Innovation comes in different shapes and sizes - here we look at the array of great features you may not notice until you start using your Sharp MFP but you'll love using.
Sharp has built a reputation for innovation in technology spanning over one hundred years. From its early days crafting the Ever-Sharp Mechanical pencil to its current vision of transforming the way organisations engage with information through connected technologies, innovation is in the DNA of the company.
However, innovation does not always have to mean radical change. Sharp’s latest MFPs, for example, are packed with a wide array of features both big and small, some of which you may not notice until you start to use them.
The likes of the Sharp MX-4070N, MX-3570N and MX-3070N contain every day innovations that have been designed to make office life that little bit easier – check them out:
Sharp Printers: Staple-less staples
With the new range Sharp printers you’ll find there are two types of stapling on offer. Manual stapling is a convenient feature that allows you to insert documents into a slot in the finisher to staple it. It could be used for a variety of reasons including re-stapling separated copy originals.
When you think of a stapler, you probably imagine a small shard of metal binding your documents together. There is a better way, which reduces costs on having to buy and keep staples in stock.
Stapleless stapling is a neat finishing option available from the print driver or from the device UI. It will crimp the corners of the pages together using serrated metal teeth. You can output up to five pages at a time to create a single bound document, making it a great alternative for smaller documents.
Sharp Printers: Office Direct Printing
Office Direct Printing is a great innovation where you walk up to your Sharp MFP device and very quickly print from a USB Memory Stick. Older devices were limited to TIF, JPEG and PDF files but with this latest version on the MX range you can access any office documents, such as Excel, Word and PowerPoint – there is no limitation as to what can be printed.
It’s a really nice feature – you don’t have to log-on with a PC or use a terminal. You can simply enter the office, walk up and slot your USB drive in. A pop-up screen will automatically appear on the display panel, it will show you thumbnails of your files, making it very easy to select the documents you want to access and print.
Sharp Printers: Single Sign-on to the Public Cloud
With this new generation of Sharp printer you can access public cloud services, such as Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive and SharePoint, as well as our in-house offering Cloud Portal Office.
The first time you use the service you’ll need to enter your password for your Public Cloud accounts but the next time you walk up to the device you can use your log-on credentials, whether that’s a proximity-card or other means of authentication, choose the public cloud service that you want to access and the MFP will go straight into your account without the need to use your log-on details again.
This single sign-on gives you immediate access, making it easier to quickly collaborate with others. It is a feature Sharp customers have been asking for and we’ve responded accordingly.
It means that one person can be working on a document and save it to a shared Cloud area, and then someone else can access it from the MFP and print. In turn, they can write down some amends onto the document, scan and save it to the same Cloud account, so making working together easy and fast.
Sharp Printers: Print Release solution
Typically, when you opt to print a document from your computer, you select the printer on the office network and take a walk to collect your output. While this is absolutely fine, sometimes you arrive to find there are already a couple of your colleagues in the queue. You have two choices: wait in line, or head back to your PC, cancel the print job and select another printer on the network.
Instead, a better option would be to use Sharp’s pull-printing (print release) system. Documents you send from your PC are stored on the main MFP you can print from or, if that’s busy, you can authenticate and release the job at the most convenient device without needing to head back to your desk*. Print release is a standard feature for the new A3 colour MX series and provides a completely free pull-printing solution without the need to invest in a print server to store your documents.
*Up to 5 connected devices
Sharp Printers: Print from mobile
As the world becomes more and more mobile, a lot of the documents we handle are sent and received on our tablets, laptops, or smartphones. Sharp’s new generation devices come with WiFi connectivity as standard and scanned images can be received or documents printed from your chosen mobile device via the powerful Sharpdesk Mobile printing app.
There are more options to work in the way you want as these devices also support Google Cloud Print, Mopria and the Android printing framework to enable printing from your mobile device via the Internet.
Sharp Printers: High-speed automatic wake-up
With the built-in motion sensor on our new advanced series MFPs, the device will be on and ready for you when you need it. Located on the front of the printer, the sensor detects when a user approaches and powers up, reducing any waiting time and making it quicker for you to get your copy or scan jobs completed and moving on quickly to your next project.
As you can see, Sharp is committed to making the work place a far more effective place to be. To find out more about Sharp MFP printers and how innovation can help your business please visit our Document Solutions.
