OKI Data Americas Helps K-12 Schools Maximize Technology Budgets While Bringing Color into the Classroom at the National Educational Computing Conference

The Company Brought Its Passion for Partnerships to NECC by Offering a Five Dollar Donation to the Fight Against Breast Cancer for Every Attendee Who Had Their Picture Taken with the 1955 “Twin Sister” Pink Cadillac

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J.--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--At the 2009 National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) in Washington, D.C., OKI Data Americas, which markets its products under the OKI Printing Solutions brand, showcased its full line of printers, multifunction products (MFP) and customized printing solutions that help K-12 administrators’ maximize technology budgets and achieve a lower total cost of ownership. The company’s booth highlighted several key trends in the education industry by displaying color and mono printers and multifunction products (MFP), and showcasing Color Access Policy Manager, which allows administrators to manage color output and maintain control over printing costs, enabling schools to bring affordable color into the classroom.

“Increasing strain on school technology budgets has caused many administrators to re-evaluate their printer use, but with OKI Printing Solutions, schools are able to provide educational value to students through the use of color, while staying within their technology budgets.”

Also at NECC, OKI Data Americas gave show attendees the opportunity to participate in the company’s Color Me OKI^TM philanthropic program, by bringing the “Twin Sister” 1955 Pink Cadillac¹ with an Elvis Tribute Artist to its booth in an effort to increase breast cancer awareness and further the company’s partnership in passion on the breast cancer drive to survive. In addition, on behalf of the Color Me OKI program, Joe Esposito, long time friend and road manager to Elvis Presley, was onsite at the booth signing autographs.

Highlights of the press release:

• OKI Printing Solutions (Booth #1504) showcased its full line of color and mono printers and MFPs, as well as its Managed Print Services (MPS) offering available for Education, which provides overall printing cost savings to K-12 schools.
• Affordable color printing in the classroom provides major advantages to learning, as research demonstrates that color documents increase learning and retention by 78% and helps students locate information 70% faster. In addition, using color helps students focus their attention where it needs to be, with color documents reducing student errors by 80%.²
• To reinforce the importance of color in the classroom, OKI Printing Solutions showcased its School Communications Pack DVD, which includes over 100 colorful educational banners that can be printed inside the classroom for various subjects and the MagicTouch® transfer media solution, which allows teachers to produce rich color transfers on t-shirts, plaques and other items. Both offerings are compatible on the C6150n.

“The products and solutions on display at NECC were specifically designed to help K-12 schools provide high-value, low-cost print solutions that allow educators to have a beneficial impact on learning through the use of color in the classroom,” said Terry Cruikshank, Senior Manager of Industry Marketing at OKI Data Americas. “Increasing strain on school technology budgets has caused many administrators to re-evaluate their printer use, but with OKI Printing Solutions, schools are able to provide educational value to students through the use of color, while staying within their technology budgets.”

Administrators can help improve students’ academic performance by integrating affordable color into the classroom with comprehensive print controls to help manage printing costs and help schools achieve a more affordable cost of ownership. Studies have shown that the impact of color in the classroom is invaluable, helping to increase students’ learning by as much as 78%, while also increasing student’s willingness to read and participate by up to 80%. Instead of using black-and-white printouts, color prints help students increase their comprehension by 73%, enabling teachers to deliver lessons their students will better comprehend and retain.²

OKI Data Americas’ NECC booth (#1504) featured the company’s full line of color and mono printers, multifunction products MFPs and industry-focused K-12 solutions designed to maximize technology budgets and enhance the educational experience for teachers and students, including:

