What do printers and iPhones have in common aside from a few letters? More and more these days.

Xerox recently rolled out come copiers and MFPs (no the Phaser 8860 is unfortunately not among them) with technology they call an Extensible Interface Platform (EIP), which actually comes with a SDK and allows the creation of server based programs that work with the devices. Cool.

The really cool part is that a company by the name of triboni has developed what they call the Xerox MFP Suite. This app enables document transfer, workflow creation and a bunch of other goodies to be initiated from a myriad of devices, including, sweetly, the iPhone.  iPhone users can receive documents and collaborate with team members without needing a in-between device like a laptop.

What’s it mean? Basically, scan a document in to a device and boom, its accessible to everyone, even the project manager on that business trip in the Caymans. That translates into a lot less error in document transfer, elimination of document loss, streamlining collaboration and making project managers feel uber-important.  Sounds good to me.

So if you travel a lot and don’t feel like lugging your laptop out every time you need to work on a project, this is your stuff.

Hey does anybody smell innovation cooking?

Via: Macworld

Well, Xerox Phaser 8860 users know that the 8860 solid ink printer is a great improvement over traditional laser printers when it comes to the environment, no question. It turns out that Xerox is seeing how this new brand image is worth pursuing, because they’ve recently announced a whole program of printer paper products that are “greener” than ever.

Lest I bore you with ALL of the details, let me just outline one of the paper products that serves as a sort of flagship for Xerox’s greener paper brand position.  It is called the Xerox Color Xpressions(R) Planet 20 Paper, and its is a 20 percent post-consumer, recycled-content offering paper that is also certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).  The idea is that less trees are used in the paper production process, and that what trees ARE used are harvested in a environmentally conscious manner. Sounds great!

Ok, I guess I’m still a little more enamored with the Xerox erasable paper idea, but I’ll take progress in whatever form it presents.  There are several different paper types in the new Xerox lineup, and each possess individual qualities that meet different needs and each posessing some virtue to the environment.  They even have a paper that is made of 50% mechanical fibers. Now I can officially sneer at that archaic Egyptian use of papyrus. Pffsh.

Xerox bolstered the announcement of their new  paper products with a cooperative web component as well. At this site you’ll find a comprehensive paper reference guide with information about environmentally responsible paper choices, tips for “greener” printing, industry expert webcasts about  sustainability and links to the Xerox Green World Alliance recycling program.

To highlight this latest greening of their product line, Xerox is also rolling out a new “green” logo that will identify the sustainability-focused products they offer, as well as give some background on other environmentally friendly initiatives the company is taking. So, while it IS clear that Xerox is attempting to boost its brand with the green movement, at least they’re backing up what they say.

If it makes my life easier AND the earth better, I’m all in.

Ok, I know that everyone out there that owns a Phaser 8860 is aware of how easy it is to install Phaser 8860 ink sticks. Hm. Great. In a single sentence I’ve completely negated the necessity of my own post. Well, then look at this post as a way to illustrate for NON-users just how easy it is to refill and Xerox Phaser 8860. I found this flash installation guide on how to do it and it really seems almost ridiculous how easy the process is. I’ll write it out here, for fun:

1. Open Phaser 8860 cover.

2. Open Phaser 8860 ink sticks package.

3. Drop each Phaser 8860 color stick into corresponding color-coded slot.

4. Repeat step 3 until all Phaser 8860 ink stick slots are full.

5. Close Phaser 8860 cover.

6. Go surf the Internet for 20 minutes while your boss thinks you’re busy refilling the printer.

Pretty cool huh? Anyway, see if you found this Phaser 8860 ink installation flash tutorial as funny as I did. Happy solid ink refilling!

It seems these days people just can’t praise the Xerox 8860 and 8860 MFP enough. ChannelWeb just performed their annual Channel Champions Study and deemed Xerox Corporation the unequivocal winner. ChannelWeb offers the following explanatino of what they do on their About Us page: “ChannelWeb serves individuals and organizations in the ‘technology channel,’ including IT solution providers, VARs, integrators and consultants. We provide IT channel news, reviews and analysis, along with interactive tools, sourcing options, a partnering database, discussion forums and more.”

Hm. Sounds complicated. All the more prestigious that Xerox got an award from them then! Basically, the Channel Champions study identifies the company that offers the greatest benefit to channel business partners, and examines both products and services offered by the company. So yes, you’re right, the Xerox 8860 and Xerox 8860 MFP didn’t get an award specifically, but they definitely contributed to this award. ChanneWeb defined two major contributing factors to Xerox’s supremacy as a channel partner:

-Improvements to the Xerox’s Peak Program, provided to resellers in the US and Canada

-Additions to the company’s product lineup including, among others, the Phaser 8860 MFP

Senior VP of Xerox North American Resellers Jerry Farmer said of the award, “This award comes from the very community we work hard every day to support. In many ways, it’s a validation of our efforts and commitment to creating the best possible relationships with our channel partners.”

While this is somewhat obscure for a lot of us, it means big things to Xerox and especially the future of solid ink printing. It means a lot more exposure in the press, more recognition in the printing industry, and hopefully more profits and so more easy to use office printers down the road.

If you want to read more, check out Xerox’s announcement of the award.

Welcome back! We’re here with new stimulating information in the printing world, specifically our favorite manufacturers HP and Xerox. The feud is deepening between the two printer makers, this time over the “greenness” of their product offerings. HP is playing catch up for a change though. With Xerox’s September 07 release of the Phaser 8860 solid ink printer solidifying its “greenness”, HP was left looking a little foolish and environmentally cruel. Never fear, HP lovers, they’ve found a solution.

Or at least they’re testing one. HP has launched a program is New Zealand and Australia in which they are offering to pay for carbon offsets to diminish their laser printers’ carbon footprint. They’ve teamed up with a company named ClimatePositive, an Australian initiative that reforests sections of southern Australia to help combat global warming. The company sells carbon offsets for AUD $20 per ton of carbon produced. HP is offering to purchase enough carbon offsets to account for the lifetime carbon emissions of every printer sold through April 30, 2008. They say the lifetime of their printers is five years.

Ok, its obvious HP is scrambling to make up for lost ground on the green side of things. As we’ve said in the past, there’s nothing they can really do to discredit the solid ink Phaser 8860. The best that they were able to do in attacking the 8860 solid ink technology was to say that they’d “tried that long ago and found it didn’t work”. What they meant to say was “heads will roll! We missed the enviro angle!” Go figure HP, you were so busy ‘inventing’ that you neglected the impact your inventions.

There’s another angle on this that really incriminates both Xerox and HP though. These companies are obviously using this as nothing more than another cheap marketing ploy. They can play on the sentiment of the day, which happens to be the environmental mantra, and make a buck off of it. I doubt either manufacturer is really concerned with the condition of the earth in couple hundred thousand years. They’re trying to move product, create value for their shareholders, and make customers feel good about buying from them.

Still though, this whole thing is pretty entertaining to watch.