Friday, September 25, 2009

Once upon a time...



Click HERE to find out.

Copiers, Printers and Feng shui.


Feng Shui The Chinese art or practice of positioning objects, especially graves, buildings, and furniture, based on a belief in patterns of yin and yang and the flow of chi that have positive and negative effects. Definition from answers.com

Ok, set aside the mystical aspect of this concept and your left with a principle that is most useful in managed print services. How so? Well one of the most important aspects of managing an offices printers and or copiers is the location of a centralized printer as well as the location of smaller desktop laser printers or MFPs. If Chuck from accounting is printing on a machine that has a higher CPC and is doing a thousand prints a month while Susie from sales is using a machine with a lower CPC and does one hundred prints a month then you can see where the principle of said ancient Taoist art comes into play. Such a situation needs some business grade Feng Shui.

Arranging, adding or removing your printers and copiers in a way that is going to maximize productivity and keep your document output costs down is a huge part of MPS and regardless of how much better your positive "qi" energy is flowing when your MPS provider makes said arrangements, additions or removals you will be saving money. One could argue that by making your CEO happy you may very well bring about such positive energy.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Destroy a Printer Video Game.



Yes you read right, there is a FREE online game called "Destroy a Printer" who's creators obviously have some pent up aggression against their office equipment. So while you come up with an idea for our 2010 "Destroy Your Printer Video Contest" have at a virtual alternative with weapons like a baseball bat, crow bar and more! you can play the game HERE.

Monday, September 21, 2009

The bigger they are the harder they fall



So according to the channel insider blog and their "Xerox Fires Back on Managed Print Services" article, Xerox seems to be having a fit over all the fuss that HP is making about now being present in the managed print services industry. David Bates, vice president for Xerox's office group is quick to point out that HP is but a startup within the MPS industry despite the fact of their longevity in the technology industry in general. Dave goes on to say "They may have a relationship with the customer, but do they have the experience to know how to optimize these products? Do they have the workflow knowledge?"

What is funny about Xerox throwing stones is the fact that they do indeed live in a glass house. Compared to some smaller companies like us here at Expert Laser Services they too are but toddlers in the realm of managed print services. They are lagging behind or at best only recently catching up to a program like ours that is over 15 years in the making. With that being said it can't be denied that Xerox is a behemoth not unlike HP and I am sure some would say "who cares if your company has been in MPS longer you guys are a small company, a blip on the radar." These oafs of the industry fail to realize that what starts as a small blip may end as the beast who sinks your ship.

Indeed I scoff at these oafs who claim to be managed print services experts. They are but monsters with big budgets and clever marketing teams. Folks who aggregate industry jargon that means nothing to the people who need the product. If you want something done right you go to the experts who have years of experience, of which all the big boys pizazz will never be equal too.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Laser Printer Sales, Service and Repair. Plus Managed Print Services!



We sell, service and repair laser printers and copiers. We also offer an excellent Managed Print Services program called PrintDOME which has been developed over the past 15 years and has thousands of printers and copiers under contract. Visit our homepage HERE. We are located in Southbridge, MA.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Canned Food Drive, Please Donate!



I decided to put out a box for a canned food drive in our lobby and donate the food to a local Worcester, MA charity called Rachael's Table. After a week I got two more businesses to allow me to put out donation boxes. Now I am working with a local supermarket to set up a third drop spot. It seems the drive is growing and I thought hey, why not hit the net? So if you or anyone you know would be so inclined please send your canned food or boxed food donations (NO GLASS) to

Expert Laser Services
1 North Street
Southbridge, MA 01550

even if 50 people sent one can it could make a huge difference. The Drive will go until the week before thanksgiving at which point the food will be delivered to Rachael's Table. Here is the info about the food pantry

Rachael's Table Distributes donations to over 40 Charity's in the city of Worcester, MA!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Social MPS

Although you see some examples today, social media still has a long way to go in the B2B realm. I am pleased to say that within the context of our company (a B2B and MPS provider) Social Media has proved to be a valuable addition to our marketing plan. For us, social media has spawned local and international media attention, several prospects and a new customer all in the short few months time that we have had a social media program. As the creative marketing professional who suggested, organized and launched Expert Laser Services social media program I am happy to say that I think B2B social media really has a place within the Managed Print Services Industry.

There was a time when the prospect of working in an office seemed like a creative and or mental death sentence for me. A fate where I would be stifled artistically yet able to pay my mortgage and have health benefits. How ever after several years of being tossed around my company in various odd jobs landing a web/graphic design, SEM/SEO and Social Media Marketing roll I realized this industry could indeed be creative and fun at least from a marketing perspective.

Through musical MPS experiments, printer destruction contests and other oddities I have made connections with a lot great people within the MPS industry and was surprised to find individuals with as much if not more creative flare for the MPS industry as me. Greg Walters "Death of the Copier" blog has provided some inspiration for my Adventures in Office Imaging blog. Granted our sense of humour is a bit different, My focus is a creative perspective on industry relevant topics mixed with humor and knowledge of said focus while "DOTC" has a slightly sarcastic, rather entertaining but very professional and very readable twist on its content which is very much focused on "as they happen" industry developments and industry wisdom as well as great technology tidbits.

Now with the MPSA in place we see people all over this industry starting to garner a focus and determination to move MPS forward (even if the buzz is the low hum of intense activity).

The MPS community is just that, a group of people from large and small companies alike exploring this brave new world of the imaging industry and I am happy to say that social media and creative minds have a place in said brave new world. Which for me is wonderful because being "trapped" in an office has the potential to be a rewarding, creative and humours realm of an industry that has uber potential for incredible financial growth.

To the future MPS and social media I say HAZA!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

"Destroy Your Printer Contest" Goes annual!

Due to the amazing response we have received for our "Destroy Your Printer Contest" the contest will now be an annual event. With that being said you will all have plenty of time to figure out how to take out your frustrations on your most hated printer or copier. Plus as always there will be a great prize for the winner. Looking forward to July 2010!