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Nowadays, everyone is looking for ways to cut down their carbon footprint. Unfortunately, it can be fairly expensive to “go green”. Having a green printing strategy can help you save money at the same time as saving the environment.

Office printing consumes a lot of paper and energy. Based on average usages, it is very easy for your office to contribute tens of thousands of pounds of greenhouse gases to the environment a year.

One simple and effective way to reduce your office’s carbon footprint is to set your printers and copiers to default with two sided printing. By turning two pages into one, you can reduce paper usage by 50%. This small step can save up to 60 trees annually and eliminate up to 14,000 lbs of greenhouse gases. It could also save your company money by using less paper!

Another step to take would be to consolidate your printing and copying devices. These machines use a significantly less amount of energy. By consolidating with a multifunction system you use fewer devices and therefore you require less energy to operate them. This will save you money in electricity costs and also reduce greenhouse gases.

Implementing a green printing strategy can give you the peace of mind that you are reducing costs while preventing harm to the environment.

Not long ago, cellular phones were simply used for phone calls. However, today we can e-mail, text, surf the internet, take pictures, and even watch movies on our cell phones. It is very clear that we expect a single device to do more than just one task. This should not be any different in the workplace.

With the digital revolution in full swing, people are getting more and more used to working with a myriad of devices, each designed to make our lives just that little bit more convenient. The traditional office probably includes printers, fax machines, copiers and scanners. These devices not only take up physical space, but they also consume financial resources. 

Just as our cell phones have integrated with other devices, a multifunction printer (MFP) can combine various document-related tasks into one easy-to-manage machine. With a MFP, your company can cut overhead costs and free up valuable space. Plus, you can help enable remote employees with easy online integration.

In addition to combining printing, scanning, copying and faxing into one machine, the addition of electronic document management will free up even more space and increase productivity. Digital storage is extremely cost-efficient and works in conjunction with a MFP.

It is very easy to take advantage of a single device that can do the job of multiple pieces of equipment. No longer will you have to decide if you should purchase another copier or another desk. Multifunction printers will save your business money and improve workplace efficiency.

Tokyo, August 23, 2010 — Fujitsu today announced that Murata Machinery, Ltd. (Muratec), which manufactures and sells communications equipment including multifunction printers, as well as factory-automated systems, machine tools and other industrial equipment, has recently deployed Fujitsu's chemical substances management system. Muratec's decision to employ the system, which is compliant with the EU's REACH(1) chemical substances legislation, was made to further enhance the company's compliance with chemical substances regulations as part of its broader environmental efforts. The system, which began operations in June 2010, is being used as a new information platform for Muratec Communication Equipment Division, which designs and develops multifunction printers and related equipment.

PLEMIA/ECODUCE, Fujitsu's chemical substances management system, has made it possible for Muratec Communication Equipment Division to accurately track any toxic chemicals used in its products, while making major improvements to the speed, efficiency and quality of its process for managing chemical substances. The company plans to use the system to strengthen its green procurement, of which purchasing eco-friendly components and materials is a major priority.

Background
In 2005, Muratec Communication Equipment Division was among the first to build a chemical substances management system that is compliant with the EU's Restrictions on Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS(2)) and deploys a database system that links with its components list. Within the Muratec Communication Equipment Division, there remained a need to quickly build a database system with the flexibility to serve as an information platform for global regulations and provide robust support for chemical substances management processes. This was essential to help the division meet the EU's initial notification deadline of May 2011 for a company importing an amount totaling over one ton per year of a Substance of Very High Concern (SVHC(3)) that is present above a concentration of 0.1% by weight in each product, as well as to comply with the latest green procurement survey format promulgated by the Japan Green Procurement Survey Standardization Initiative (JGPSSI(4)) and the Joint Article Management Promotion-consortium (JAMP(5)).

In order to meet the needs above, Fujitsu worked in collaboration with Fujitsu Nagano Systems Engineering Limited—which boasts a track record and know-how from helping roughly 110 companies build chemical substances management systems—to construct a system in only three months. The new system was based on Fujitsu's PLEMIA/ECODUCE chemical substances management system and improves the speed, efficiency, and quality of Muratec Communication Equipment Division's process for managing chemical substances, in addition to enabling efficient transmission and sharing of environmental information with business associates.

The new system handles data for chemical substances to be assessed under Muratec Communication Equipment Division's green procurement guidelines, as well as data for Substances of Very High Concern as designated under REACH regulations. The new system enables integrated data management for more than 2,000 components in a single product. It also allows users to retrieve and view products and components using a variety of parameters, including materials and chemical substances, and list them. As the system enables regulated substances to be added, referenced, and registered, these substances can be used as a basis for quickly specifying and surveying materials and components that employ problematic substances. Furthermore, the system can survey materials and components procured from business partners on a per-company basis, making the surveying process quicker and efficient, thereby reducing the workload involved.

