In our continuing series on ConnectKey™  today we will be talking about the features available to help you manage your printer and thereby save time and money.   Please watch this short video and then we will explore some of the features. 

ConnectKey has a robust user permissions.  This will allow you to control how, when and how much people can print.  The permissions will let you control things like duplex printing saving on paper.  You can also control how and when people can print in color.  For example you can restrict some types of documents like email to printing only in black and white.  While allowing Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint to print in color.  You can also decide when color printing will be available to keep people from printing in color after hours. 

ConnectKey can also help you restrict who accesses the machine.  With a card reader over 85 card types can be read to enable users to log into the device using a proximity card, student ID, or security card.  Using the Card reader provides  a secure method of authentication, tracking usage and billing.

ConnectKey multifunction printers are compatible with Cisco® EnergyWise, an energy management solution that allows IT operations and facilities to measure and fine-tune power usage to realize significant cost savings. For example, with Cisco energy management solutions, you can set power states for the multifunction printer for optimal power savings. You can also set the multifunction printer to go to sleep mode after 10 minutes, get current power consumption information, and set timeout to low power and sleep modes.

Other money saving features include the Earth Smart settings in the print drivers, Accounting capabilities for accurate billing and default settings that can enforce the use of duplex or double sided prints.  To find out more about these specific features you can search on the support page for your machine. 

You can also check out the ConnectKey site and brochure for additional information.

Xerox has a new key to security for your data and business.  We reviewed the new ConnectKey in an overview article last week.  Today we are going to the explore the security features in more detail.  The new Xerox ConnectKey offers security similar to that for a PC but this security is for your multifunction printer.  This security will help to keep viruses and malware from attacking your multifunction printers.  ConnectKey also controls access to end points on the network making the multifunction printer a fully secured network citizen. 

So how does this work? Well, Xerox, through ConnectKey is the first company to offer McAfee whitelisting technology for multifunction printers.  This insures that only approved and predefined applications, files and code will run on your Xerox multifunction printers.  The multifunction printers will also detect and prevent unauthorized access and send you alerts.  To learn more about how the partnership between Xerox and McAfee works to protect you check out the webpage.

The ConnectKey multifunction printers also include the Cisco TrustSec^®.  Cisco TrustSec^®  is an intelligent access control solution.  With minimal effort Cisco TrustSec^® mitigates security risks by providing comprehensive visibility into who and what devices are connecting across your network.  It also offer control over where those with proper permission can go and what they can access.   

There are also several standard security features that begin working to secure your data as soon as you power on the ConnectKey multifunction printer.  These features include 256 bit HD encryption with overwrite, secure print with timeout deletion and secure external email connectivity that encrypts data transfer.  Check out this short video to find out more about some of these security features. 

As always you can find out more by visiting the ConnectKey site .  As always there are support pages available for many of the features of ConnectKey. You can also find more information about security at the Xerox Security site.  With ConnectKey you can continue to safeguard your data against the “Curious Kelly” and anyone else that would try access your information.

Have you heard about Xerox ConnectKey?  Well over the next few weeks we will have some articles to help familiarize you with the ConnectKey features and functions.  But today let’s start with an overview of Xerox ConnectKey.  ConnectKey is a new technology that our multifunction printers are built on, that provide you simple-to-implement systems that give you practical solutions to streamline how you communicate, process and share important information, simplify complex paper driven tasks, and drive down costs.

Please watch this short video to see some of the functions addressed by Xerox ConnectKey. 

ConnectKey is a software system that provides ways to use your multifunction printer to simplify the way your work gets done. ConnectKey has industry leading security from our partnerships with McAfee® and Cisco® to provide additional security. 

ConnectKey Solutions can reduce waste and paper consumption, and save you time by helping you to do your job more effectively.  It is also compatible with energy management solutions like Cisco EnergyWise and contains features that help to reduce power consumption. 

The ConnectKey system provides solutions for your mobile workforce as well, with cloud ready mobile solutions and simplified workflows.  ConnectKey is available on some of Xerox’s new products, but there are also products that can be upgraded to the ConnectKey platform through a firmware upgrade.  The list of compatible machines includes both ColorQube and WorkCentre models, see if your machine is on the list. 

Please check out the links in this article for further information and watch for more articles in the At Your Service blog about the features of the new Xerox® ConnectKey™. 

Welcome to the 43rd annual Earth Day!  At Xerox every day  is Earth Day.  Xerox has been committed to sustainability and preserving the planet even before the founding of Earth Day in 1970 by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin as a teach-in about the environment.  Sustainability is important at home and at the office.  According to the Brundtland Commission of the United Nations “sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”  To that end we all need to recycle, reuse and reduce the use of all of our natural resources from trees to electricity. 

Let’s look at a few things that Xerox has done to foster sustainability:

• Inventing double-sided copying in 1969
• Introducing the first post-consumer recycled paper products in the early 1970’s
• Introducing products in the 1980’s that automatically powered down or went into a “sleep mode” years before Energy Star programs were conceived.
• In the late 90’s we established a waste-free platform to design waste-free products and to manufacture in waste-free facilities.  Including 3 zero waste to landfill facilities. 
• Xerox initiated a cartridge return program so that cartridges can be remanufactured.   
• In the 2000’s we introduced the solid ink technology that reduced packaging and energy use.

