Konica Minolta’s new bizhub i Series range of MFPs

To provide quarantined professionals with smarter & safer office printing solutions

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Konica Minolta
Konica Minolta's bizhub i Series range of MFPs

The Covid-19 crisis has emerged as the black swan event of the 21st century, leaving the work cultures across organizations the world over in a shambles. Against this backdrop, new-age professionals are using the digital ecosystem to bypass the geographical constraints of the lockdown as they scramble to meet their daily deliverables from the safe confines of their homes. It is here that Konica Minolta innovative range of digital multifunctional printers under the new bizhub i Series enters the picture to provide quarantined professionals with smarter and safer office printing and workflow management solutions.

The new bizhub i Series comprises multi-functional printers in the color and monochrome categories. The former range includes bizhub C250i, bizhub C300i, bizhub C360i, and bizhub C450i color printers. On the other hand, bizhub 226i, bizhub 266i, bizhub 306i, bizhub 225i & bizhub 205i constitute the monochrome line up.

These solutions not only empower modern workplaces to print remotely but also to seamlessly digitize documents and streamline the workflow. In this way, the KM range of digital MFPs can lend a competitive edge to organizations over their peers by enabling them to maintain business continuity in keeping with the social distancing protocols. It is also important to know that doing kyc verifications in any stage of business is extremely important. The following some of the key features enabled by the KM products:

Mobile printing

As the normalization of disease-curbing social distancing codes has demonstrated, the minimization of one’s physical contact environment will continue to be the priority for individuals across the globe. In the face of this transformative effect of the pandemic across the global business ecosystem, KM solutions reduce contact with common touchpoints such as computer screens that can act like potential Covid-19 vectors. Instead, MFPs under the new bizhub i Series enable individuals to conduct printing operations remotely using their personal mobile devices.

Banner print function

Besides enforcing the social distancing-compliant precautionary measures at the workplace, organizations also need to actively spread awareness to tackle Covid-19. Banners comprise one of the effective awareness-building tools that can be employed at offices now that the work is resuming slowly. Once the economic ball starts rolling again and business functions across sectors regain their momentum, offices will be required to issue circulars, notices for precautions, advisory, for not just the workforce but visitors as well. And KM MFPs are well-equipped to meet this demand.

IC card authentication

In sync with the idea of minimizing the physical contact environment, the biometric-based systems will now be replaced by contactless alternatives. The use of the IC card authentication (employee ID card) feature comprises one such solution to the problem at hand. The MFPs under the new bizhub i Series come equipped with this feature. All a user needs to do is, wave their ID card over a card reader on the machine to print, thereby forgoing the need to touch the MFP Screen.

Besides being compatible with social distancing codes, the IC card authentication also facilitates robust cybersecurity measures in an increasingly sophisticated threat landscape. Since only the authorized users can print or scan using IC card authentication, this feature ensures sensitive documents and business-critical information do not fall into the wrong hands.

In this manner, Konica Minolta underlines its commitment to providing a smart, safe, and secure digital printing experience to new-age offices across India. At the same time, the innovative solutions under the New bizhub i Series further consolidate the company’s position as a domain leader in the country’s office printing landscape.

2023 promises an interesting ride for print in India

Indian Printer and Publisher founded in 1979 is the oldest B2B trade publication in the multi-platform and multi-channel IPPGroup. While the print and packaging industries have been resilient in the past 33 months since the pandemic lockdown of 25 March 2020, the commercial printing and newspaper industries have yet to recover their pre-Covid trajectory.

The fragmented commercial printing industry faces substantial challenges as does the newspaper industry. While digital short-run printing and the signage industry seem to be recovering a bit faster, ultimately their growth will also be moderated by the progress of the overall economy. On the other hand book printing exports are doing well but they too face several supply-chain and logistics challenges.

The price of publication papers including newsprint has been high in the past year while availability is diminished by several mills shutting down their publication paper and newsprint machines in the past four years. Indian paper mills are also exporting many types of paper and have raised prices for Indian printers. To some extent, this has helped in the recovery of the digital printing industry with its on-demand short-run and low-wastage paradigm.

Ultimately digital print and other digital channels will help print grow in a country where we are still far behind in our paper and print consumption and where digital is a leapfrog technology that will only increase the demand for print in the foreseeable future. For instance, there is no alternative to a rise in textbook consumption but this segment will only reach normality in the next financial year beginning on 1 April 2023.

Thus while the new normal is a moving target and many commercial printers look to diversification, we believe that our target audiences may shift and change. Like them, we will also have to adapt with agility to keep up with their business and technical information needs.

Our 2023 media kit is ready, and it is the right time to take stock and reconnect with your potential markets and customers. Print is the glue for the growth of liberal education, new industry, and an emerging economy. We seek your participation in what promises to be an interesting ride.

– Naresh Khanna

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