Laser Printers in the C3 segment are generally viewed to have a rapid print speed, whilst operating at a reasonable TCO and delivering acceptable print quality. There are some noticeable differences between Laser Printers in the C3 segment.German PC-Magazin Testlab has extensively investigated the comparisons between the leading Laser Printers to establish which is the most efficient and cost effective. All Laser Printers tested were priced between 500 - 1000 Euro!After carrying out a range of tests on each Laser Printer, PC Magazin are pleased to announce that Konica Minolta’s magicolor 5550 was the winning test champion!Why did the magicolor 5550 beat the competition?The magicolor 5550 has:

• Simple driver installation and printer operation
• Superb colour quality which is unbeatable
• Competitive cost against other brands of Laser Printers, especially for colour A4.
• A variety of options such as duplexer, stapler and paper cassettes makes the 5550 the ultimate complete office workhorse
• Competitive price compared to other brands of Laser Printers, especially for colour A4.

Which other Laser Printers were tested against the magicolor 5550?:



• HP Color LaserJet CP3505n
• Lexmark C532dn
• OKI LBP 5300
• Canon LBP 5300
• Kyocera FS-C5025N
• Epson AcuLaser C3800N
• Brother HL-4040CNSamsung CLP-650

The magicolor 5550 brings high performance and versatility to professional users where high speed and outstanding quality is key. Fitting perfectly into demanding working environments, the magicolor 5550 is an exceptional A4 Colour Laser Printer.


PC-Magazin is a leading German publication with a monthly distribution of roughly 204.000 copies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Konica Minolta announces the availability of the IC-304 Print Controller, powered by CREO, Service Pack 2. This powerful, productive CREO Colour Server features high quality, advanced colour management and complete support for the entire range of finishing configurations for the bizhub PRO C6500 product range.

The IC-304 Print Controller now supports stapling and booklet finishers for the FS-520, FD-501, SD-501, FS-503 (system 3) and the SD-501 and FS-503 (system 10). This latest service pack also features enhanced colour support with improved colour calibration and support for the GretagMacbeth Eye-One Spectrophotometer.

The IC-304 Print Controller also introduces greater productivity with printing SRA3 and SRA4 page sizes that can be output to the main tray. This allows longer and continuous runs when using those sizes, due to the higher capacity of the main tray

Based on CREO Color Server technology, this exclusive print controller developed by the Print On-Demand Solutions (PODS) group, offers Konica Minolta customers advanced features for productivity, high-quality image and colour control, VDP support and ease-of-use. It supports both the smart and production versions of the award-winning Konica Minolta bizhub PRO C6500.

“The IC-304 Print Controller is designed to streamline the print production workflow and enable our customers to significantly increase their productivity. We are proud that with the IC-304 Print Controller, we can provide them with a stable, fast and reliable colour server that prints jobs seamlessly on deadline. Its high performance and user-friendly workflow increases printer productivity and throughput, maximizes printer uptime, and decreases faults and costs”, says Olaf Lorenz, General Manager, Product Marketing Division for Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe.

The IC-304 Print Controller, custom-made for the bizhub PRO C6500 and bizhub PRO C6500e/eP printer, supports the unique Konica Minolta Simitri HD toner, enabling the maximum colour gamut and spectacular results. The IC-304 features superior default colour settings and advanced colour-management tools. Olaf Lorenz says: “With easy colour calibration, the ability to make last-minute colour corrections, spot-colour editing and gradation corrections without re-RIPing, the IC-304 becomes the perfect solution for bizhub PRO C6500 range users who want offset print-like results.”

Using JDF-based connectivity, the IC-304 Controller offers a single workflow for both traditional offset and digital printing. This enables error-free integration for higher productivity, lower costs and increased profitability. The IC-304 integrates easily with leading offset printing workflows including KODAK PRINERGY and KODAK BRISQUE Workflow Systems and other workflows through the PODS Workflow Partnership Programme.

The architecture of the IC-304 Print Controller was designed to leverage comprehensive variable data printing (VDP) solutions for efficient processing of the most complex variable data jobs for one-to-one marketing. The unique Gallop mode accelerates the process by allowing the printing of a long VDP job to start while the job is still RIPing. Each element is RIPed only once but can be reused many times. The server provides full VDP functionality, including imposition.

The IC-304 Print Controller supports all leading VDP formats including PPML, optimised PDF, optimised PostScript and VPS (Variable Print Specification). The PODS VDP Partnership Programme ensures that output from over 25 VDP solution suppliers is compliant with the latest version of the VPS format. Each of these partners’ authoring tools are guaranteed for the immediate creation of full-colour, personalised documents.

About Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe

Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe GmbH is a leading provider of image information products with subsidiaries and distributors in more than 50 countries in the EMEA region. The company places major emphasis on the document management and solution business in the office and production environment, especially in the field of colour output as well as related supplies. Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe is a subsidiary of Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. With a total workforce of 19,800 employees world wide, Konica Minolta Business Technologies gained a net sales of over 4.42 billion Euros in fiscal 2005/2006. Building on its strong core of optical technologies developed over many years as a printer and camera manufacturer, Konica Minolta Business Technologies aims to be a corporation offering products and services that are essential to all areas of digital imaging.

www.konicaminolta.eu

Terms and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and are hereby acknowledged.

About the Print On-Demand Solutions Group

The Print On-Demand Solutions group is an independent unit within Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group that develops and supports high-performance CREO Digital Color Servers for a range of digital printers and presses. It also develops advanced on-demand applications to enable the creation of personalized direct mail, targeted catalogs, and other powerful one-to-one marketing communications tools. For additional information about the Print On-Demand Solutions group, go to:

www.pod-wf.com

Kodak, Creo, Prinergy and Brisque are trademarks of Kodak. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Product images are available at www.konicaminolta-images.com

Contact:

Carlos Baart
Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe
Phone: +49 (0)511 7404-324
Carlos.Baart@KonicaMinolta.eu

 

Claudia Bitzer
Pleon GmbH
Phone: +49 (0)711 210 99-416
Fax: +49 (0)711 210 99-499
KonicaMinoltaTeam@pleon.com

Konica Minolta team
Pleon GmbH
Phone: +49 (0)711 210 99-416
Claudia.Bitzer@pleon.com

Konica Minolta announces a newcomer to its application portfolio with the launch of Open Bee Scan Viewer, a capturing and archiving software package, aimed at enhancing entry-level archiving for small and medium businesses. Designed exclusively for Konica Minolta, the new software is fast, convenient and overcomes digital document management issues such as capturing, indexing, archiving and retrieval of information, typically faced by SMEs. This is the first software of its kind designed with this market in mind.

 

The Open Bee Scan Viewer software is an easy to use and affordable solution for businesses in need of electronic archiving and document storage with a logical central filing system. Designed for document-intensive environments such as manufacturing, logistics, legal, healthcare and government sectors, the Open Bee Scan Viewer helps to improve overall productivity and increase employee efficiency.

 

The software works very simply by indexing documents within customisable templates after the hard copies have been scanned on a bizhub multi-functional peripheral (MFP). The documents are then automatically archived and structured by keywords or other recognisable variables such as a customer code, name or other ID tags using the embedded Optical Character Recognition (OCR) engine within its interface.

 

When the documents need to be retrieved the Open Bee application provides multi-user, web-based document searches (by keywords or full-text), allowing unlimited users to access the information required.

 

In instances where restricted access is required, the administrator can limit users’ rights to certain literature therefore heightening security within the system.

 

Olaf Lorenz, General Manager, Product Marketing Division for Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe says, “It is great to be able to offer our small and medium sized customers a fast and cost effective solution for use with all of their printing and scanning devices. The key to this software is to enable an easy method of search and retrieval for multiple users, making day to day business easier.”

 

The Open Bee Scan Viewer supports PDF and TIFF formats for all types of documents and is compatible with all of Konica Minolta’s bizhub MFP range and other scanning devices that create PDF files.

 

About Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe

Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe GmbH is a leading provider of image information products with subsidiaries and distributors in more than 50 countries in the EMEA region. The company places major emphasis on the document management and solution business in the office and production environment, especially in the field of colour output as well as related supplies. Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe is a subsidiary of Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. With a total workforce of 19,800 employees worldwide, Konica Minolta Business Technologies gained a net sales of over 4.41 billion Euros in fiscal 2006/2007. Building on its strong core of optical technologies developed over many years as a printer and camera manufacturer, Konica Minolta Business Technologies aims to be a corporation offering products and services that are essential to all areas of digital imaging.

www.konicaminolta.eu

 

Terms and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and are hereby acknowledged.