Based on the PLEMIA/ECODUCE chemical substances management system, which enables customers to accurately and efficiently manage and transmit information on chemical substances throughout the supply chain, including product and materials manufacturers, Fujitsu plans to continue building systems to support customers in managing chemical substances, a process that has become increasingly complex due to the need to comply with REACH regulations and green procurement.

Figure: New information platform based on PLEMIA/ECODUCE at Muratec Communication Equipment Division

Glossary & Notes

1. REACH: European Union's regulation on chemicals and their safe use. It deals with the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemical substances. Effective as of 1 June, 2007.
2. RoHS: Restrictions on Hazardous Substances Directive. European Union Directive that restricts the use of six substances (mercury, lead, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls, and polybrominated diphenyl ether) in electrical and electronic equipment. Effective as of 1 July, 2006.
3. SVHC: Substances of Very High Concern. A list of substances, maintained by the European Chemicals Agency, taken from those thought to have adverse effects on human health and the environment. In the future, the list is expected to grow to include roughly 1,500 substances.
4. JGPSSI:Japan Green Procurement Survey Standardization Initiative. A council of leading electronics manufacturers, founded in January 2001, that seeks to reduce the labor involved in conducting green procurement surveys and improve the quality of responses received by creating standardized survey-materials lists and survey-response formats.
5. JAMP: Joint Article Management Promotion-consortium. A trade group established in September 2006 as an initiative to promote cross-industrial activities contributing to its mission—to properly manage information on chemical substances contained in an article (another term for components, molding, etc.), and to establish and disseminate a concrete system for disclosing and transmitting this information throughout the entire supply chain.
6. AIS:Article Information Sheet. Format specially used by JAMP to distribute information regarding the chemical substances contained in products. Information detailed includes such items as mass, region and materials used in molded products, as well as materials relevant to management regulations such as relevance, chemicals, amount, and density.

This article was originally posted on Bertl.

It is very easy for your IT team to become overwhelmed by end user issues and lose sight of your company’s core business initiatives. Many of these end user issues relate to office printing. Paper jams, offline systems and supply shortages consume IT professionals because rarely can they fix these issues remotely.

Luckily, there is a solution. Managed Print Services (MPS) can help your IT personnel focus on their tasks. Furthermore, MPS will make your entire printer fleet more efficient and cost effective by eliminating printer management from the tasks of your IT team and providing the following services:

· On Site Service: A certified technician will come to your office to take care of any service issues with your devices.

· Maintenance: Like all mechanical devices, printers require maintenance. With MPS, your devices will receive preventative maintenance to minimize printer downtime.

· Help Desk Support: MPS provides your end users with a number to call for all their printing questions, reducing distractions to your IT department.

· Supplies Management: Manage Print Services will monitor supplies for all your various devices. You will receive supplies as necessary to avoid extra storage needs without being stuck without supplies when necessary.

IT resources are critical to the success of your company. Now you can ensure your IT department can stay focused by enrolling in Managed Print Services.

Did you know that documents can cost your business up to 3% of your annual revenue? And a large portion of this expense comes from office printing. However, when properly managed, you can reduce your printing expense by nearly 30% while simultaneously increasing productivity in your office.

The first step to decreasing costs is to centralize the purchase of printer supplies. Often times, print supplies are purchased by individuals or departments. Furthermore, print cartridge expenses become buried in supply budget lines, making print costs impossible to track.

By centralizing your printer supply purchasing, you will be able to take advantage of several vital benefits, including:

· Management Control: By moving printer operation costs from departmental supply budgets to a single manageable line item you will be able to easily identify the areas that have the highest print costs

· Lower Costs: Take advantage of centralized purchasing by consolidating print cartridge purchasing. Supply orders can be made in bulk and inventory can be reduced to lower total costs.

All it takes to start saving is a print management assessment. We can help you identify printer cost savings and employ tactics to lead to a more profitable print environment. To learn more, contact us today.

Offices everywhere continue to explore how they can reduce their carbon footprint. However, many offices fail to realize that some of the biggest power consumers are copiers and printers.

With today’s multifunction systems, it is very easy to install a single machine that will print, copy, scan and fax. A typical workgroup consumes 481 kWh per month and costs over $600 per year to power. Now think about how many workgroups are in your company and see how more devices, may not always be better.

Reducing the power consumption of your printer and copier fleet makes both environmental and economic sense. Here are a few ways that we can help you accomplish this:

Solution 1: Device Consolidation

A practical solution for decreasing costs is consolidating devices with multifunction systems that print, copy, fax and scan. Today, there are many options available that include compact desktop systems, robust workgroup and even departmental systems.

