December 7, 2009 - Hackensack (NJ) – BLI has announced the winners of its Fall 2009 “Pick” awards for color printers and MFPs, with seven products from four vendors being lauded for their outstanding performance in BLI testing. Over the past six months, BLI subjected a wide range of models to its battery of rigorous lab tests, evaluating key performance areas such as reliability, image quality, productivity, ease of use and more. The exceptional performers chosen as BLI's “Pick” winners are the following products from HP, Ricoh, Samsung and Sharp:

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Hewlett-Packard Company Color LaserJet CP4525 Series Outstanding Mid-Size Workgroup Color Printer Ricoh Americas Corporation Ricoh Aficio SP C821 Series (also sold as the Lanier LP550 Series and Savin CLP350 Series) Outstanding Departmental Color Printer Ricoh Aficio SP C820 Series (also sold as the Lanier LP540 Series and Savin CLP340 Series) Outstanding Large Workgroup Color Printer Ricoh Aficio SP C232SF (also sold as the Lanier SP C232SF and Savin SP C232SF) Outstanding Small Workgroup Color Multifunction Printer Ricoh Aficio GX e3350N (also sold as the Lanier GX e3350N and Savin GX e3350N) Outstanding Business Inkjet Printer Samsung Electronics Company, Ltd. CLP-770ND Outstanding Small Workgroup Color Printer Sharp Electronics Sharp MX-C401 (also sold as Sharp DX-C401) Outstanding Mid-Size Workgroup A4/Legal Color MFP

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Value, Quality And Versatility Lead To Ricoh “Picks” In Four Categories
In the inkjet printer category, the Ricoh Aficio GX e3350N was chosen as the BLI “Pick” for its impressive ease of use, worthy output and overall economy. BLI Senior Test Technician Tony Maceri stated, “With image quality that‘s comparable to or better than that of many low-end color laser printers, standard networking and fast first-page times, the Ricoh Aficio GX e3350N gives low-volume users a viable alternative to a color laser printer. Four separate high-yield ink cartridges, a competitive price tag and low cost per page make it an easy choice for budget-conscious users.” Further adding to its value is the standard Economy Color mode, which saves color ink to provide an even lower cost per page by reducing the density of graphics without compromising text readability. In the small workgroup color MFP category, the Ricoh Aficio SP C232SF took the “Pick” for its combination of value and ease of use. “Along with its flawless reliability performance, the Aficio SP C232SF has numerous strengths,” said BLI Associate Editor Carl Schell. “The unit delivers quality color and black prints, and is easy to set up and use. Also noteworthy is its slightly lower than average purchase price among comparable color MFPs, but even more important, its lower than average supplies cost per page translates into real savings over its lifetime.” Also taking top honors for its flagship color products, Ricoh was recognized in the large workgroup and departmental color printer categories. For their outstanding economy, thorough utilities and robust feature set, the Ricoh Aficio SP C820 and SP C821 series printers were chosen as the “Pick” winners. BLI Senior Printer Analyst Marlene Orr said of the awards, “The Ricoh Aficio SP C820 and SP C821 series printers were the clear choice as ‘Picks‘ in their respective categories. Both are robust enough to easily meet the needs of the busiest workgroup or department, offering fast, high-quality output at a low cost per page. And because both units breezed through our two-month test without a single misfeed, users can feel confident in choosing either one of these solid workhorses.” Rounding out the package is the inclusion of the company‘s highly regarded management utilities, a host of security features and a choice of optional finishers for increased flexibility. “Each product we develop has a specific purpose, however, the common thread that runs through all of them is a commitment to reliability, quality printing and ease of use that helps companies improve their productivity and bottom-line results,” said Matt Sakauchi, Vice President of Ricoh Americas Corporation‘s Office Printer Business Group. “We are excited that our products are being recognized for providing outstanding service in several categories ranging from business inkjet printer to large workgroup color printer, as it demonstrates the depth and reach of our product portfolio.”

