Konica Minolta, Ricoh And Sharp

Earn Fall 2009 BLI Picks

January 5, 2010 Wokingham (UK) Buyers Laboratory Inc. (BLI), the worlds leading independent
evaluator of document imaging products and solutions, today announced its Fall 2009 Pick awards
honouring outstanding A3-size MFPs from Konica Minolta, Ricoh and Sharp. BLIs semi-annual Pick
awards are given to the hardware and software offerings that measure up as the best in BLIs
comprehensive evaluations, which assess a wide range of the most important features and performance
factors for buyers.
The Fall 2009 Copier MFP Pick winners are:

Konica Minolta Business
Technologies, Inc.

Konica Minolta bizhub C220/C280
Outstanding 21- to 30-ppm A3
Colour MFPs

Konica Minolta bizhub C360
Outstanding 31- to 40-ppm A3
Colour MFP


Ricoh Europe

Ricoh Aficio MP C2050
(Also sold as the Gestetner MP
C2050, Infotec MP C2050,
Nashuatec MP C2050 and Rex
Rotary MP C2050)
Outstanding Up to 20-ppm A3
Colour MFP

Ricoh Aficio MP C5000 with EFI
Fiery Controller
(Also sold as the Gestetner MP
C5000, Infotec MP C5000,
Nashuatec MP C5000, and Rex
Rotary MP C5000)
Outstanding 41- to 50-ppm A3
Colour MFP


Sharp Electronics

Sharp MX-M283N
Outstanding 21- to 30-ppm A3
Monochrome MFP

Sharp MX-M363
Outstanding 31- to 40-ppm A3
Monochrome MFP

Sharp MX-M453
Outstanding 41- to 50-ppm A3
Monochrome MFP

Sharp MX-M503
Outstanding 41- to 50-ppm A3
Monochrome MFP

Konica Minolta Colour Series Rises To The Top In Low- To Mid-Speed Ranges
For their impressive overall performances, Konica Minoltas 22-ppm bizhub C220, 28-ppm bizhub C280,
and 36-ppm bizhub C360 have earned Fall 2009 BLI Pick awards for Outstanding A3 Colour MFPs in
their respective speed ranges.
The models offer exceptional ease of use and strong productivity in key test areas, while also proving to
be highly reliable, making a strong case for these as the best in business colour for Fall 2009, said BLI
Assignments Editor George Mikolay.
Results of BLIs job stream test in colour, which simulates real-world usage, were impressive, as all three
models achieved above-average efficiency from both the PCL and PostScript drivers. Black and colour
duplex copy and print efficiency results were also very good to outstanding overall, which is crucial as
users attempt to lower running costs and improve environmental friendliness.
All three models are also on the cutting edge for innovation. With the MyTab feature, a Spring 2009 BLI
Outstanding Achievement winner, commonly used print job selections can be configured and saved on
one tab, allowing users to take full advantage of the driver feature set with a minimum of fuss and less
risk of errors, as all required features can be viewed at a glance. Further, the Quick Copy tab allows
users to select features for a typical copy job from one tab. Third-party software developers can also
integrate their document management and cost accounting solutions with the devices via bizhub
Extended Solution Technology (bEST).
We at Konica Minolta are honoured that BLI recognized all three of the systems in the bizhub
C360/C280/C220 Series of colour MFPs, said Kevin Kern, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Konica
Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. These awards echo the same sentiment were seeing in the
marketplace. Additionally, its great validation how our end-users can count on Konica Minolta to meet
the diverse needs of today's ever-changing workplace.

Duplex Productivity, Reliability And Superior Networking Garner Ricoh Acclaim
In a world where companies are switching to duplex workflow, the Ricoh Aficio MP C2050 makes for a
very compelling solution with duplex print and copy productivity running above 100% efficiency in BLIs
multi-set tests, helping it to earn a Fall 2009 BLI Pick for Outstanding Up to 20-ppm A3 Colour MFP.
Demonstrating near-flawless reliability and superior network attributes, the Ricoh Aficio MP C2050 is an
excellent choice for budget-conscious buyers.
The units feedback to workstations is excellent, and the device offers very good administrative utilities
and a range of print drivers, including standard PCL 5c/6 and RPCS drivers, as well as an optional Adobe
PostScript 3 print driver. Its ease of use is very good overall, and support for Ricohs Embedded Software
Architecture enables users to run embedded applications for additional capabilities.
To witness a device delivering productivity above its rated maximum is very rare indeed, and when it
does so in duplex mode, the achievement is all the more impressive, said BLI European Laboratory and
Research Manager David Sweetnam.
BLIs 2009 Fall Pick for Outstanding Up to 20-ppm Business Colour MFP for the MP
C2050 is a great endorsement, said Oscar Mellegers, Product Manager at Ricoh
Europe. It is a recognition of Ricohs strong and reliable product line-up in each
segment. Cost and environment-conscious duplex productivity are just a few of the
many benefits which make the MP C2050 the perfect solution for today's sustainable
business demands. Paired to outstanding ease of use and diverse software
compatibility, the MP C2050 is a welcome addition to any business environment at a
very attractive Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).




