Isn\u2019t it odd that we still talk about speed in terms of horsepower?
It\u2019s common now, even when modern vehicles have more computing power than a 1990s server room. The Artemis II was also discussed in those terms; for the record, it was estimated to have over 37 million horsepower during launch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s not wrong. It\u2019s just habit to use an old framework to talk about something new. It\u2019s familiar. It\u2019s expected. But horsepower no longer even remotely fits how we think of speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The print industry has its own version of this. For years, the A3 versus A4 conversation started, and often ended, with speed, paper size and monthly volume. How many pages per minute? Does it handle 11×17? What\u2019s the duty cycle?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those questions still matter. But the moment these devices became networked, the decision moved out of finance and purchasing and into IT \u2014 and IT asks very different questions. Leading with speed and feed today is a little like scoping a spaceship in terms of horsepower or judging a smartphone by how loud the speaker gets. You\u2019re leading with one of the least interesting, least impactful things about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What a Printer Actually Does Now<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n To be fair, even our own industry took a while to fully absorb the fact that, while modern multifunction devices may look and function like printers, they\u2019re not really serving organizations in the same way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, devices can scan documents directly into document management systems. They trigger automated approval workflows. They integrate with platforms such as M-Files or Microsoft SharePoint so that a scanned contract lands in the right folder, tagged correctly, without anyone touching a keyboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Through sophisticated software, they can facilitate secure pull printing, meaning a document doesn\u2019t release until the right person is standing at the machine. They can also log every print job for compliance reporting, connect to other cloud services and communicate across networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The printing part? That\u2019s still important, but it\u2019s no longer the be-all, end-all. These devices are information infrastructure. And that changes everything about how you evaluate them. Failing to adjust conversations accordingly doesn\u2019t just create problems for sales. It creates problems for clients and client relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where Old-Fashioned Printer Conversations Become a Modern Problem<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Too many businesses have no idea their print environments are security liabilities. Not because they\u2019re careless but because nobody told them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today\u2019s multifunction devices have firmware, IP addresses, onboard storage and network access. They\u2019re essentially computers that happen to also print things. The IT team has its stack locked down \u2014 endpoints monitored, patches managed, access controlled. Then there\u2019s the overlooked printer in the corner, still running default admin credentials, connected to the same network and the same systems and data as everything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Clients aren\u2019t always asking. And too many dealers aren\u2019t always bringing it up. That\u2019s unfortunate, because the threat has been real for over a decade. The devices haven\u2019t been \u201cjust printers\u201d for a long, long time. But if the sales relationship is still built around speeds, feeds and toner orders, the security conversation doesn\u2019t always get off the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the many questions my sales team is discussing with clients isn\u2019t just \u201cDo you need 11×17?\u201d It\u2019s \u201cWho will own this device from a security standpoint, and what systems and data will it access?\u201d That question launches radically different conversations than the ones we were having years ago, and that\u2019s just the jumping-off point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Completely Moving Beyond the A3\/A4 Mindset<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re deploying A4 devices in environments where, five years ago, we would\u2019ve automatically spec\u2019d A3. This isn\u2019t because the client\u2019s volume dropped but because the way they move information changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When a device is acting, first and foremost, as a scan origination point feeding directly into an automated workflow, pages per minute isn\u2019t the number that matters. What matters is whether the integration is clean, whether the transmission is secure and whether someone is monitoring the device as part of the broader IT environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The spec sheet matters. But it\u2019s not the first and only thing we look at.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you work through other questions first, the right device usually becomes obvious. And the client walks away understanding what they actually bought and why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What This Means for Dealers<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The dealers doing well in an increasingly competitive environment have figured out that these discussions can no longer revolve around selling anyone a printer. It\u2019s not the right goal, not by a mile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s be honest \u2014 most clients aren\u2019t that thrilled about buying a printer. What does get them smiling, though, is knowing their compliance documentation is handled. They want contracts routed and approved without someone chasing signatures down the hall. They want sensitive documents protected. They want their IT team focused on something more valuable than a paper jam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The device that will end up making your clients the happiest is the one that will deliver the outcomes that transform their work week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As is the case with conversations around print security, that reframe does more than change the dynamic. It also changes the entire relationship. You\u2019re not walking in to talk about what the machine does. You\u2019re walking in to understand what a business needs and then working backward to the technology that gets them there. The A3\/A4 decision is still in there. It just shows up at the end, not the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You get to show up not as a vendor, but as a strategic partner. Clients notice the difference. It\u2019s not subtle. They can always tell when someone shows up to understand their business versus someone who shows up to sell them a box. