BIOS: Technology Means Business

Every now and then, a product hits the market that genuinely sets new standards.

Today, Eastman Kodak Company announces the launch of the i1860 scanner which apparently does just this - a scanner packed with innovative features designed to raise the bar on user productivity in offices where high volume scanning is required.

The i1860 scanner captures images at up to 200 pages-per-minute, making it the fastest production scanner offered by Kodak. It features easy-to-use operation through a colour touch screen panel and offers a variety of ergonomic features, including automatic height-adjustment and easy-to-reach input and output areas.

The scanner is pitched as an ideal solution for paper-intensive environments such as service bureaus, insurance companies and government departments that centrally process claims, or financial institutions that handle high volumes of transactions such as loan and mortgage applications and who have a wide variety of document types, colours, weights and demanding duty cycles.

Richard Broden, product marketing manager, document imaging, Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group, said, “The i1860 represents the next generation of production scanner. We’ve taken all of Kodak’s imaging and scanner know-how, and incorporated it into the new product along with increasing the scanner speed and enhancing the ergonomic design. The result is a scanner with superior image quality, throughput, and functionality that enables greater ease of use and the flexibility to efficiently meet the challenges of any size workload. It makes a powerful statement for Kodak’s continued commitment to production scanning.”

Alexandra Stöckl-Paul, Chief Executive Officer, of storage supplier Heydt-Verlags-GmbH based in Rottenburg, said, “As one of the biggest service bureaux in Germany, we were impressed by the ergonomics, speed and robustness as well as the ease of use of the new i1860. Together with the excellent hardware support from Kodak, this is an unbeatable solution for high volume scanning applications of the highest quality.”

“The new i1860 is a great step forward in scanner technology with superb design and reliability from Kodak,” said Jörg Bothmann, CEO Alpha COM Deutschland GmbH, a specialist German EDV storage supplier. The automatic height adjustment provides the flexibility for the operator to scan while either standing or seated. A user-friendly touch screen panel simplifies on-the-fly performance by putting a variety of controls at the operator’s fingertips.

Research has shown a correlation between employee comfort and productivity, especially when it comes to adjustable workstations. One study, conducted by Cornell University's Human Factors and Ergonomics Laboratory, showed that more than 80 per cent of participants using an adjustable workstation reported a significant increase in overall productivity.

“The ergonomic design of the new i1860 is extremely impressive and allows a major improvement in productivity. This was the reason we placed an order immediately” said Franz Eckner, Chief Executive Officer of BISS, an Austrian company providing document management systems and services.

The i1860 scanner includes the capability to pre-scan or post-scan print. There is also a high-resolution printer accessory for use whenever high-resolution pre-scan printing is required, as in some OCR applications-as well as locking side guides to ensure proper imprinting. This feature is a direct response to customers' specific needs. “When adding or enhancing features to our scanners, we continue to listen to the end user-our most demanding design critic,” Broden said. “These features are aimed squarely at maximizing overall capture productivity.”

The i1860 Scanner has an anticipated list price of approximately £55,000 and will be available in December, 2006. The new scanner is backed by Kodak’s Service & Support, the benchmark service provider for the document imaging industry, named Best Support Organisation in the 2006 International Business Awards.

The new i1860 comes with a standard 12-month, four day response time warranty which customers can extend for an additional premium at time of purchase. This enhanced warranty - for periods of 12 or 36 months - covers all parts and labour costs associated and means a Kodak field engineer will visit the customer site within 8 hours to fix any problems.

Obtaining a service plan while still under warranty helps ensure continuous, uninterrupted service coverage and to maintain the image quality throughout the life of the Kodak scanner. More information about Kodak document imaging scanners is available at www.kodak.com/go/docimaging.

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