No longer just printing

Mark Vella, MFP and copier product manager with Kyocera A/NZ, believes that software will be a key enabler for the channel to increase services revenues, and cites the imminent extension to Australia of the company’s existing partnership with ScanSoft as providing a major impetus.

"The more software solutions we can supply to the channel, the more hardware sales we can get in the channel," Vella says. "Resellers that have a history of selling software and solutions now have a new opportunity to sell the hardware -- this is a huge opportunity to grow our business through the reseller channel."

The convergence of printing, copying and other devices will serve to drive this transition even further, Vella believes, as customers look to squeeze more value from their equipment.

He also agrees with OKI’s de Silva and others that the move towards in-house colour printing presents fresh opportunities for the channel to develop new businesses in specific verticals. "The nature of the beast is that everyone will be able to justify high-end colour in the future."

This is likely to be especially pronounced in the small to medium business segment.

Control, manage, reduce costs

Rebekah O’Flaherty, Hewlett Packard vice president and manager of its Imaging & Printing Group South Pacific, believes that SMBs are now generally more aware of new printing technologies as a means of containing print costs both through third party agencies and via their existing in-house equipment.

Kyocera's Vella: Software a key enabler for services revenue

"We believe that SMB customers are paying more attention to the cost of their output," O’Flaherty says.

Addressing this need, HP has developed a pay per page printer program called PrintAdvantage, which it claims allows customers to better monitor and manage print costs. The company reports strong uptake of the program and expects that it will be one of its key sales drivers moving into next year and beyond. For the customer and the reseller, this program also emphasises the fact that colour printing can be done cheaper in-house.

Looking at the enterprise space, cost of ownership and operation naturally remain of chief concern. "The enterprise segment is also coming to grips with outdated copier contracts that no longer reflect their output environment and that represents a great opportunity for HP and its channel," O’Flaherty says.

"Through our enterprise printing solutions and Total Print Management (TPM) services, HP is helping enterprise customers to better control, manage and reduce the costs of their imaging and printing infrastructure." HP reports that its corporate customers have managed savings of as much as 20 percent via its printing solutions.