Perfect Color: Designing Documents for Print

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Color is everywhere in printed media. It gets your attention, sets the tone, and shares information. Printing in color can help your business project a polished and professional image, but it’s critical to balance the value of color printing with the cost of color toner.

To make the most of color, consider the following few tips for how to use color in your print documents and publications.

Draw attention. The primary reason we use color is for its impact, and choosing a few select applications of color will make your message pop and give you the biggest bang for your buck. Consider the type of publication and what element you want to draw attention to, and focus your color there. You may highlight a deadline or expiration date, bring some life to your headings, or even use compelling images. Think about where you want to draw your reader’s eye and use color to guide them there.

Convey emotion. The human mind is wired in such a way that we draw inherent meaning from color. Choosing your colors with an understanding of their psychological impact will help you get the most out of each use. Orange is an action color, while purple invokes imagination. Red is the color of passion and anger; blue brings a sense of calm, trust, and dependability; and green is a color of peace, nature, and health. Choosing the right color will help boost your message by playing on the mind’s built-in shortcuts.

Stick to your resolutions. When it comes to color images and art, print resolution can make or break your publication. Use images with a resolution of 300 dpi (dots per inch) or better for the size you want to print. This quality of image will provide your printer the information it needs to create documents that show all the details. A lower dpi can result in blurry or pixelated images, so skimping on image quality is just a waste of toner.

Figure out fonts. Combining selective use of color with different font types will up the impact of your outputs. Avoid messiness and confusion for your readers by sticking to two or three fonts: one for the body of your text, one for headings, and maybe one for call-outs or quotes. Body (or paragraph) text, works best in black, but headings and call-outs thrive in color. A trick for making your text easy on the eye is to use a serif font, like Times New Roman or Garamond. The additional visual detail in these fonts makes text easier to interpret. Headings work well in sans serif fonts like Helvetica.

Proof it. Printing a proof, or test version, is a best practice for any publication, and it’s especially vital when printing in color. Print one copy and review it closely for readability, detail, and color accuracy. This is the “measure twice, cut once” of the printing world: take the time to be sure your publication will print as you expect and you’ll save yourself the headache (and toner!) down the line.

Color printing can be a powerful tool for catching the eye and directing your audience’s attention. From conveying emotion to showing detail, use color wisely for the perfect printed publication.

Surprising Benefits of Managed IT

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Many businesses are now familiar with some of the primary benefits of Managed IT. They include cost control, troubleshooting and problem-solving, and freeing up resources for activities more central and unique to your business. But, in addition to those common valuable features, Managed IT can provide some surprising benefits to you and your business.

With Managed IT, you can:

Stay up-to-date. Complete management of your IT network includes the critical element of patching and upgrading. Easily left by the wayside when you’re focused on troubleshooting, your Managed IT provider includes regular software patches as part of their services. By keeping you on track with the latest updates for your software and operating system, they’ll help you avoid security risks, eliminate glitches, and solve usability issues. Managed IT keeps all of your systems running smoothly.

Get custom insight. Usage reports and service statistics are par for the course, but your Managed IT provider can also design dashboards and reports tailored specifically for your business. Department managers can see at-a-glance which systems are running smoothly and where action needs to be taken. Custom dashboards provide the insight you need to stay on top of your operations.

Be ready for disaster—and recovery. A Managed IT partnership means having redundant and fail-safe systems. Normally this is a significant investment. But, when you work with a Managed IT provider, the cost of network and data center infrastructure is distributed among various clients, so it’s more affordable to incorporate a comprehensive backup and recovery solution.

Take your information technology to the next level. While in-house IT staff must normally be generalists who can solve any number of problems, Managed IT providers employ specialists whose expertise can be leveraged for your business’ strategy. They provide intimate knowledge of device life cycles, software risks and options, and OS upgrades. Periodic reviews by these experts can make sure you’re operating with the most efficient and effective systems.

Working with a partner for Managed IT is so much more than outsourcing your Help Desk tickets. With dedicated resources, specialized expertise, and a strong relationship with your provider, a move to Managed IT means teaming up with a partner that is invested in your company’s success. Contact Infomax Office Systems to learn more about Managed IT and how it can benefit your business.

