Lexmark and Ricoh Win Buyers Lab Ease of Use PaceSetter Awards for A4 Small and Mid-Size Workgroups

Keypoint Intelligence – Buyers Lab (BLI), the world’s leading independent evaluator of document imaging hardware, software, and services, today announced the winners of its PaceSetter awards in Ease of Use: A4 Small Workgroup and A4 Mid-Size Workgroup.

These awards, based on testing by Buyers Lab and research conducted on the SMB market, recognizes the OEMs that have incorporated end-to-end ease of use in the design of their small and mid-size workgroup devices.

The winners for 2019–2020 are Lexmark International BLI PaceSetter 2019–2020 in Ease of Use: A4 Small Workgroup. Ricoh USA BLI PaceSetter 2019–2020 in Ease of Use: A4 Mid-Size Workgroup (also sold under the Savin and Lanier brands).

“Easy-to-use printers and MFPs are essential for the smooth functioning of any office environment,” said Kaitlin Shaw, Senior Editor of Printer/MFP Evaluation at Keypoint Intelligence – Buyers Lab. “Busy workgroups don’t have time to waste at the device. Next to reliability, a device’s usability is the most important factor for keeping workflow moving. Lexmark and Ricoh stood out above other OEMs as having the most user-friendly offerings for small and mid-size workgroup environments, respectively.”

To determine which OEMs lead the market, analysts at Keypoint Intelligence conducted an in-depth study on tested Ease of Use functionality, focusing on features that directly relate to small and mid-size workgroup habits and environments. Key areas of evaluation included print, scan, and copy functionality, control panels, routine maintenance procedures, and feedback.

Lexmark offers a broad range of devices for small workgroups that are impressively easy to use and maintain. Intuitive touchscreens make programming walk-up jobs a breeze, and well-designed print drivers make programming jobs from workstations just as simple.

Helping to further reduce downtime, Lexmark keeps users well-informed of device status before they send jobs via its informative feedback utility. Buyers Lab analysts were impressed with Lexmark’s robust USB print capabilities too, particularly the broad range of supported file formats including Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

Also impressive is the level of guidance Lexmark’s touchscreens provide for user maintenance procedures; extensive, graphical, step-by-step instructions steer users seamlessly through the processes for toner replacement and misfeed removal.