The list goes on but these are some of the highlights.  To find out more about what Xerox is doing to be a responsible global citizen please see the Xerox 2012 Global Citizenship report explains many of the initiatives that have been ongoing projects for Xerox.  You can look specifically at the “Preserving the Planet” tab for the things we do to support, and sustain the world in which we live and work.  On the Preserving the Planet page there are several links to more information about our conservation and environmental efforts. 

There are several features available on many of the Xerox printers and multifunction printers that will help you to make your office a more sustainable work place.  Consider using double sided copying or printing when possible.  Turn off the banner pages and use the sample set feature to make sure your job is correct before printing out multiple copies.  Please look at the support pages for your products for instructions for using these earth-friendly features. 

Some other things you can do to help the environment include:

• Use recycled paper products and recycle all paper when possible.
• Return used supplies to Xerox for recycling. Including  used cartridges for some HP equipment.
• When you are upgrading to a new machine always consider a Multifunction device to cut down on the number of fax machines, copiers and printers you have in your office environment.
• If you are upgrading or getting rid of a Xerox product please consider recycling or donating the machine. 

Now take a look at this video about Xerox, solid ink and sustainability and remember this quote: 

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.  ~ Native American Proverb

Color By Words makes adjusting the color on your prints easy.  With Color by Words you use natural language to adjust and refine the color on your prints.  The Color by Words technology is part of more of our printers and multifunction devices.  Several of the latest products to have Color by Words.  The  feature can be seen in Phasers, WorkCentres and ColorQubes.  Using Color by Words allows you to adjust the color of the prints without affecting the original file. 

You can manipulate the color through the use of simple natural language instructions chosen from a few simple pull-down menus.  Here are samples of the menus:

As you can see you simply describe what you want the colors to do and the Xerox Printer will adjust accordingly.  It is really an amazing and intuitive way to adjust color. 

As an example I made an extreme change to the pictures below.  All I did was choose Change all green colors completely to purple there you have purple “green” bell peppers!  The changes can be major as in this example or they can be subtle or somewhere in between.  Try it for yourself and see how easy it is to make color changes without having to know all the technical ins and outs of color and color theory.

If you would like additional information about Color by Words explore the website, take a look at the brochure or go to the support pages for the machines that have Color by Words and search on “Color by Words”.  Now here is a short video on Color by Words. 

I love those little Memory sticks or USB drives.  They are so handy and make data portable and easily accessible.  Did you know that many of the Xerox printer and multifunction devices can print from and / or scan to USB memory devices?  Just think of the many applications with which the USB feature can be used.  For instance, scan in documents for a presentation on your Xerox multifunction device to the USB drive and pop the drive in your pocket to use at the presentation location.  Or you can take a USB drive with documents you need stored on it and just pop the USB drive into a Xerox printer and print out the documents, no PC necessary.    

Some of our printers will print from the drive and others will print from and scan to the drives, it all depends on the features available on your machine. You don’t even have to touch a computer. You can walk up, plug in your flash drive and print or scan your document using the user interface.  To find out what you can do with your USB drive and your Xerox machine please consult your manual or go to the Support Page for your machine and search on USB.  By the way remember you can find your user and administrator manual under the documentation tab on your machine support page.  If you have any questions about what you can do with the USB drive and your machine you can also contact support.  

The USB drive capability adds even more flexibility to your Xerox equipment and increases the portability and convenience of managing your files.  For simple instructions watch the video below about how to print from an USB drive.  This video is for the WorkCentre 7500 family but the process is similar on other models.    

Check out this feature and see how it might benefit you and your business.

The Xerox WorkCentre 7800 family is a new product in the WorkCentre line of multifunction devices.  This device has some new and helpful features.  The WorkCentre 7800 family is a family of color, tabloid size, multifunction devices.  The 7800 family has the Color by Words technology that lets you adjust colors by using real terms to change or enhance the colors in your documents.  You can read more about Color By Words and use the interactive demo to learn more about this feature.

The WorkCentre 7800 family also the new Xerox® ConnectKey™ Controller.  We will have an article soon about this new technology.  The machine also has many environmentally friendly features including an LED scanner with power consumption that is 1/3 of traditional scanners using fluorescent lamps.

As for learning the machines features and functions there is a comprehensive training video available.  The video is split into sections so that you can just watch the part that you need or you can watch the whole thing to receive overall training on the product.   The training video compliments the how to videos also available on the support page for the machines.   

The user manual for the machine has an extensive troubleshooting section should you ever find yourself having an issue with machine.  The online support also has a robust database of how tos and solutions for the machine available to you 24 hours a day with the click of the mouse or touch of the screen.  On the machine itself there is also troubleshooting information right there on the display of the machine.   

Please take a look at all this machine has to offer by looking at the page for the WorkCentre 7800 family, the brochure and the support page.  As always if you have any questions or concerns you can always contact us.  The video below is an example from the training video, this section addresses Support and the built in help available at the machine.  I hope you enjoy this little video and remember you can watch the whole training video by navigating to the video tab from the support page for the WorkCentre 7800.