Bridge Between Physical and Digital Workflows
Your printer has multiple roles, which means it may be the final step in a process, or it could be an on ramp to a digital workflow. Regardless, your printer makes a difference in your costs, your customer’s experience, data security, and productivity.
The average worker can spend as much as three minutes waiting for a print job from a central printer. All that time adds up, which is why we say “workplace assistants” when we talk about the latest portfolio of Xerox printers and multifunction printers. Built-in tools help you boost productivity with features like:
- Installation wizards to guide non-technical users through set up.
- Preview of scans and faxes at the user interface.
- Optical Character Recognition for scanned documents that are searchable.
- Access to popular cloud-based services like Google Drive, Dropbox, and Office 365
- Access to customized apps that allow you to create a more touchless workplace, mobile print, translate documents into other documents, convert documents from hard copy to mp3, and much, much more.
Printer Apps Redefine How Work Gets Done
That last point, customized apps, are the key better workflows. Apps make it easier to use devices as part of digital workflows to the cloud and other platforms and applications. Moreover, users can expand device functionality simply by adding capabilities from an ever-expanding app gallery, or build their own apps. The result is less time at the printer or MFP, and work that flows from the physical world into the digital realm more efficiently, gets completed a lot faster, and is fulfilled more accurately.
Your multifunction printer can help you work better, faster, smarter — and cut down on wasted staff time and energy at the same time. Existing paper-based processes can be converted easily to digital — and back — for faster, more efficient service. For instance, a contract could be generated and populated online, printed out for a client’s signature, and then scanned back into the system. This is why owners of small- and medium-sized businesses need a more critical eye when they assess new print devices. The right one will help them harness the power of new technology!
Our selection of next-generation multifunction printers represent a vital component of information flow, which is the lifeblood of organizations in the knowledge economy. Contact us, your trusted print technology and office equipment experts, and see what you can do with the right printer and what your printer can do when you install the right tools.
(From the editor: This blog was originally published on Xerox Connect.)
