May 25, 2005 — HACKENSACK, New Jersey — Today, Buyers Laboratory Incorporated ("BLI")
released the schedule for announcing its "Spring Pick" awards for the most outstanding products
in the office document imaging industry. BLI’s awards are unique, as they are the only awards in the industry
that are based on rigorous, extended laboratory tests conducted by an independent laboratory.
The products are evaluated by technical and editorial teams that have decades of experience in testing equipment
of this kind.
"Too often, today’s buyers
assume that any product that is called digital is reliable or functions as
advertised in every respect, and some may unknowingly rely on awards from
companies that spend only a few hours or less with a product," said Tony
Polifrone, BLI’s Managing Director. "Our experience in the lab reveals those
assumptions don’t always apply. Only in the lab do we have a chance to test a
product’s reliability; its ability to handle the complex job streams that
multifunctional products must handle in today’s offices; and assess the true
hard and ‘soft costs’ of owning the product. Today these products are more
complex than ever and are connected to critical office networks, often as part
of multi-million dollar document management strategies. The cost of purchasing a
machine that fails to meet the expectations of users, technology gatekeepers and
senior managers, has never been greater."
"BLI reports are an
incomparable way for buyers to find the right product for their requirements.
Awarded twice each year, BLI ‘Picks’ are the products our analysts
identified as those that have, in BLI’s judgment, the most important features
at the best value, and perform at the highest level," said Mark Lerch, BLI
Chief Operating Officer. "A product that carries a BLI ‘Pick’ distinction deserves careful
consideration from buying managers. ‘Pick-winning’ OEMs have subjected their
product to that extra level of comprehensive scrutiny and passed the test with
flying colors. That speaks eloquently to the product and the manufacturer.”
"Picks" will be awarded every Monday and Wednesday in June, as follows.
June 1st
Color Printers/Printer MFPs
June 6th
Monochrome Printers/Printer MFPs
June 8th
Special Achievement/Recognition Awards for Printers
June 13th
Duplicators
June 15th
Fax-Based MFPs
June 20th
Segment 3 & 4 Copier-Based MFPs
June 22nd
Segment 1 & 2 Copier-Based MFPs
June 27th
Segment 5 & 6 Copier-Based MFPs; Color MFPs
June 29th
Special Achievement/Recognition Awards
About Buyers Laboratory
For 47 years, 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 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 Laboratory, please visit www.buyerslab.com, call (201) 488-0404 or e-mail info@buyerslab.com.