Get the Graphic Tools You Need to Succeed

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Today’s technology has democratized numerous tools that used to be available only to large enterprises or high-end print shops. With the right multifunction machines and a select suite of specialized tools, it’s easier than ever to create your own professional marketing materials.

Consider the following graphic tools that can take your business to the next level.

Booklet makers and folders can take your production to new heights, enabling you to create a polished product with a clear and coherent message. Transform stacks of single sheets or sloppily stapled handouts into catalogs, magazines, and informational booklets. Promote your services, share testimonials, and document case studies with professionalism and ease.

Trimmers and cutters provide speed and flexibility. With them, you can quickly create materials best suited to your purposes. Hand-trimming 4-up printouts into billets is time-consuming and error-prone. Cutting machines make crisp, consistent cuts in record time, whether you’re printing a hundred standard business cards or a thousand custom-sized postcards.

Shredders give you control over your documents and the data they contain. By having your own machine on hand, you can shred on-demand, preventing piles of accumulated paper that wait weeks to be prepared for disposal. By shredding your documents right away, you’ll avoid the security risk of exposed proprietary data and customer information.

Check signers automate one of your most laborious processes. For high-volume check signing, end hand cramps and eliminate insecure stamps with a dedicated tool.

Laminators transform slipshod printouts into polished documents. From professionally-printed product spec sheets to polished office signage, in-house laminating makes it quick and convenient to create durable materials that communicate value and high standards.

In-house graphic tools will earn their keep in terms of cost, control, and convenience. Your graphic infrastructure will be custom-tailored to meet your business’ needs and can be especially helpful in cost savings for small print runs. You’ll take back control of your production process and data security. Perhaps most powerfully, in-house graphic tools can provide the flexibility and capacity to produce what you want, when you want it —all with the same quality you’ll find in high-end print shops.

Interested in an update to your business’ graphic tools? Whether you’re a small business that has big plans for marketing materials, or you’re a local print shop that wants to upgrade your graphic tools, contact Infomax today. We’ll tell you about the printing solutions and available graphic features that can take your business documents to the next level!

Document Management Can Help Green Your Business

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In the search for sustainability, it can often feel as though we have to choose between the planet and profits. Fortunately, new technologies are making environmentally friendly choices both smart and cost-effective. Document management is a perfect alignment of efficient technology and good corporate citizenship.

Whether the data you manage starts as digital assets or are scanned from paper originals, document management is about using software for the storage, searching, sharing, and tracking of business information.

Read on for a few ways document management systems can help your business go green while saving green.

Reduce printing needs – By going digital, your use of consumables like paper and toner can drop dramatically. Digital forms and customized routing of electronic documents eliminate the need for burdensome duplicate and triplicate forms and prevent the need for copies of copies for sharing purposes.  Document management can also reduce your carbon footprint and printing budget with the implementation of page caps for individual team members, ensuring your business is always printing smart.

Eliminate storage expenses – With document management, piles of paper are turned into streams of ones and zeroes—the language of computers. Instead of filling costly office space with rows of file cabinets, digital documents can be saved on DVD-ROMs, servers, and hard drives, using a tiny fraction of the space needed for physical documents. How would that space better serve your business once all those old paper files are shredded and recycled?

Improve access efficiency – Digital documents can be indexed and searched right from your desktop. This improved efficiency saves your business money, as your employees can easily access files that once took them hours to find in filing cabinets. You can retrieve records from a designated date range, pull up the order history for a specific vendor, and even search the content of documents for keywords. A well-designed document management system makes accessing your data fast and intuitive, whether it’s for daily customer service or infrequent archive searches. This improved productivity means you’ll be going green while saving green—it doesn’t get much better than that!

Document management is a smart and easy way to green your business. It’s kinder to the environment, faster for your staff, and better for your bottom line.

Contact us today to learn more about document management solutions and how Infomax can help you implement this green strategy.

MPS: How Small Changes Can Make a Big Difference

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Printing is a critical part of daily business processes. But done inefficiently, printing can be a black hole for time and money—making equipment purchases that don’t meet your company’s needs, spending hours troubleshooting solutions to rectify problems, and running out of consumables at inconvenient times. All of these printing pitfalls add up to wasted resources for your business. But, when printing is done right, it can make your operations more streamlined, professional, and cost-effective.

