Most industries these days are fraught with acronyms galore. When you live and breathe such an industry, day in and day out, you speak in a foreign language that you often forget most people dont speak. I was reminded of this the other day when a prospective customer stopped me and asked, Whats an MFP? So I thought I would provide a list of commonly used terms in the imaging industry.
Account Codes
Account codes track who is using a copier. Users must punch in an individual or department code before making copies.
ADF - Automatic Document Feeder
“Doc feeds” allow you to load a stack of originals into the feeder, press start, and let the copier move each sheet on and off the platen.
Bridge Unit
Bridge units allow different functions to be added to a copier, like print and fax boards.
Bypass Tray
The short, straight-paper path of a bypass tray reduces the risk of jamming and allows copying onto media that either can’t be fed or that is inconvenient to feed from the traditional copy paper tray, such as colored paper, odd-sized paper, or card stock. Bypass trays can typically hold anywhere from one to 100 sheets.
Color Server
See “RIP” definition.
Consumables
The toner, fuser oil, developer, or any other materials or parts that must be periodically replaced in a copier.
Controller
Controllers allow copiers to be networked and act as printers.
Counter / Meter
These keep track of the number of copies and prints a machine has made. Most machines these days have multiple meters for monochrome, color, and other variables.
Coverage
Coverage refers to the percentage of a page’s surface that would be covered if all toner were in one place on the page. A black and white, double-spaced, letter page, for example, would be 6 percent coverage. Color images typically have higher coverage than standard letters, often between 25 and 35 percent coverage.
CPC / CPP / CPI – Cost per Copy, Page, Impression
Copiers and printers are often maintained via all-inclusive maintenance contracts that provide all toner, parts, and labor to keep the equipment running. These contracts are typically billed based on the number of pages produced by each device. The cost associated with each of these pages is referred to as CPC, CPP, or CPI.
CPM - Copies Per Minute
CPM refers to the number of letter sized pages a copier can output per minute. Most color copiers list four CPM speeds: Black and white, one color, two-color, and four-color speeds.
CRD - Central Reprographics Department
Like an internal print shop, CRDs function to produce the largest imaging tasks for an organization.
CRM – Customer Relationship Management Software
A software application that tracks customer and prospective customer information. This typically includes customer interaction logs, prospecting activity logs, and numerous sales-related reports.
Duplex Copying
The ability to automatically copy on both sides of a page.
ECM / EDM – Electronic Content Management / Electronic Document Management
EDM solutions support the efficient storage and retrieval of electronic documents (including email archiving) as well as the automated management of business processes, or workflow. Some consider EDM to be a subset of ECM, which includes versioning of documents and management of dynamic content (such as web content).
ERP – Enterprise Resource Planning Software
Often the single most critical software application in a business, ERP systems manage accounting, finance, payroll, HR, order fulfillment, and (in Fisher’s case) service data.
Fax Board
This accessory allows the copier to also function as a fax machine, utilizing the same document scanner that is used for copying and scanning.
First-Copy Speed
How quickly a copier can print the first page of a document. This is often slower than the copy speed once a job is running.
Four-Color Printing
Uses cyan, magenta, yellow, and black to create the colors of the spectrum.
Full Bleed
Full bleed images have images that run up to the edge of a sheet. To create a full bleed, you typically must print on a larger sheet and trim the page to size.
Imaging
The term “imaging” in means both the output of images onto paper as well the capturing of paper-based images into electronic form.
Monochrome
Same as black and white.
MFD / MFP - Multifunctional Device/Product/Printer
Most copiers today are MFPs or MFDs. This means they perform at least one function in addition to copying – often scanning, printing, or faxing.
NIC Card - Network Interface Card
NIC cards connect copiers to a user’s network and control the data between the units.
PDL Print Board
This accessory allows the copier to print in PC Environments.
Platen
The glass area where original documents are scanned (for copying, scanning, or faxing). Sometimes platen refers to the cover that opens and shuts over the platen glass.
Print Controller
Attaches a color copier to a computer network and converts color files into printing instructions for the copier. Also known as a raster image processor (RIP) or a color server.
RIP - Raster Image Processor
A Raster Image Processor (RIP) translates color image formats to formats that can quickly be processed by a copier or printer.
Saddle Finishers
Allows for booklet type stapling and folding.
Solutions
Perhaps the most overused term in our industry to attempt to differentiate one vendor from another, “solutions” generally refers to software applications that enhance hardware devices. Fisher’s uses a broader definition of solutions: The combination of hardware and software technologies with professional services and best practices to solve business needs.
Sorter / Mailbox
Allows a bin sorter to work as a mailbox for copies and prints to be delivered to a specific individual’s bin.
Toner
The supply medium used to form the image on the page. Toner usually comes in dry powder or liquid form.