Flexibility And Robust Feature Set Lead To “Pick” For Sharp
A sister product to the 31-ppm MX-C311 that earned a Spring 2009 BLI “Pick,” the 40-ppm Sharp MX-C401 is BLI‘s Fall 2009 “Pick” award in the mid-size workgroup color A4/legal MFP category. “The fastest color model in Sharp‘s Frontier series, the MX-C401 provides outstanding multitasking, robust scanning, above-average color output and exceptional ease of use, thanks to its large full-color touch screen and menu structure that is carried across Sharp‘s current line of MFPs,” said Orr. “Its pricing is competitive against other A4 [letter-/legal-size] color MFPs, but also makes it a viable replacement product for legacy A3 [ledger-size] monochrome copiers.” And its availability in two configurations—the MX-C401 and DX-C401—allows dealers the option of providing an all-inclusive service contract like for a traditional copier or allowing customers to replace routine maintenance items on their own as is common with printer-centric MFPs, making it an ideal fit for a broad range of customers.” “We are very happy to accept these ‘Pick‘ Awards for the MX- and DX-C401 Models,” said Gary Bailer, Associate Director of Product Management for A4 multifunction printers with Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America. “Along with the BLI ‘Pick‘ awards their counterparts (the MX-C311 and DX-C311) received in the spring, the Frontier Series is quickly becoming one of our most popular and critically acclaimed lines. These awards further validate Sharp‘s commitment to manufacturing high-quality MFPs in a number of different segments that meet our customers‘ needs for superior functionality, connectivity, security and reliability.”

HP Cited As The Effortless Choice For Mid-Size Workgroup Color Printer
An outstanding performer in BLI‘s exhaustive testing, the legal-size HP Color LaserJet CP4525 Series printer was the clear winner in the mid-size workgroup color printer category. “To say the Color LaserJet CP4525 is user-friendly would be an understatement. It offers full front access for changing toner and removing misfeeds, and if users accidentally put one of the toner cartridges into the wrong slot, the control panel lets them know, making routine maintenance foolproof,” said BLI Test Technician Joe Ellerman. Other highlights include HP‘s environmentally friendly Clearview packaging, commendable color output, and color access control features to allow administrators to control costs by limiting the use of color printing. “HP is pleased to receive the ‘Outstanding Mid-Size Workgroup Color Printer‘ award from Buyers Laboratory, recognizing HP‘s innovation and value within enterprise color LaserJet printing,” said Rebekah O‘Flaherty, Vice President of Marketing for HP‘s Imaging and Printing Group. “This honor reinforces our commitment to deliver high-functioning, reliable LaserJet MFPs to businesses that need efficient, intelligent devices across their fleet. We look forward to raising the bar of excellence and to continue offering the most complete portfolio of imaging and printing solutions to our customers.”

Samsung Takes “Pick” For Small Workgroup Color
Samsung‘s CLP-770ND was recognized as BLI‘s “Pick” in the small workgroup color printer category for its outstanding ease of use, productivity and low cost of ownership. “The CLP-770ND really packs a punch; its compact, fast and reliable, making it a great choice for small workgroups,” said BLI‘s Maceri. “With toner gauges on the control panel and the included Smart Panel utility, users are kept fully informed of status, while administrators will find managing the unit on the network a breeze with the ‘Pick‘ award-winning SyncThru Admin utility.” “As Samsung expands its printer portfolio, this recognition from BLI is a great testament to our innovative technology and dedicated engineers,” said Ken Colby, Director, Printer Product and Channel Marketing for Samsung America‘s Information Technology Division. “Our customers‘ needs are the driving force behind the development of compact, reliable and affordable products. We are thrilled to have the Samsung CLP-770 receive a strong recommendation for small office use.”

Stay tuned for upcoming Buyers Lab “Pick” award announcements in the following categories:

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 global competitive intelligence. They are available to BLI subscribers online via the company's bliQ competitive information service. This encyclopedic resource also provides quick and easy access to BLI's First Look Reports, Field Test Reports, Lab Test Reports, Solutions Reports, and BLI-produced articles. 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 (201) 488-0404, visit www.buyerslab.com, or e-mail info@buyerslab.com.