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BULLETIN
Canon is to sell 3D printers to customers
in the engineering, manufacturing and
architectural sectors, following a UK and
Ireland distribution agreement with 3D
Systems.
Under the agreement, Canon will market, sell
and support 3D Systems’ advanced manufacturing
3D printers, including the ProJet 1200, 3500, 4500,
6000 and 7000 series. Canon plans to offer the 3D
printers as a prototyping solution for rapid product
development.
The partnership builds on a distribution
agreement between 3D Systems and Canon
Marketing Japan announced in March 2014.
Gartner expects end-user spending on 3D
printers to increase from $1.6 billion in 2015 to
$13.4 billion in 2018.
Wet ink signatures still
major cause of printing
ARX, a leading provider of digital signature
solutions recently acquired by DocuSign
(see below), has released new research
showing that more than one third of all
printed documents are printed for the sole
purpose of adding a signature.
The study by American City & County analysed
practices in US local and state government, but its
findings will be familiar to readers on this side of
the Pond:
n
37% of all printed documents are printed for
the sole purpose of adding signatures, with
nearly 30% saying that they print more than
half of all printed documents just to get them
signed;
n
42% of survey respondents say that collecting
traditional signatures using pen and paper
delays each signature-dependent process by
2-7 days, and for some by more than a week;
n
32% of all respondents are either using digital
signatures or are planning to do so; nearly 50%
more say they see the need to use them in their
organisation;
n
95% of those already using digital signatures
have seen efficiency increases and 85% have
seen shorter turnaround times on signature-
dependent documents;
n
The factors that are most important to
respondents when selecting a digital signature
solution include security and integrity of
sensitive data (88%); ease of use (84%);
control over user management/governance
policies (82%); and ease of implementation
(79%);
n
The top reservations regarding digital
signatures include security, control, integrity
and location of sensitive data (77%);
acceptance/legality of digital signatures
(74%); and compliance with regulations/audit
requirements (63%).
DocuSign’s acquisition of ARX builds on a
three year business partnership between the two
companies. It brings together ARX’s best-in-class
CoSign digital signature technology with the
world’s leading Digital Transaction Management
(DTM) platform, enabling customers to transact
business with complete trust and confidence
anywhere in the world.
ARX CEO Gadi Aharoni said: “DocuSign is the
undisputed global standard for Digital Transaction
Management. ARX customers will benefit from
the robust cloud-based workflow and transaction
management capabilities of the DocuSign Digital
Transaction Management (DTM) platform –
complete with Bank Grade Security and Carrier
Grade Availability – to empower them to transact
anytime, anywhere, on any device, securely.”
In November, Samsung Ventures made a
strategic investment in DocuSign.
Canon jumps
on 3D printing
bandwagon
Special offers for PITR
readers
FLP Solutions, an IT recycler and supplier of new
and refurbished IT equipment to businesses and
IT maintenance providers, has added a Special
Offers tab to its website. At the time of going to
press, it was offering HP Color Laserjet Enterprise
CM4540s for just £995 (ex VAT).
More printing more
A new survey by recycling company
BusinessWaste.co.uk shows that in the last five
years more companies have increased paper
consumption than have cut it. Almost one third
(31%) of the 250 companies surveyed said
they were ordering more paper and associated
products today than five years ago, with just 23%
saying they were ordering less. More than four
out of 10 (43%) are using ‘about the same’.
Make your own 3D
printer consumables
D3D Innovations Limited has launched a
desktop machine that allows 3D printer users
to produce their own filament and save up to
90% on the cost of original supplies.
Suitable for consumers and prosumers alike,
FilaFab Plastic Extruders transform fresh or recycled
plastic, including general waste (e.g. plastic drinks
bottles) and old 3D prints, into high quality filament
that can be used with most FFF 3D printers.
Edward Clifford, Managing Director of D3D
Innovations, said: “3D printing is the technology
of the future yet bringing projects to life can be
incredibly expensive. FilaFab offers 3D printer users
a professional standard and environmentally friendly
alternative to ready-made filament at a fraction of
the cost. As 3D printing continues to take the world
by storm we’re expecting FilaFab to emerge as a
must have tool in workshops across the globe.”
The FilaFab Pro 100 (£749) and Pro 350
(£1,299) can produce customised filament to suit
the needs of any project in a variety of colours,
diameters and materials.
A ProJet 1200 3D printer in a jeweller’s shop