Solution 2: Power Saver Modes

Energy Star certified devices are the best at saving power whenever possible. These devices can be set to enter sleep mode and even turn off automatically at night. Older systems take a long time to warm up, and therefore discourage offices from turning them off. However, most new systems have technology that lets them warm up from sleep mode quickly, minimizing the interruption to your work.

Solution 3: Retire Older Devices

Some of the biggest power hogs may be older printers and copiers that have been kept around for convenience and because they aren’t technically broken. Many of these are hidden under desks and shoved into corners. While they may be convenient, it probably does not make sense to power a printer that is only printing a handful of pages every month, especially when power is so expensive. In the interest of power savings, it may make sense to retire and recycle these systems in exchange for a more cost-efficient device.

We can help you reduce the power usage and carbon footprint of your organization. Contact us today to learn more about how you could start saving the environment and money today!

BURLINGTON, Mass., August 2, 2010 – Nuance Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: NUAN), a leading provider of speech and imaging solutions, today announced the new release of its award-winning desktop PDF software, Nuance PDF Converter Enterprise 7. The new release of Nuance’s flagship PDF product delivers the rich features users want in desktop PDF, with some features that surpass all others in delivering time-saving value in the office – all at about one third the cost of Adobe® Acrobat®.

PDF Converter Enterprise 7 promises to extend Nuance’s leadership as the number one alternative to Adobe Acrobat, delivering a robust set of innovations and enhancements that result in a smarter PDF solution for the office. Important innovations in the release include visual document assembly, which makes it easier than ever to combine paper, PDF and Microsoft Office documents into a single PDF, and a Web PDF toolbar that puts the full power of the product directly into leading Web browsers. Office workers wanting paperless features gain robust PDF scanning capabilities, including one-click scanning with scan-and-markup capabilities. Enterprise-wide collaboration and workflow is enabled through robust connectivity to Microsoft SharePoint and enterprise content management systems.

“We selected Nuance PDF Converter Enterprise over alternatives because it was significantly less expensive,” said Mark Karten, Realtor, The Karten Group at Realty Executives of Nevada. “But even better than the lower cost of licensing, Nuance’s focus on PDF productivity features saved us hours of effort when working with paper, PDF and Microsoft Office documents. If you need PDF in the office, we recommend Nuance.”

In 2003 Nuance and Microsoft Corp. collaborated on PDF Converter, the first-ever product to turn PDF into editable and fully formatted Microsoft Office documents. The new release benefits from this continued collaboration, delivering unique first-ever features such as support for Microsoft Silverlight rich media within PDF files, Windows 7 jump-lists for frequent PDF tasks, direct access to Microsoft SharePoint, and the Web PDF toolbar for Internet Explorer.

“Nuance’s focus on all open document formats, including PDF and Open XML, results in a PDF desktop application that delivers significant office productivity benefits to both individuals and organizations,” said Kim Akers, general manager for global partners at Microsoft. “We are especially excited to see PDF solutions that leverage the power of Microsoft Office, SharePoint and Silverlight in order to streamline the way organizations work with paper and digital documents.”

The Smarter PDF for Office

PDF Converter Enterprise 7 delivers innovations and enhancements focused on saving time and effort when creating, sharing and storing documents in the office. Key new capabilities include:

Smarter PDF Document Assembly – The new visual document assembly feature makes it “drag and drop” easy to combine existing Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents with PDF documents – adding the entire document or specific pages.

Smarter PDF for the Web – The new Web PDF toolbar lets users customize the way they interact with PDF files directly within Microsoft Internet Explorer, FireFox and Google Chrome Web browsers. Users can convert a PDF to Word or Excel, annotate the document and then re-save a PDF. They can even turn a static PDF form on the Web into a fill-able PDF electronic form using the FormTyper feature – without leaving their browser.

Smarter PDF-to-Office Conversion – Already the accuracy leader, the new release improves accuracy by a further 20 percent, converting PDF into fully-formatted Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and Corel WordPerfect documents.PDF-to-Excel conversion has been enhanced to enable multiple PDF files to be combined into a single Excel spreadsheet.

Smarter PDF Scanning – Nuance has added its famous one-click scanning to the product, insulating users from often arcane scanner settings. Better still are the scan-and-highlight and scan-and-redact features, which combine scanning with the automatic search and highlight/redact feature.

Smarter PDF Search – Searching within one or more PDF files just became more useful and powerful. The release includes Looks-Like Search, which finds items that have distinct patterns, such as text that looks like a phone number or email address. Also new is search-and-markup, which uses keywords to automatically highlight matches throughout the PDF document.

Smarter PDF for Paperless Workflows – Users can now directly open, edit and save PDF documents with leading content management systems, including Microsoft SharePoint; Autonomy iManage WorkSite; OpenText DocsOpen, Connectivity Solutions (eDocs/Hummingbird) and LiveLink. The product also includes support for the eCopy Inbox, providing direct connectivity to Nuance eCopy ShareScan, the best selling network scanning and document workflow solution for multifunction printers (MFP).

