Contact Information: CONTACT: Karl Pawlewicz Crenshaw Communications Phone: 646-484-4523 Email: karl@crenshawcomm.com Chris Loncto Sharp Electronics Corporation Phone: 201-529-8680 Email: lonctoc@sharpsec.com
Sharp Wins BLI'S 2009 MFP "Line of the Year" Award
Sharp Honored With Coveted Award for the Second Time in Past Three Years
| Source: Sharp Electronics Corporation
MAHWAH, NJ--(Marketwire - December 7, 2009) - Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America
(SIICA), a division of Sharp Electronics Corporation, today announced that
it has received the 2009 "Line of the Year" Award from Buyers Laboratory,
Inc. (BLI), the leading global provider of information and testing services
to the digital imaging industry. BLI's "Line of the Year" is awarded once
a year to the vendor whose product line is determined to be the best
overall based on its cumulative test results in BLI's rigorous two-month
laboratory evaluation. Among the many factors considered are reliability,
image quality, productivity, ease of use, scanning, a host of connectivity
attributes and overall value. Also considered is the breadth of each
vendor's line.
"We are honored to once again receive this award. We believe it to be the
result of our continued focus on where the market is heading, not just
where it is today," said Mike Marusic, vice president of marketing and
service, Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America. "In doing so we
work closely with end users to understand their needs and where their
business is moving, and then design products that will help them work more
efficiently and ultimately improve their bottom line. The result is our
award winning line of MFPs -- from A4 to production class -- that are
customizable, easy to operate, secure and reliable."
Last year Sharp became the first of the traditional copier vendors to
launch workgroup-level A4/letter MFPs that, like copiers, feature separate
drums, developer and toner. These are the BLI highly recommended
MX/DX-B401 and MX/DX-C401, along with the MX/DX-C311, which received a BLI
"Pick" Award earlier this year.
This award acknowledges that Sharp offers A4 products that meet the
differing service requirements of various customers alongside A3 models
that offer a host of innovative features, including the industry-first
standard retractable QWERTY keyboard, and the third generation of Sharp OSA
technology™.
In total this year Sharp's A3 MFPs have earned eight "Picks," covering the
entire spectrum of color and monochrome. Sharps current A3 product line
offers a total of 17 "Pick of the Year Award" winners, more than any other
copier vendor. "Pick" awards recognize the outstanding combination of high
reliability and above average ratings for all aspects of connectivity,
including feedback to workstations, administrative utilities, and print
drivers. Sharp products also score very well for ease-of-use, with a
high-resolution color touch-screen display that is customizable to allow
commonly used features to be placed on the main screen for each function.
"While all of the dynamics driving change may not be clear, what is clear
is that dealers must expand their business model beyond focusing
exclusively on selling higher-priced ledge/A3 hardware," said BLI Managing
Editor Daria Hoffman. "With A4 MFPs that are just as robust as traditional
A3 MFPs in this important segment, Sharp has a leg up on its competitors."
The "Line of the Year" Award also recognizes the exceptional scanning
capabilities of Sharp A3 devices, including the ImageSEND function;
Sharpdesk, "a favorite among BLI technicians"; and dual-head scanning,
which leads to less wear and tear, less chance for misfeeds and quicker
scan speeds. BLI goes on to mention that Sharp devices "set the benchmark
for programming LDAP destinations."
For more information about the complete line of Sharp document solution
products, contact Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America, Sharp
Plaza, Mahwah, N.J. 07495-1163, or call 800-BE-SHARP. For online product
information, visit Sharp's Web site at sharpusa.com or
sharpusa.com/documents.
About Buyers Laboratory
Since 1961, Buyers Lab has been the leading independent office-equipment
testing lab and business consumer advocate. In addition to publishing the
industry's most comprehensive and accurate test reports on office document
imaging devices, each representing months of exhaustive hands-on testing in
BLI's US and UK laboratories, the company has been the leading source for
extensive databases of specifications and pricing on copiers, printers, fax
machines and multifunctional products. The company's databases cover over
10,000 products and have a long-standing reputation for being the
industry's most trustworthy and complete source for global competitive
intelligence. They are available to BLI subscribers online via the
company's bliQ competitive information service. This encyclopedic resource
also provides quick and easy access to BLI's First Look Reports, Field Test
Reports, Lab Test Reports, Solutions Reports, and BLI-produced articles.
In addition to the testing of office equipment for its subscribers, Buyers
Lab provides consulting services to buyers and a vast array of confidential
for-hire private testing services that include document imaging device beta
and pre-launch testing, performance certification testing, consumables
testing (such as toner, ink and photoconductors), software and solutions
and print media testing (including virgin and recycled papers).
For more information on Buyers Lab, please call (201) 488-0404, visit
www.buyerslab.com, or e-mail info@buyerslab.com.
Sharp Electronics Corporation is the U.S. subsidiary of Japan's Sharp
Corporation, a worldwide developer of one-of-a-kind home entertainment
products, appliances, networked multifunctional office solutions, solar
energy solutions and mobile communication and information tools. Leading
brands include AQUOS® Liquid Crystal Televisions, 1-Bit™ digital audio
products, SharpVision® projection products, Notevision® multimedia
projectors, Insight® Microwave Drawer® appliances, SuperSteam™
ovens, Plasmacluster® air purifiers and the OnEnergy™ solar system.
For more information visit Sharp Electronics Corporation at
www.sharpusa.com
Sharp, Sharp OSA, and related trademarks are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Sharp Corporation and/or its affiliated companies. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective owners.