Managed Print Services (MPS) can implement a few small changes that will make a big difference in your office. Here’s how:

Optimize workflows – No two businesses are exactly alike, and MPS will optimize your unique workflows. With MPS, your business’ specific needs are examined to find solutions that click with your systems and improve your processes. An initial MPS assessment can uncover shortcuts to help manage complex tasks like batch printing and document delivery. Or, your Managed Services Provider may identify multifunction machines that will help you accomplish your goals, while saving time, money, and office space. Your MPS partner can also examine your office layout, staffing, and print needs. With a complete picture of your unique business workflows, your Managed Services Provider can determine the best physical location and setup for each machine in your office’s imaging fleet.

Delete daily distractions – Increasingly, we’re learning that “multi-tasking” is a myth. What we’re really doing dozens of times each day is task-switching. And printing comes with plenty of tasks—taking inventory, ordering supplies, performing maintenance, troubleshooting, and more. Every time your IT or admin staff members have to stop and perform a printer-related task, you’re losing time and money. Turning to Managed Print Services means streamlining daily efforts and making all these print-related processes seamless.

End printer panic – How many times have you run out of toner when you’re in the middle of a time-sensitive print job? Consider the disruption that occurs when one of your staff members has to make a “quick run” to the office supply store so you can finish the job. With MPS’ automatic toner replacement, you’re ready to replace that cartridge without skipping a beat.

With Managed Print Services, little changes to your imaging fleet can make a big difference. Printing can become a seamlessly integrated part of essential processes and daily workflows. MPS can get the logistics of printing out of your way and identify solutions to improve your operations. After all, technology is supposed to make our lives easier, isn’t it?

Contact Infomax today to learn more about how small changes with MPS can have a big impact on your business.

How to Keep Your Network Safe

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Maintaining the security of your business’s IT network safe isn’t an easy feat. Securing your network is a process requiring time and dedication even for those entrenched in the IT world. Doing it well on top of your everyday tasks can be daunting at best and fatal for your business at worst. Moreover, the sophistication of today’s hackers leaves no one’s system—not even your home computer—safe from threats.

To avoid these ongoing threats, consider the following tips to keep your business network safe.

Use encryption – Data that is encrypted requires a key or password to decode information, making it the most effective way to secure your network. At the very least, ensure that your Internet network has Wi-Fi Protected Access II encryption, the most up-to-date protocol, to eliminate the likelihood of a breach.

Change access passwords – When considering how to keep your network safe, also consider how conspicuous your passwords are. Of course, certain team members—if not all of them—will need to know your accessibility password. However, administrative passwords, where applicable, should be restricted. Also, if you notice too many users on your network and your bandwidth begins to suffer, consider changing your password and reinforcing its confidentiality to employees with whom it is shared.

Scan your system regularly – The point of malware and spyware is for it to remain undetected on your network in order to do as much damage to your system as possible. So, unless you take the time to regularly look for these programs, you won’t be able to detect their presence. Scanning your system will unveil viruses and spyware on your network, while scanning the ports will inform you of any accessibility issues. It’s recommended to scan your network on a daily basis to ensure security. This is ideal for outsourcing, since a trusted IT partner—like Infomax—will ensure this gets done regularly, whereas in-house staff might push system checks to deal with pressing issues.

Choose a smart SSID – Simply put, the Service Set Identifier (SSID) is the name of your Wi-Fi connection. Remember that this name will appear on a list that is available to anyone attempting to find a Wi-Fi network to join within a certain physical distance of your company. Naming your network after your company in any way provides an easy way for hackers to identify your network. A simple name like Wireless1 or WIFI1 strips your SSID of any company-related identifiers, adding an easy layer of security to your network.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the weight of keeping your network safe or you’d like more information on protecting your IT systems, contact Infomax today!

Quality and Affordable Printing Solutions for Every Office

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Monochrome printers and multi-function printers (MFPs) have come a long way since dot matrix printing of yesteryear. Many companies might assume monochrome printing solutions are also becoming dated, as color devices rise in popularity. But, today’s black-and-white printers and MFPs have kept pace with modern technology and often include sophisticated features—including Wi-Fi, duplex printing, and mobile capabilities—to streamline efficiency in your office, while still remaining incredibly affordable.

