Inkjet & Digital Printing

Konica Minolta and Equitrac Deliver World Class Print and Cost Management Solutions to Drive Down the Cost of Doing Business

Friday 24. July 2009 - Integrated Solution Features Follow-You Printing for Individualized Print Services

Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta), a leading provider of advanced imaging and networking technologies for the desktop to the print shop, and Equitrac Corporation (Equitrac), an award winning print and cost management solutions provider, today announced the integration of Equitrac’s print management software with multifunctional printers (MFPs – print, copy, fax, and scan all in one system) by Konica Minolta. Part of the Equitrac Office and Equitrac Express family of print and cost management software solutions, Equitrac Integrated for Konica Minolta takes full advantage of Konica Minolta’s bEST open API platform, which is part of the powerful bizhub OP system structure. This integrated solution on select Konica Minolta MFPs delivers enhanced document security, protected personal information, and the user mobility and convenience of Equitrac’s Follow-You printing without terminals to purchase, install or maintain.

“Our customers will be able to increase efficiencies and reduce costs through the rich print management functionality and convenience of having Equitrac solutions integrated in their Konica Minolta MFPs,” said Kevin Kern, Vice President, Marketing, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. Inc. “Customers can now take control of print output costs and help eliminate print waste in their networks. Through our partnership with Equitrac, our customers can continue to count on Konica Minolta.”

The Equitrac Integrated for Konica Minolta solution delivers world class features and benefits:

Saves time and increases productivity
Follow-You Printing with Secure Document Release increases mobility and productivity by freeing users to output documents at the Konica Minolta MFP of their choice – across servers, departments and even geographic boundaries. Freed from reliance on a single printer, users can output documents when and where they are needed and avoid the inconvenience of printers that are busy or out of service.

Instant authentication
For added convenience, network login or ID entry on the device provides users instant authentication to access the full power of the Konica Minolta MFP without having to continually re-enter credentials for copying, scanning, faxing or email services. Fully standards-based, Follow-You Printing is compatible with IPSec encryption and supports alpha-numeric login, PIN entry, and magnetic stripe or proximity card authentication.

Increased security, confidentiality and compliance
Equitrac’s Follow-You Printing is easy to use and helps keep confidential materials confidential. Rules-based printing requires jobs to be released only when the sender is physically at the device. Through its ability to account for and report all document output activity, Follow-You Printing helps organizations comply with HIPAA, Sarbanes-Oxley and other privacy requirements.

Print waste reduction
Follow-You Printing and Secure Document Release reduce print waste through the elimination of abandoned print jobs on the tray. Rules-based printing allows for certain types of print jobs to be sent to specific printers that deliver the most cost effective output. Additionally, print jobs in the queue that are not authenticated for release, are automatically deleted through rules established by the print network administrator. More efficient paper and ink usage in the office environment directly supports company environmental sustainability initiatives.

Equitrac Integrated delivers Follow-You Printing in a heterogeneous print environment
With terminal-based solutions for non-Konica Minolta equipment and a single convenient administrative interface for managing a fleet, Equitrac is the first to deliver software solutions that bring the security of Follow-You Printing to multi-vendor environments.

“This economy demands cost and waste reduction strategies in every aspect of a business,” said Equitrac Vice President of Marketing and Strategic Alliances Noel O’Dwyer. “Equitrac solutions integrated directly into Konica Minolta’s MFP devices, and likewise the customer’s print network, optimize the ability to manage MFPs across an organization. This comprehensive management solution benefits the organization through automated print management that securely manages output and reduces print costs and print waste.”

Equitrac Office & Equitrac Express
Today’s businesses and schools have very unique needs for print and copy management. Resource and budget-constrained IT departments struggle on a daily basis to provide uninterrupted printing and copying services to a wide variety of departments and users. At the same time, they are expected to provide convenience, quality, reliability and fair access to the print facilities. Equitrac Office and Equitrac Express provide the tools for managing, controlling and reducing the output costs, helping to achieve these goals and control costs.

Unlike other print management solutions, Equitrac Office and Equitrac Express support a variety of print workflows, database types, operating systems and user verification methods, providing greater implementation flexibility. The solutions offer an affordable, yet powerful system for small environments, while at the same time providing a scalable solution for enterprise environments.

Equitrac Office and Equitrac Express have component-based architectures that enable the addition of optional components, shared across the Equitrac document accounting solutions. This modularity simplifies the expansion of the solution in growing businesses and ultimately offers a solution that will easily adapt to the evolving requirements of our customers. This architecture integrates tightly with the print server’s printing subsystem for robustness, efficiency and accuracy. This ensures that the product will be reliable, and provide the most accurate print tracking information.