What’s hot in printing? We ask Digital Document Solutions

What printing products and services do you specialise in?

Our main partner is Sharp, and we also partner strongly with OKI and Kyocera.

When did your company first get involved in this area?

This business was founded in 1998, however, myself and [company director] Chris Wilcock have a history in the industry going back about 30 years as a Sharp and Kyocera partner.

What are your credentials?

Industry experience and what we have learned over 30 years. I started in the industry as a copier technician. I have owned my own copier business and increased my knowledge and experience in sales and administration.

Who are your main distributors for printing technology?

We’re a dealer and buy direct from the vendors for our core products, Sharp copiers and the OKI ES Executive Series range of printers and devices. 

Heard about any cool developments in print lately?

The industry is changing and evolving: it’s more around software solutions these days as in document management and scanning, and incorporating those into print and multifunction devices. For us, it's about helping our clients take full control of their printing and document management requirements. 

Tell us about a recent printing deployment

We implemented a significant roll-out of devices for the Royal Gurkhas Association: the Gurkhas Institute of Technology. This included 14 multifunction devices which were incorporated with a cost recovery software solution, PaperCut – a market leader in cost recovery solutions. With the implementation of a fully managed print solution and PaperCut, we have saved the customer 25 percent on their printing costs.

What is driving customers’ printing projects?

Everybody talks about the paperless office. However, it is still a way off. At this point in time, I feel that businesses are printing more than ever. As we experience generational change, people will embrace technology and use more scanning and document management than printing.

Printing is...

 A necessary evil for all businesses, and I think it will decline in the coming years.