Monochrome machines are often the most affordable option, making them an ideal option for businesses on a budget. If your office has a color printer or MFP and needs to supplement its network, additional monochrome hardware is your most economical choice. If you’ve already determined that your office can benefit from a monochrome printer, the next step is to decide how you want that machine to function in your office. Is it going to be your company workhorse, shared by more than ten people? Is your marketing team going to be using it, possibly requiring very small fonts to print legibly? How you intend to use your new black and white printer is the first step in your purchase.

Once you figure out the purpose of your new machine, the next step is to consider the specs of your top choices. Each printer’s capabilities are clearly outlined for every machine on their corresponding information sheets. Simply understanding printer specifications in order to compare models can save you time and money in the long-run.

Here are a few points to consider in order to get the best monochrome device for your budget:

Resolution – Resolution is the maximum number of printed dots per inch (dpi) both vertically and horizontally. The lowest resolution in modern printers is roughly 600 dpi, so consider the type of printing you’ll be using your machine for. If you are simply adding a new device for a few employees to share for everyday printing—where professional-quality outputs are not required—a 600dpi printer will do the trick. Looking for resolution specs may help you determine if your choice is the most economical choice.

Print Speed – The corresponding acronym for this spec is PPM, or pages per minute. Again, the function of the machine will help determine an acceptable range for how many pages you need your new machine to print per minute. Typically, the fewer pages printed per minute, the more economical the machine.

Connectivity – Connectivity is about how your printer links to computers and mobile devices. All printers have USB ports, allowing for a wired connection to virtually any device. Basic devices can connect to your networked print fleet via an Ethernet cable. For increased mobility, many models also support wireless printing. Look for how each model connects to devices to help determine your top choice.

Paper Handling – The type of paper you intend to use—everything from size to thickness to output tray capacity—is outlined in the paper-handling specs. Consider not only if you’ll be printing in different sizes, but also the type of paper that you intend to use. This point is particularly important if you intend to print addresses on envelopes on your new machine. Also, duplex printing is included in this spec, and should be considered as an eco-friendly, cost-effective option.

Monochrome machines are an affordable option for your next office technology purchase, as they offer significant features that can be incredibly beneficial to your business at a fair price. Knowing the function of your machine and understanding the meaning behind the spec sheet should help you make the best decision for a quality, affordable monochrome printer to add to your network.

For more information on black and white printing solutions, contact Infomax today!

Ensuring Mobile Devices Stay Secure

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It’s hard to imagine how to effectively do our jobs without the use of smartphones and tablets. The benefits of incorporating mobile devices in our day-to-day workflows are significant—allowing us to go anywhere in the world, while remaining proactive and productive employees. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is a way for employees to access work information via mobile devices, while companies are exempt from paying for the device itself, its maintenance, or any accumulating contractual monthly fees.

While the pros and cons of BYOD are debatable, keeping your company’s data secure is absolutely essential—every business should consider the security of its data a top priority. From internal emails, to client credit card information, and your employees’ social security numbers, there is plenty at risk when it comes to private company data. Setting a company-wide BYOD security strategy to ensure mobile devices stay safe is the first step in protecting your sensitive business data.

Consider implementing the following BYOD strategies to help keep mobile devices that access company files, email, or other data safe.

Remote Locate, Lock, and Wipe – No matter how diligent employees are with their devices, sometimes they are lost. With a remote locate, lock, and wipe system in place, you can find, password-protect, and delete all sensitive business data from an employee’s lost or stolen device from your office. This is a great feature when considering the devices of employees who are terminated or quit.

Device Backup and Updates – End users should be responsible for backing up their device to ensure their personal data is not lost. Doing so also entails processing any current updates or patches to devices, which increases that device’s level of security. So, encourage your employees to regularly backup and update each of their mobile devices used for BYOD

Beef Up Passwords – Ask your team to strengthen each device’s password and privacy settings on their apps to make hacking their devices more difficult. Passwords that are a minimum of ten characters long that use lower and upper case letters, numbers, and punctuation are recommended. Moreover, remember that recognizable words are easily hacked, so encourage employees to use meaningful acronyms as strong passwords.

Consider Outsourced Mobile Device Management – Companies like Infomax work every day to ensure the security of all of their clients’ technology, including across mobile devices. Infomax iGuard is a mobile device management service that provides an easy-to-use, cloud-based solution specifically designed to secure corporate mobile devices. Outsourcing mobile device management removes the onus from your IT staff and ensures that your data is always secure—even when accessed on a smartphone or tablet.

