May 2012
Judge’s Corner
On March 6, Static Control’s and Lexmark’s lawyers were back in front of the same appellate court that overturned a Lexington judge’s ruling that heavily favored Lexmark. At the end of the day, Tricia Judge reported, only two issues were actually argued, and they were both issues raised by SCC in its appeal, leaving Lexmark’s claims unconsidered. Those issues were Static’s appeal of the lower court’s decision that its antitrust and unfair competition claims could not be sustained because Static Control does not directly compete with Lexmark, and the other issue was money. With a little luck, coupled with good legal preparation and representation, SCC might be in store for another tremendous victory. After investing $30 million in this 10-year litigation, it would be a well-deserved one.
Global Spotlight
The International Imaging Technology Council (Int’l ITC) kicked off its spring chapter meetings in March with visits to San Antonio and Los Angeles. As a result of weather, the Texas meeting was more intimate than the California meeting, but both brought out the best vendors, members and potential members for networking and serious discussions about the industry.
Industry Trends
Pardon me, but what is that thing, composed of black-and-white squares? That symbol is a quick response code — or QR code, for short. And though it may not look like much, it contains data that can take you from the image on this page, through your smartphone and on to a destination in cyberspace.
Charles Brewer of Actionable Intelligence takes an in-depth look at HP’s recent merger of its Personal Systems Group (PSG) and Imaging and Printing Group (IPG). Looking back at HP’s past and its present, Brewer speculates about the future of the OEM giant.
Remanufacturers and others in the imaging industry need to recognize that cloud, mobile technology and social networking tools are integral to business in 2012. Writer Mark Hibbard says, understand the innovations ahead, then adapt and adopt quickly!
It seems that every month for the past couple years, our eCharger newsletter has included an announcement of yet another merger or acquisition in the print space. It’s not that mergers and acquisitions haven’t been taking place throughout the history of the industry, of course, but during recent years, the perception that there’s been a significant uptick in this type of business activity may be well-founded.
Management
When you thoroughly analyze Apple’s philosophy of hiring, you find out that there has always been fundamental, uncompromising attributes required to get a job at Apple Inc. You too can consider these attributes when you look to attract top players and ensure you avoid troublemakers.
Sales & Marketing
A successful sales professional has to be able to relate or appeal to a very broad range of people and personality types. Creating a connection is key. Learn how to create rapport with your prospects and increase your sales.
Are you using social media in your business? One study shows half of all SMB owners report gaining new customers through social media. Need more reasons to use these tools? Read on.
Step-by-Step / Remanufacturing Instructions
Mike Josiah of UniNet has instructions this month on Samsung ML-2955 toner cartridges, which are based on a 29-ppm engine with a maximum resolution of 1,200-by-1,200 dpi. One interesting thing about this series is they have a user setting for altitude adjustment. There are four different settings depending on the altitude the device is to be used in. Step-by-step remanufacturing instructions for the Samsung ML-2955 are now available.
The Lyra Report
The Photizo Group's Ann Priede quotes the familiar phrase, “The only constant is change,” which is bandied about on any number of occasions and is an apt description for today’s industry. Find out why in this month's Photizo Report.
Technical
CompTIA’s A+ Certification exams will be updated in the next few months. Read Emmett Dulaney’s article for the details on what’s changing and how to prepare for these new versions.