Pricing and Availability
The complete family of Nuance PDF solutions is available through Nuance’s global network of reseller, retail and e-commerce partners. Nuance PDF Converter Enterprise 7 is $149 with volume discounts available through the Nuance Open License Program. PDF Converter Professional 7, targeting individuals and small workgroups, is $99.  Upgrade pricing and support products are also available. For additional information on features, pricing and volume licensing programs, please visit www.nuance.com/pdf or call +1-800-443-7077.

Interactions with your clients generate a lot of paper work including consultations, office visits, contracts and invoices. In order to manage the vast amount of documents and information that inundates your office, it is imperative to have an innovative and efficient system that allows for easy storage and quick retrieval. With a document management system, you will be able to access all of your documents from the convenience of your computer’s desktop without sacrificing information security. Whether you are in the medical industry, education, or other professional services, a document management system can fit your business.

With a document management system, you can easily create custom folders to manage all your company’s information. The integration of a document management system allows for a more efficient and cost effective way to grow your business and improve customer service. The system endows you with an accessible and user-friendly access point for all client records. The system takes you one step closer to a paperless environment by making it easier to replace your bulky filing cabinets with streamlined hard drives.

Document management systems capture and store the scanned documents using a simple multifunction system. You can easily convert paper documents to a digital format. Once you have a digital document, you can easily pass them from department to department and even to your clients. Retrieving documents has never been easier. Instead of sifting through hundreds of paper files, you can call up documents by keyword or date.

You can easily email or fax multiple electronic documents and also scan and upload multiple documents at once in an efficient manner. You will be able to communicate important information to colleagues, clients, prospects and business partners. With all the possible benefits, there is no doubt your company could grow with a document management system.

The health of the environment is a pretty hot topic these days. Hybrid vehicles, biodegradable packaging and reusable grocery bags are just some of the ways society has been inundated by environmental friendly technologies.

It didn’t take long for companies to realize they need to reduce their carbon footprint, too. However, in today’s tight financial economy, it can be hard to adopt expensive albeit green technology. Luckily, designing and implementing a green printing strategy can help save the environment and save money.

A green printing strategy starts with the goal of reducing the carbon footprint of office printing by targeting paper usage and energy usage. When these areas are optimized, the combined environmental and economic impact is amazing.

1. Reduce Paper Usage

It take almost two thirds of a tree to create one case of paper and the production of a single ton of copy paper produces almost 6,000 pounds of greenhouse gases.

The average office employee consumes 2 cases of printer/copier paper each year. Therefore, a company with 100 office employees will consume 120 trees per year and releas over 28,000 pounds of greenhouse gasses just in their paper usage. With a case of paper costing over $30, the annual cost for this company would be $6,000 or $500 per month.

One simple strategy to reduce paper usage is to set your printers and copiers to default to duplex (two sided) printing. This easy step can reduce your paper usage by up to 50% and save over 60 trees per year. On top of saving the environment, reducing paper usage can save the company up to $3,000 per year.

2. Consolidate Printer and Copier Devices

Printers and copiers use a considerable amount of energy. The average office copier consumes 285 KWh of electricity each month while an average printer consumes 49 KWh. A company with 10 copiers and 50 printers requires electricity that takes approximately 46,500 pounds of coal. Burning this much coal emits 132,525 of greenhouse gasses each year and costs about $6,000.

Many companies are realizing that they can consolidate printer and copier devices with Energy Star certified multifunction systems. A smaller fleet of devices requires less energy to operate. Strategically placed multifunction systems that print, copy, fax and scan can easily lessen the energy requirements necessary and save big money. By decreasing energy usage, the amount of coal burned is greatly decreased.

Creating a green print strategy is a great way to save the environment and save money for any office.

Keying in data off of business forms is often a very monotonous and time-consuming process. Plus, the more the processes are rushed, the more errors are made.

Fortunately, you can utilize your multifunction systems to automatically enter routine data. Data Capture software has the ability to read data from scanned documents and translate it into your business applications. It can also index the scanned documents for easy retrieval later on.

Data Capture software uses Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology to translate scanned text into editable text. When the document is scanned using a multifunction system, it is routed to a folder where it is processed.

The software allows you to set up capture zones to handle multiple areas of information. These OCR zones can acquire the data and insert them into their respective data fields. In order for this to work correctly, all you need is a uniform form that is structured similarly every time such as an invoice, delivery ticket or an explanation of benefits. Consistent layout is key.

Data Capture technology provides the ability to replace manual data entry in a variety of ways. A couple of examples include: processing invoices, storing scanned documents for retrieval at a later date, organizing delivery/shipping tickets and even managing payroll.

Minimizing manual data entry can drastically improve the cost-efficiency of your office and it can be applied to a variety of situations.