Makes Business Sense

What comes to your mind when you think of color? A rainbow, a basket of
flowers, or a pack of crayons. According to Free Online Dictionary, the word
color refers to a substancesuch as a dye, pigment, or paintthat imparts a
hue.

In todays dynamic world, color has become powerful and impactful. Color
means commanding your audiences attention. Color means telling a story with
greater context, texture and meaning. Color is compelling as it adds value and
makes business sense.

According to a recent survey jointly conducted by International
Communications Research and Xerox, over 90% of more than 1,000 respondents
agreed that using color in their office documents and marketing collaterals has
helped them attract new customers, present an image of impressive quality to
their customers, and make a memorable impression. Additionally, 84% respondents
expressed that greater consideration is given to their ideas and proposals when
they are communicated in color.

There are numerous devices that employ technologies that deliver color output
to businesses, and there is an increasing awareness among organizations that
color can bring great benefits to their businesses. Color has traditionally been
limited only to inkjet devices. However, this scenario is changing because more
and more organizations are looking at laser technology for meeting their color
printing needs.

A key factor that has driven the growth of color is price. The old
perception that color is expensive has drastically changed. Today, color is more
accessible, affordable, and easy to use than ever before. The price of color
laser printer has almost halved since its launch in 1969.

Xeroxs technology Solid Ink for color laser printers, is protected with
more than hundred current and pending patents and designed to generate billions
of color pages and revenue over the decade.

Secondly, there is a huge demand for color for high volume applications such
as statements, brochures, bills, etc. Of these documents, the one document type
for which color has been used most effectively is the quarterly statement in the
financial services industry.

Growth to Accelerate

Going forward, the demand for color printing will be fueled by marketing and
sales departments of small and medium businesses that increasingly view the
color printer as a necessity for their business needs.

An interesting trend in color is the demand for color laser multi-functional
devices. The emergence of color laser MFDs as must-haves has been primarily
due to a combination of better RoI and convenience.

The growth of color printer will accelerate as a result of price reductions
and competitive pressures to improve customer experience. Color still looks like
a choice. It still feels like an option. It still seems like a decision you have
to make every time you create a new document. But the case for color has already
been made. Our computers are not going back to black and white. Our TVs arent.
Our PDAs arent. And our Web pages never have been. Black and white printing is
not going away. Nor do we want it to. But color is the way we see and think and
communicate. It is a strategic competitive advantage that no enterprise should
be without.

Princy Bhatnagar

The author is director, Office Group, Xerox India

maildqindia@cybermedia.co.in