 

Product images are available at www.konicaminolta-images.com

 

 

Contact:

 

Carlos Baart

Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe

Phone: +49 (0)511-7404-324

carlos.baart@konicaminolta.eu

 

Konica Minolta team

Firefly Communications

Phone: +44 (0)20 7386 1508

konicaminoltateam@fireflycomms.com

Konica Minolta Business Solutions announces that it will be one of the first digital imaging manufacturers to support the XML Paper Specification (XPS) file format and Web Services on Devices (WSD) on the bizhub C550 and C451 and all next-generation bizhub multifunctional peripherals (MFPs).

XPS is a new Microsoft Windows Vista file format that allows the user to more accurately and more productively reproduce the layout and colour of the original document on the printed image. Future bizhubs will contain a native XPS interpreter, designed and developed by Konica Minolta, as an extension of the Konica Minolta Emperon print technology, to take full advantage of this new document format.

WSD, Microsoft's new Windows Vista protocol, makes it possible to deliver improved network connectivity, allowing the user to search and install MFPs and print devices more easily. In addition, the technology provides an optimised user experience for sending and receiving documents on the network.

Both the XPS file format and WSD protocols are part of the Windows Vista operating system. The new XPS file format is supported in the Microsoft Office 2007 suite. For the past two years, Konica Minolta has been working closely with Microsoft to ensure that its award-winning bizhub MFPs support both the XPS file format and WSD protocols so that customers will enjoy lower cost and higher quality MFP deployments.

"Our close integration with Windows Vista is key to our commitment to providing the optimal user experience that comes from using a Microsoft certified integration strategy." says Olaf Lorenz, General Manager, Product Marketing Division for Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe. “Vista users can now replicate their incredible on-screen experience in hard-copy.”

"Windows Vista creates a print platform for next generation workflows and XPS is one example of how we are providing a more intuitive and productive experience for customers," said Madelyn Bryant McIntire, Group Program Manager in the Windows Experience group at Microsoft Corp. "Konica Minolta’s new bizhub products will enable our mutual customers to better print, share and archive documents - all in a more secure environment."

In addition, Konica Minolta has confirmed its support for the new Windows Vista operating system by providing compatible printer drivers for a broad range of existing colour and monochrome bizhub MFPs.

The new printer drivers are now built into the Windows Vista operating system. The drivers support the next generation of bizhub products, as well as legacy Konica Minolta MFPs. Additionally, drivers for newer products and updates for the current product line will be provided in stages.

Support for XPS and WSD is already available on the bizhub C550 and bizhub C451 and on all next generation bizhub MFP’s.


About Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe

Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe GmbH is a leading provider of image information products with subsidiaries and distributors in more than 50 countries in the EMEA region. The company places major emphasis on the document management and solution business in the office and production environment, especially in the field of colour output as well as related supplies. Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe is a subsidiary of Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. With a total workforce of 19,800 employees world wide, Konica Minolta Business Technologies gained a net sales of over 4.42 billion Euros in fiscal 2005/2006. Building on its strong core of optical technologies developed over many years as a printer and camera manufacturer, Konica Minolta Business Technologies aims to be a corporation offering products and services that are essential to all areas of digital imaging.


Terms and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and are hereby acknowledged.

 
Product images are available at www.konicaminolta-images.com


Contact:

Susanne Doepke
Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe
Phone: +49 (0)511-7404-401
Susanne.Doepke@konicaminolta.eu


Konica Minolta team
Firefly Communications
Phone: +44 (0)20 7386 1508
konicaminoltateam@fireflycomms.com

Konica Minolta's latest addition to the bizhub range has already been accredited with a prestigious industry award. The compact, high-speed bizhub C451 was part of the bizhub range recently crowned BERTL's BEST for Departmental Colour 2007. The bizhub C451 is the latest addition to include the new InfoLine, combining cutting-edge design and innovative technology.

The bizhub C451 is the most compact in its class and designed to be the hub of the office with its 360° design. Despite its size this MFP packs a powerful punch with its speed and multifunctional capabilities. Thanks to its tandem print technology the bizhub C451 is equally productive in both black and white and colour, with an output of 45 pages per minute. It also features an impressive warm-up time of only 85 seconds.

From the same product line as the bizhub C550, this device exhibits the same unique design that ensures it will be a stylish addition to any office environment.  Features include a full-colour, wide display and tilting touch screen that can be moved to suit a desired position. This screen features thumbnails of each job in the user box, allowing operators to release documents as and when they need them.  This same function on the bizhub C55O was awarded BERTL's first innovation award win.

