PRINT
IT
RESELLER.UK
5
A positive response: Steve Francis, Danwood CEO
COMMENT
No doubt about it; green is this season’s colour for
corporate re-brands. It is being used in the Hewlett
Packard Enterprise logo – because ‘I wanted us to
stand apart’ says Meg Whitman – and in Neopost’s
new branding, oh, and also in Lexmark’s (see page 29).
Aside from its environmental associations, green is
popular as a symbol of growth and re-birth. This makes
it an appropriate colour for all three companies.
In Lexmark’s case, the re-brand is particularly welcome
as it unites all of its activities – print hardware &
supplies, MPS and enterprise software – under a single
brand for the first time since the company's acquisition
of Perceptive Software in 2010. I wonder what colour
logo Lexmark will choose when, 5, 10, 15 years down
the line, it spins off its rump hardware business,
HP-style, as a separate entity.
Re-brands are most successful when they are part of a clear
narrative, as they are in the cases of Neopost and Lexmark. Both
companies are positioning themselves as experts in business
processes and document workflow (electronic and paper-based),
whereas previously they had a much narrower focus. Until
recently, Lexmark was still marketing itself as ‘The Print Experts’.
To do so today is probably a sackable offence.
Many in the channel are going through the same process,
expanding their offering to include solutions and services, as
well as hardware. As they make this transition, one of the big
challenges they face is finding employees with the right skills
to sell, deliver and support more complex solutions – a task
made more difficult by the UK’s much talked about skills crisis
(see page 46). It is to the reseller community’s great credit that
they are not using this as an excuse to stagnate, but are instead
devoting significant resources to training and re-training staff
and making their companies attractive and inspiring places to
work. Whatever the colour of their logo.
James Goulding
, Editor
07803 087228
PRINT.IT Reseller is published by Kingswood Media Ltd., Amherst House, 22 London Road,
Sevenoaks TN13 2BT
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© 2015 Kingswood Media Ltd. · Design: Sandtiger Media
05
Bulletin
What’s new in print
and printing
12
BNP Paribas
Column
Business opportunities
not to be missed
14
Epson RIPS
RIPS dealer network
set up
16
Cover Story
Sharp puts
collaboration centre
stage
20
Cloud computing
Adobe launches Adobe
Document Cloud
22
Paper vs. Digital
Reasons to love paper
24
Workflow
Why resellers should do
more to promote PDF
26
MPS software
How ECi can help you
prosper
29
Interview
PITR asks Danny
Molhoek about
Lexmark’s new logo
32
EOS Distribution
Nikki Todd on what
makes VOW special
34
Sponsorship
What works and what
doesn’t
38
Dealer Profile
Midshire Group
celebrates its first 25
years
42
Incentives
The Olivetti Key Partner
Programme explained
44
Recruitment
Concept Resourcing –
specialists in document
solutions
46
Vox Pop
What the skills
shortage means for you
50
Last Word
APRIL 2015
print
it
reseller.uk
Comment
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Issue 18 ISSN 2055-3110 (Print) ISSN 2055-3129 (Online)
Editor:
James Goulding
07803 087228
·
Advertising Director:
Ethan White
01732 759725
·
Publishing Director:
Neil Trim
01732 759725
·
Group Sales Manager:
Martin Jenner-Hall
07824 552116
·
Social Media and Web Editor:
John Peters
07711 204011
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11.New Version 7with different image and no slice of
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INNOVATIONS
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SPONSORSHIP
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PAGE 17
INTERVIEW
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September2014
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PRINT,MFP, SOFTWARE, SERVICES, DOCUMENT & CLOUD NEWS & INFORMATION FOR VARS, CONVERGED RESELLERS &MFP DEALERS