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Isn\u2019t it odd that we still talk about speed in terms of horsepower?It\u2019s common now, even when modern vehicles have more computing power than a 1990s server room. The Artemis II was also discussed in those terms; for the record, it was estimated to have over 37 million horsepower during launch. It\u2019s not wrong. It\u2019s just habit to use an old framework to talk about something new. It\u2019s familiar. It\u2019s expected. But horsepower no longer even remotely fits how we think of speed. The print industry has its own version of this. For years, the A3 versus A4 conversation started, and often ended, with speed, paper size and monthly volume. How many pages per minute? Does it handle 11×17? What\u2019s the duty cycle? Those questions still matter. But the moment these devices became networked, the decision moved out of finance and purchasing and into IT \u2014 and IT asks very different questions. Leading with speed and feed today is a little like scoping a spaceship in terms of horsepower or judging a smartphone by how loud the speaker gets. You\u2019re leading with one of the least interesting, least impactful things about it. What a Printer Actually Does Now To be fair, even our own industry took a while to fully absorb the fact that, while modern multifunction devices may look and function like printers, they\u2019re not really serving organizations in the same way. Now, devices can scan documents directly into document management systems. They trigger automated approval workflows. They integrate with platforms such as M-Files or Microsoft SharePoint so that a scanned contract lands in the right folder, tagged correctly, without anyone touching a keyboard. Through sophisticated software, they can facilitate secure pull printing, meaning a document doesn\u2019t release until the right person is standing at the machine. They can also log every print job for compliance reporting, connect to other cloud services and communicate across networks. The printing part? That\u2019s still important, but it\u2019s no longer the be-all, end-all. These devices are information infrastructure. And that changes everything about how you evaluate them. Failing to adjust conversations accordingly doesn\u2019t just create problems for sales. It creates problems for clients and client relationships. Where Old-Fashioned Printer Conversations Become a Modern Problem Too many businesses have no idea their print environments are security liabilities. Not because they\u2019re careless but because nobody told them. Today\u2019s multifunction devices have firmware, IP addresses, onboard storage and network access. They\u2019re essentially computers that happen to also print things. The IT team has its stack locked down \u2014 endpoints monitored, patches managed, access controlled. Then there\u2019s the overlooked printer in the corner, still running default admin credentials, connected to the same network and the same systems and data as everything else. Clients aren\u2019t always asking. And too many dealers aren\u2019t always bringing it up. That\u2019s unfortunate, because the threat has been real for over a decade. The devices haven\u2019t been \u201cjust printers\u201d for a long, long time. But if the sales relationship is still built around speeds, feeds and toner orders, the security conversation doesn\u2019t always get off the ground. One of the many questions my sales team is discussing with clients isn\u2019t just \u201cDo you need 11×17?\u201d It\u2019s \u201cWho will own this device from a security standpoint, and what systems and data will it access?\u201d That question launches radically different conversations than the ones we were having years ago, and that\u2019s just the jumping-off point. Completely Moving Beyond the A3\/A4 Mindset We\u2019re deploying A4 devices in environments where, five years ago, we would\u2019ve automatically spec\u2019d A3. This isn\u2019t because the client\u2019s volume dropped but because the way they move information changed. When a device is acting, first and foremost, as a scan origination point feeding directly into an automated workflow, pages per minute isn\u2019t the number that matters. What matters is whether the integration is clean, whether the transmission is secure and whether someone is monitoring the device as part of the broader IT environment. The spec sheet matters. But it\u2019s not the first and only thing we look at. When you work through other questions first, the right device usually becomes obvious. And the client walks away understanding what they actually bought and why. What This Means for Dealers The dealers doing well in an increasingly competitive environment have figured out that these discussions can no longer revolve around selling anyone a printer. It\u2019s not the right goal, not by a mile. Let\u2019s be honest \u2014 most clients aren\u2019t that thrilled about buying a printer. What does get them smiling, though, is knowing their compliance documentation is handled. They want contracts routed and approved without someone chasing signatures down the hall. They want sensitive documents protected. They want their IT team focused on something more valuable than a paper jam. The device that will end up making your clients the happiest is the one that will deliver the outcomes that transform their work week. As is the case with conversations around print security, that reframe does more than change the dynamic. It also changes the entire relationship. You\u2019re not walking in to talk about what the machine does. You\u2019re walking in to understand what a business needs and then working backward to the technology that gets them there. The A3\/A4 decision is still in there. It just shows up at the end, not the beginning. You get to show up not as a vendor, but as a strategic partner. Clients notice the difference. It\u2019s not subtle. They can always tell when someone shows up to understand their business versus someone who shows up to sell them a box.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":278,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4690],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69601"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/278"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69601"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69601\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69698,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69601\/revisions\/69698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}