Powerful Professional Colour Printing Capabilities Steer Ricoh To Success
With more companies looking to keep a higher percentage of printing in-house, Ricohs MP C5000 driven
by the EFI E5100 controller delivers a value-packed solution, helping it to earn a Fall 2009 BLI Pick as
Outstanding 41- to 50-ppm A3 Colour MFP.
Offering outstanding reliability, the MP C5000 also demonstrated productivity that was consistently above
average across a range of BLI copy and print tests. Walk-up users will also benefit from the devices 50-
second warm-up time, which reduces the units carbon footprint, while saving on energy costs without
unduly hampering staff productivity. Other benefits of the MP C5000 configured with the Fiery controller
are its strong productivity and a host of print management utilities.
We were impressed by the power and functionality of the Ricoh MP C5000 when driven by the EFI
controller. The intuitive hot folders and Command WorkStation 5 applications enabled our team of
technicians to quickly route complex workflows through the device with the minimum of effort and
maximum results, said Sweetnam.
Scoring very highly in both black and colour print categories, the device also benefits from the extensive
colour management options within EFI ColourWise and advanced image quality options available in both
the PCL and PostScript drivers.
Scan users will benefit from a wide range of capabilities, including the ability to scan jobs directly into
the hold queue of the controller where they can then be reprocessed before final submission. In addition,
complex multi-destination workflows can be programmed as a one-touch preset using the EFI Scan
Utility, and Ricohs colour-dropout utility allows organizations processing forms, multi-choice
questionnaires and tests to remove background elements, thus improving OCR/OMR accuracy and
reducing file size and bandwidth strain.
We are very pleased with this Pick of the Year award from BLI. It is a confirmation
from the market that the MPC5000 with EFI Controller is really outstanding, separating
itself with innovative features and finishing options not regularly seen with
competitors, said Suzanne Racz, Product Manager at Ricoh Europe. Our brand has
always been synonymous with quality, reliability, productivity, low power consumption
and ease-of-use. With more users producing professional looking documents in-house,
the MP C5000 with the EFI controller is the perfect solution for superb output,
optimizing document distribution and advanced performance at low TCO.

Sharps MX Monochrome Series Earns Honours
Earning high marks in nearly every aspect of testing, all four models in Sharps MX Monochrome Series
have earned Fall 2009 BLI Picks in their respective speed ranges.
The four modelsthe 28-ppm MX-M283N, 36-ppm MX-M363N, 45-ppm MX-M453N and 50-ppm MX-
M503Ndemonstrated outstanding reliability in BLIs durability testing and offer very good multitasking
capabilities. They earned high marks in all aspects of connectivity as well.
The models also offer a host of innovative features that helped Sharp earn a 2008 BLI Outstanding
Achievement Award. Most notable is the industry-first optional retractable QWERTY keyboard. Because it
makes it easier for users to enter index data, the QWERTY keyboard helps to make these Sharp devices
more functional with integrated software applications, while also making documents easier to retrieve
later. The models also feature a high-resolution colour touch-screen display that is customizable to allow
commonly used features to be placed on the main screen for each function, as well as the third-
generation of Sharp OSA (Open Systems Architecture) so that they can be configured to integrate with
customers document management and other types of applications to automate workflow.
I think Sharp knew it had some good products on its hands as soon as the new black-and-white line-up
was announced internally around 12 months ago, said Marc Brion, Sharps UK Product Marketing
Manager. With a fantastic range of colour products already on the market, we knew that the black-and-
white equivalents would be just as successful and highly regarded. These BLI awards reinforce our views
of the products and we hope our customers agree with us.
About Buyers Laboratory
Since 1961, Buyers Lab has been the leading independent office-equipment testing lab and business consumer
advocate. In addition to publishing the industry's most comprehensive and accurate test reports on office
document imaging devices, each representing months of exhaustive hands-on testing in BLI's US and UK
laboratories, the company has been the leading source for extensive databases of specifications and pricing on
copiers, printers, fax machines and multifunctional products. The company's databases cover over 10,000
products and have a long-standing reputation for being the industry's most trustworthy and complete source for
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In addition to the testing of office equipment for its subscribers, Buyers Lab provides consulting services to
buyers and a vast array of confidential for-hire private testing services that include document imaging device
beta and pre-launch testing, performance certification testing, consumables testing (such as toner, ink and
photoconductors), software and solutions and print media testing (including virgin and recycled papers).
For more information on Buyers Lab, please call +44 (0) 118 977 2000, visit www.buyerslab.com, or e-mail
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