As well as its sleek exterior, the bizhub C451 features many of the most attractive components of bizhub C550 including: innovative induction heating fusing, Emperon controller technology, fast dual-beam laser writing. It also uses Konica Minolta's Simitri HD toner, guaranteeing outstanding print quality and preventing colour fade or cracks regardless of paper type.

A unique optional feature of the bizhub C451 is the embedded staple finisher and punch kit. This flexible finisher makes booklet production and hole punching easy and features a mail bin function for seamless document clean ups.  Additionally, the bizhub C451 is capable of printing banners of up to 1.2 metres in length.

Olaf Lorenz, General Manager, Product Marketing Division for Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe says, "We are delighted the bizhub C451, the latest addition to our award-winning range, has gained so much recognition already.  We are confident that this MFP will meet the high standards that office printing demands and go on to be a best-seller."

In addition to the set functions, the bizhub C451 offers a selection of optional extras including the BERTL award-winning biometric finger vein authentication scanner. This allows only authorised users to access a company's intellectual property, ensuring the device and network remain secure.

About BERTL
BERTL® Inc. is the premier source for objective, independent product-evaluation reports and comparative analyses on digital imaging devices and software. BERTL's evaluation reports, customer satisfaction research, awards and product ratings are undertaken entirely at BERTL's expense for the benefit of its international subscriber base. At all times, BERTL's primary focus is the end user. BERTL publishes the world's largest library of evaluation reports on copiers, printers, MFPs, fax machines and colour production devices. The reports are available in a range of specialized subscription services: Colour at Work®, LabCheck® and Imaging at Work®. Also available is the DataCheck® service, a database of more than 4,000 products covering all major manufacturers.  www.BERTL.com

About Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe
Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe GmbH is a leading provider of image information products with subsidiaries and distributors in more than 50 countries in the EMEA region. The company places major emphasis on the document management and solution business in the office and production environment, especially in the field of colour output as well as related supplies. Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe is a subsidiary of Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. With a total workforce of 19,800 employees world wide, Konica Minolta Business Technologies gained a net sales of over 4.41 billion Euros in fiscal 2006/2007. Building on its strong core of optical technologies developed over many years as a printer and camera manufacturer, Konica Minolta Business Technologies aims to be a corporation offering products and services that are essential to all areas of digital imaging. www.konicaminolta.eu

Terms and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and are hereby acknowledged.

Product images are available at www.konicaminolta-images.com


Contact

Susanne Doepke
Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe
Phone: +49 (0)511-7404-401
Susanne.Doepke@konicaminolta.eu

Konica Minolta team
Firefly Communications
Phone: +44 (0)20 7386 1508
konicaminoltateam@fireflycomms.com

1. In order to build the strong brand image & awareness in the market as well as to make Konica Minolta as the firm and strong MFP/Printer supplier to continuously grow. Unify our strategy and marketing activities between KMBS and KMPS under one umbrella (one face and common strategy) and unify the local sales organizations and activities to make the sales channels stronger.
2. Legally KMPS shall be merged into KMBS by asset deal and become KMBS’s NL branch intended as of 29th June 2007. Some of the common functions of both headquarters shall be basically integrated and optimized to be more efficient and effective from the customer satisfaction point of view.
3. Subsidiaries of KMPS shall be merged into each subsidiary of KMBS in relevant countries respectively during July – October 2007.

Hideki Okamura, President of Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe GmbH (KMBS) said, “More and more the border of MFP and Printer/AIO industries are crossing over each other and mega-competition in this industry is heating up. Considering the current market environment, I believe that both operations in Europe should act as one company under the unified deployment and business strategy.”

Kanji Wada, Managing Director of Konica Minolta Printing Solutions Europe BV (KMPS) said, “I do believe that combined with planned expansion of product portfolio, the merger will provide us with an excellent opportunity of substantially growing Printer/AIO business and its market presence to truly become one of the leading printer vendors in Europe. We will be also able to manage and optimize our sales channels from both MFP & printer point of view, and create better channel satisfaction as well as customer satisfaction as a consequence.”


Hideki Okamura
President
Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe GmbH
Langenhagen, Germany

Kanji Wada
Managing Director
Konica Minolta Printing Solutions Europe BV
Nieuwegein, The Netherlands


Press contact:

Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe GmbH
Carlos Baart
Manager Corporate Communications
Tel.: +49 511 7404 324
carlos.baart@konicaminolta.eu

Konica Minolta Printing Solutions Europe B.V.
Kristen Miller
PR Manager EMEA
Tel.: +31 30 248 11 46
kristen.miller@bpe.konicaminolta.nl