Setting a strategy and ensuring compliance are paramount when it comes to using mobile devices for work purposes. By developing a strategy and implementing it, you can protect your company’s sensitive information, while allowing your employees to be as productive as possible by using their own devices.

Contact Infomax today for more information on keeping your company data secure.

Cover All Your Bases When It Comes to Document Security

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You want your company’s data to be secure. Whether it’s protecting employee records and sensitive client information or guarding official papers that you don’t want competitors to see, document security is one of the many responsibilities that every business has to address. Companies are tasked to categorize both paper and electronic documents based on a predetermined sorting system that identifies each document’s level of security.

Whether you are developing your classification system from scratch or altering one that is already in place, it is important to be proactive rather than reactive when it comes to document security.

The first step in document security is to determine an agreed-upon labeling system for both paper and electronic documents. There are two distinct aspects of how you classify data: the document’s sensitivity level and the document’s designated audience. Tiered levels of classification are meant to determine strictness of security, whereby a level one document is less secure than a level two or three document. Furthermore, these tiers determine who can access the data, whereby any company employee may be able to view a level one classified document, but only high-level managers and officials can view and edit level three files.

The next step is enforcing these new protocols and ensuring employee compliance. One way to do so is to consider automating the classification process. Document automation software automatically classifies and stores all of your electronic documents—from emails and memos to invoices and scans. Moreover, automating the process also provides instant restrictions on file access based on your company’s fixed parameters. Finessing your business’s document security system by incorporating Document Automation software through a Managed Services Provider (MSP) like Infomax removes human error and ensures compliance with your new system.

Most established companies have some document security protocols in place, but are they effective? Revisiting your predetermined document security rules to clarify, simplify, and modernize policies is recommended to ensure that each piece of data is secured appropriately every time. When it comes to employee compliance, simplicity is key. Ensure that your rules are precise, unambiguous, and easy to follow so that your team can comply with your internal document security protocols. One way to modernize your system is by bringing in an MSP to evaluate your current filing system and improve it with software designed to optimize workflows.

Contact Infomax today to learn how Document Automation can systematically streamline your business’s document security protocols.

Setting a New Standard for Service in 2016

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Modern businesses rely on linked technology systems to succeed. But, with technology comes service needs, and not many companies can support the infrastructure necessary to keep their office equipment up and running in-house. Outsourcing this job begs its own questions like, “Are you happy with your company’s current service of your desktop PCs, networks, and various imaging systems?”, or “Have you used the same service and maintenance company for years and think it may be time to reevaluate your needs?”. If you think the service you currently receive to support your business’s technology is lacking, consider updating your standard for service in 2016.

Specifically, consider a comprehensive service package for businesses relying on interconnections between all office technologies. This type of service offering boasts a complete answer for hands-off installation, setup, and optimization of office equipment that helps your business thrive by keeping all of your systems up-to-date and working together as efficiently as possible. Infomax’s complete service program—ConnectPlus—provides all of these features to ensure seamless technology integration and performance.

One significant benefit of a comprehensive service package is that a single vendor will assist you with all of your office equipment IT needs. From copiers and printers, to networked computers and software training, you only have one number to call for service, rather than dealing with the hassle of figuring out who to contact for each particular issue.

Moreover, this all-inclusive approach to office technology service ensures that the technician handling your account knows you and your business on a personal level, providing you with one point of contact who understands the intricacies of your business practices and workflows. Coupling intimate knowledge of your business with technical expertise will provide your company with top-notch, customized service.

Having one service provider simplifies your accounting situation, as well. Rather than receiving multiple bills from several providers, billing is consolidated into one invoice when you streamline your services. Merging all of your service and maintenance bills into a single invoice also has the potential to affect your bottom line dramatically, whereby you pay less on one bill than you would if your previous bills were summed.

So why not set a new standard for service in 2016? Working with a single vendor for all of your office’s technology needs ensures that your machines, both individually and as an interconnected system, are working as efficiently and economically as possible. Doing so will guarantee that your office’s workflows are optimized, allowing your team to work at peak performance throughout the year.

Contact Infomax today to speak with an expert about how your office can update its technology services by getting started with ConnectPlus.