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Mix of AIOs and Printers Reduce Overall Costs and Drive Office Efficiencies

Ramsey, N.J. – August 9, 2010 – Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta), a leading provider of advanced imaging and networking technologies for the desktop to the print shop, today announced the availability of the bizhub® 20 Series of A4 Monochrome Printers, designed to reduce overall costs and drive office efficiencies while offering a small footprint.  The bizhub 20 all-in-one (AIO) combines printing, copying, faxing and color scanning capabilities, while the bizhub 20P laser printer specializes in easing the print-load of small workgroups.

With the bizhub 20 and bizhub 20P devices, users can focus on reducing the overall cost of running a business by intelligently deploying the right mix of MFPs and printers for their office needs.  Using monochrome printers for everyday tasks, while employing an appropriate number of MFPs for jobs that require them, allows for a more efficient use of printing resources.  The bizhub 20 and bizhub 20P print at speeds up to 32 pages per minute and come with initial toner capacity of an 8,000 page yield, offering an advantage over competition when comparing total cost of ownership (TCO).

The bizhub 20 AIO is a great fit for many business environments, offering scan-to-FTP, scan-to-Email, and scan-to-SMB to share files more easily.  Combining essential business functions in one space-saving design, the device can be centralized for small offices by placing it locally on an individual’s desk, or in small workgroups in mid- and large-sized businesses, while perfectly complementing higher-volume A3 devices.  Both devices can be used in many business environments including General Manufacturing, Real Estate, Finance, Religious, Professional, Nonprofit Organizations, Education, Legal, Healthcare, General Office/Corporate environments, and many more.

“The bizhub 20 and 20P help to complete our product range and allow our customers to deploy the right product mix to meet their specific business needs,” said Kevin Kern, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc.  “As peripheral devices, they will meet the needs of our Major Account Business, as well as fit within our fast-growing Optimized Print Services program for businesses of all sizes.”

Outstanding Performance of bizhub Color and Monochrome MFPs Earns Four Additional “Pick” Awards from Leading Industry Analyst

leading provider of advanced imaging and networking technologies for the desktop to the print shop, today announced that Buyers Laboratory Inc. (BLI) has named Konica Minolta 2011 “Line of the Year” award winner in the A3/Ledger MFP segment for the company’s award-winning line of bizhub® Color and Monochrome Multifunctional Products (MFPs – print, copy, fax, and scan all in one system). Additionally, Konica Minolta has been recognized with four A3 “Pick” Awards.
BLI recognized Konica Minolta with the following awards:

“Line of the Year” – A3/Ledger Color and Monochrome MFPs
bizhub 423 – “Pick” Award winner for Outstanding 41- to 50-ppm A3/Ledger Monochrome MFP
bizhub 363 – “Pick” Award winner for Outstanding 31- to 40-ppm A3/Ledger Monochrome MFP
bizhub 283 – “Pick” Award winner for Outstanding 21- to 30-ppm A3/Ledger Monochrome MFP
bizhub 223 – “Pick” Award winner for Outstanding 21- to 30-ppm A3/Ledger Monochrome MFP

BLI’s “Line of the Year” is awarded once a year to the OEM whose product line is determined to be the best overall in its category based on the cumulative test results of all model’s tested in BLI’s rigorous two-month laboratory evaluation. Among the many factors considered are reliability, image quality, productivity, ease of use, scanning, a host of connectivity attributes and overall value. Also considered is the breadth of the OEM’s line and its ability to provide quality products suitable to a broad spectrum of customer needs, from low-volume to high-volume.
In the last year, Konica Minolta has won more A3 “Picks” than any other vendor. “Time and again, Konica Minolta’s line has proven itself in the areas that matter most to end users—reliability, ease of use, productivity and image quality,” said George Mikolay, Senior Product Editor, A3/Copier MFPs, Buyers Laboratory Inc. “These areas are the foundation on which we measure every single A3 device we test. With outstanding performances in these key areas, along with competitive to lower-than-average prices and robust feature sets across its color and monochrome lines, it became readily apparent that Konica Minolta is the vendor to beat for 2011.”

The twice-a-year “Picks” assess reliability in terms of the service and preventive maintenance calls required over the course of a rigorous two-month evaluation. Its comprehensive evaluation includes an assessment of copy and print quality, productivity, ease of use and economy, as well as connectivity issues such as feedback to workstations, administration utilities, print drivers, multitasking and scanning solutions.
“Konica Minolta’s complete line of bizhub MFPs consistently performs well in our testing and the ‘Line of the Year’ award acknowledges the company’s market-leading performance and innovative technology,” added Mikolay. “The ‘Pick’ awards further demonstrate the exceptional capabilities that we have come to expect from the Konica Minolta name.”

“Receiving these awards from BLI, in particular the ‘Line of the Year’ award, highlights our success and commitment to delivering products that address and surpass the needs of our customers of all sizes,” said Kevin Kern, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. “Moving into 2011, we will remain committed to the goal of ensuring that customers can count on Konica Minolta for award-winning technology that meets their entire scope of digital printing needs.”