Print.IT - issue 49

BULLETIN PRINT.IT 9 www.printitmag.co.uk Tenth anniversary milestone for Oce ColorWave Canon has sold its 10,000th Oce ColorWave wide format colour printer, ten years after the range and the Oce CrystalPoint technology on which it is based were introduced. Combining attributes of both inkjet and toner technologies, Oce CrystalPoint produces crisp, high-quality, waterproof colour and black & white output, even on uncoated and recycled paper. The durable, instant-dry prints are suitable for a wide range of applications, including CAD plots, maps, point of sale material and posters for both indoor and short-term outdoor use. The current, third generation of Océ ColorWave devices includes the Océ ColorWave 500, optimised for CAD, maps and production applications in the manufacturing, architecture, construction, design and reprographics industries; and the Océ ColorWave 700, designed for organisations with higher print volumes, including reprographics, sign and display print providers and in-house printing departments in government, education and the retail and hospitality industries. The multi-roll setup on both models enables users to switch between different jobs without having to swap rolls. 3D printing comparison site The process of finding a company to print a 3D file should be a lot easier following the launch of the UK’s first comparison website for 3D printing services. Already available in the US and Europe, 3Dcompare.com connects users to a selection of bureaux, including industry leaders like iMaterialise, Shapeways and Makexyz. Users can use the site to upload a file, choose their material, check prices and make an order. https://3dcompare.com/ Consumers warm to biometrics as they lose patience with passwords Consumers are looking more favourably on biometric authentication, as security breaches and the multiplication of online accounts highlight the inadequacies of passwords, claims IBM in its new report, The IBM Security: Future of Identity Study. In a survey of 4,000 adults in the US, Europe and Asia Pacific, 67% of all respondents said they were comfortable using biometric authentication today, with 87% expecting to be comfortable with these technologies in the future. At 75%, acceptance is highest amongst Millennials aged between 20 and 36. Perhaps not coincidentally, this age group tends to pay less attention to password hygiene, with fewer than half using complex passwords that include special characters, numbers and letters and 41% admitting to using the same password multiple times. Today, the average internet user in America has more than 150 online accounts that require a password. This number is expected to rise to more than 300 in the future. Although almost half (44%) of respondents ranked fingerprint biometrics as one of the most secure methods of authentication, well ahead of passwords (27%) and PINs (12%), consumers still have concerns about how biometric data is collected and used (55%) and the risk of others using fake biometric data to access their accounts (50%). IBM’s research shows that security, rather than convenience, is the number one priority when logging into applications, especially banking, investing, and budgeting apps, for which 70% selected security as the top priority. The exceptions to this rule are social media apps, where convenience was the number one factor (cited by 36%), followed by security (34%) and privacy (30%). ibm.biz/FutureOfIdentity n A separate study by email provider GMX paints a somewhat different picture, with 57% of British adults preferring passwords to authentication by fingerprint, eye, face and voice recognition. Less than one third (29%) of the 1,000 people surveyed consider biometric log-in a useful addition, and then only if used in combination with manual methods like passwords and PIN entry. www.gmx.co.uk CHERRY’s new MC 4900 wired mouse has a built-in fingerprint reader for easy logon and secure authentication Photo courtesy of Shapeways Filestar app KYOCERA Document Solutions has added the Filestar document management system to its HYPAS-enabled solutions portfolio. The web-based system can be hosted on-premise or in the cloud and comes with the option of an app that sits on a KYOCERA MFP and allows users to scan documents from there straight into the Filestar system. KYOCERA says that the solution can help customers comply with the European Union General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), for example by enabling them to search for a person’s name and delete all documents containing their personal information. MPS for SMEs Xerox is targeting SMEs with a new managed print service developed in partnership with technology distributor Midwich. Expert Print Services (XPS), developed by Xerox and available through Midwich’s 6,000-strong reseller network, provides a menu of managed print services that gives SMEs control of office printing and enables them to manage the transition from paper to digital. As part of the relationship, Midwich will also distribute Xerox ConnectKey office MFPs and Versant light production devices. www.xerox.co.uk HR online Cloud B2B Solutions is targeting HR departments with a cloud-based document management system designed to help HR professionals manage employee records in compliance with regulations like the GDPR, which comes into force this May. As well as making it easier to administer subject access requests, HR online can allocate dates for documents to be destroyed or reviewed. www.cloudb2bsolutions.co.uk