Japanese Tsunami Affects Denver

I am sure that everyone is aware that a Tsunami hit Japan, we all we awe stuck as we saw the images of the destruction and chaos.  As you can imagine, any cataclysmic event that strikes the heart of one of the top 5 world economies will certainly have an effect world wide.  We are seeing the effects here in Denver as there is back orders on copiers who have manufacturing headquarters or operational headquarters in Japan.

So, which of the great copier companies are affected the most by the Tsunami?  Here are some of the major copier companies and their headquarters:

• Xerox – Rochester, NY and Wilsonville, OR.
• HP – Palo Alto, CA
• Kyocera Mita — Osaka, Japan
• Canon — Toyko, Japan
• Konica Minolta — Toyko, Japan
• Lexmark — Lexington, KY
• Toshiba — Toyko, Japan
• Ricoh — Toyko, Japan

As you can see, many of the major copier manufacturers out there are Japanese.  Now, this affects lead time for everyone.  First, the major Japanese copier companies will be affected and as they are unable to fulfill demand, the American manufacturers will see a run on their inventory.  If you are buying a copier with a Japanese manufacturer and your copier dealer does not have the copier in stock, there should be a concern about getting the copier in a timely manner.  Some people are also concerned about the radiation from the nuclear plant that was in danger, but we don’t see that as a major concern at this point.  We sell Xerox and Lexmark as our primary two brands as we try and support American manufacturers of copiers.

Please give us a call if you would like a copier quote in Denver!

Print, Copy, Scan, and Fax all with the knowledge you are getting a new copier at a steal and that you are getting a trusted brand for printing and copying technology!

There are many copier manufacturers who are doing “direct sales” these days.  There are associated benefits and detriments to purchasing from a manufacturer direct.  First of all, what copiers can you buy direct?  Xerox copiers, Lexmark copiers, HP copiers, Ricoh copiers, Canon copiers, Oce copiers, Toshiba copiers, Konica Minolta Copiers, the list gets endless.  So why buy from a manufacturer?  Conversely, what are disadvantages?

Advantages of buying a copier from a manufacturer:

• When there is a lemon, they are able to swap out and usually do it quicker
• Their set up engineers often are better at independent reps because they are just dealing with one brand rather than 4, they can learn them better
• They tend to stock a few more parts

Disadvantages:

• Customer service takes a hit in most cases, you get to call to India before you get a real service call going
• They tend to lack loaner devices or are unwilling to deploy them
• They are more rigid on contractual terms
• They are often more expensive using “canned” pricing rather than using special pricing so they can beat the competition.

So, why do manufacturers want to sell direct at all?  Profits.  If they can make an extra $1,000 on a copier deal and not share, that can be appealing.  The problem for them is if they get too aggressive selling direct, every reseller they work with will start switching their installed base with competition.  HP has been experiencing this a lot more over the last few years, so they are losing some printer market share.  Why?  No one can make money and people usually like to work with someone local!

If you are looking for a copier in Denver, please give us a call!

When the market leader begins to introduce products into new markets, there are 2 concerns.  1) The reliability of the product itself.  I would not be concerned with HP on this point because the HP Laserjet 5500, HP Laserjet 5550 and HP Laserjet 9500 have all been rock solid in terms of printing for color tabloid capable printers…  all HP is doing is adding a scanner to an already sucessful printer line.  Pretty straight forward when you have HP’s engineering budget. 2) The other concern is for the competitors.  Anytime HP, Apple, or Microsoft do something in the computing world, it is automatically relevant.  So, it will be interesting to see how product sales in this class go for HP.

Product rating — 4.5 stars out of 5 for performance

3 stars out of five for pricing.

For more information on the HP Laserjet CM6030 or HP Laserjet CM 6040, including spec sheets, please visit our sister site at or if you are in Denver or the Front Range of Colorado you can call the number above:

http://www.laserprintercenter.com/LaserPrinters/HP_Color_Laserjet_CM6030_6040_340163.htm

HP hit the nail on the head…  they sell more of this unit than almost any other printer manufacturer sells in their whole line.  It has also paved the way for other similar devices (i.e. the Lexmark X644e, Xerox WC 4140, Xerox WC 4260, Lexmark X646e, Lexmark X642e, etc…) to gain a major foothold in this market.  So, why did this machine becoming so popular?  There are some simple reasons.

* It’s fast at 45 pages per minute

* It’s easy to use.  It doesn’t have 1,000 options on the interface screen.  It simplifies things!

* It’s HP. If HP started selling pet rocks, they’d probably catch on again…

If you don’t need tabloid, HP has proven it’s a market leader.  For more detailed specs, please visit our sister site:

http://www.laserprintercenter.com/LaserPrinters/HP_LaserJet_M4345_MFP_series_1039.htm