• Digital Color Printers and Effective Color Printing Controls. The C6150n, part of OKI Printing Solution’s series of A4 (letter-sized) digital color printers, can save customers up to 43% over a 3-year period compared to competitive inkjet models.³ Schools can also implement Color Access Policy Manager, which helps monitor print usage and manage printing costs by placing print controls on classroom printers to manage the expanded color capabilities and oversee printing costs. In addition, the C6150n also has capabilities that work with the OKI Printing Solutions School Communications Pack DVD, which includes over 100 educational banners for various subjects to help students learn through color in the classroom. Compatible with the MagicTouch® transfer media solution, which allows teachers to produce rich color transfers on t-shirts, plaques and other items, the C6150n is ideal for school events and fundraisers.
• Managed Print Services for Education. OKI Printing Solutions takes a consultative approach to helping schools better understand and manage their printing activity offering the potential to save up to 38% on overall printing costs. Schools can experience a 16-month average return on investment from a technology refresh implementation⁴, which could include replacing expensive inkjet printers with the B6500 digital mono printers from OKI Printing Solutions for high-volume printing needs, offering reliability and a competitive total cost of ownership.
• Multifunction Printers. Demonstrating how schools can consolidate their technology resources further, OKI Printing Solutions displayed the color and mono MFP lineup, including the MC560, C3530n and the CX1145. The MC560 delivers mono or color documents quickly and efficiently, along with 4-in-1 multi-functionality providing real value for a school’s investment. The C3530n offers on-demand color in an all-in-one (AIO) while allowing schools to optimize classroom space and save costs. In addition, schools can utilize the CX1145 MFP as a network printer, copier, scanner and fax machine, helping schools to increase efficiencies and maximize shrinking technology budgets.

To further emphasize the benefits of technology implementation within education, OKI Data Americas encouraged teachers and administrators to bring their school Technology Directors along with them to the company’s NECC booth (#1504). Incentives for visiting the OKI Data Americas booth included a $25 Staples gift card awarded throughout each day of the tradeshow. In addition, Directors of Technology who participated in product demonstrations were entered into daily drawings to win a Kindle.

At the OKI Printing Solutions’ booth, attendees had the chance to have their picture taken with the “Twin Sister,” an exact replica of the 1955 Pink Cadillac Fleetwood that Elvis gave to his mother. For every photo taken during NECC, OKI Printing Solutions donated five dollars to the American Cancer Society. Also, Joe Esposito, long time friend and road manager to Elvis Presley, signed autographs and entertained booth visitors with stories from his time spent with Elvis. Both the “Twin Sister” and Joe Esposito are part of the Color Me OKI philanthropic program, an extension of the brand’s dedication to customer intimacy and commitment to the community on the breast cancer drive to survive.

With a passion for education, OKI Printing Solutions goes beyond innovative products and solutions, offering personalized service, unmatched customer support and a higher degree of customization, making it a true printing solutions partner. It’s the reason you can expect more from OKI Printing Solutions and why you will feel like a customer again.

All OKI Printing Solutions products are built on parent company OKI Data Corporation’s history of leadership and innovation in color printing. It is based on printing technologies advanced by OKI Data Corporation, such as digital LED technology and Single Pass Color^™. This technology allows OKI Data Americas to manufacture products that require fewer moving parts for increased reliability.

OKI Printing Solutions products are backed by comprehensive support from authorized OKI Printing Solutions Dealers. In addition, the company provides live, toll-free technical support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, with agents based in North America.

For more information, please visit OKI Data Americas’ pressroom.

About OKI Data Americas

OKI Data Americas, Inc., headquartered in Mount Laurel, N.J., and a subsidiary of OKI Data Corporation of Japan, markets PC peripheral equipment and customized document management solutions under the OKI Printing Solutions brand, including digital color and monochrome printers, color and monochrome multifunction products, serial impact dot matrix printers, thermal label and POS printers, as well as a full line of options, accessories and consumables. OKI Data Americas takes a consultative approach to supporting every customer’s needs and delivering individualized print solutions that optimize business performance. The company’s innovative technology is backed by Tokyo-based parent company Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd., a world leader in information processing systems, telecommunications and electronics; and an approximately $7.1 billion multinational corporation according to its FY 2007 financial reporting. Keeping its customers needs top of mind, OKI Data Americas is ISO 9001:2000 certified and most products have earned the ENERGY STAR^® certification.

As an extension of the company’s dedication to its customers, OKI Data Americas created the Color Me OKI philanthropic program to support the fight to eradicate breast and colorectal cancers. The program celebrates those touched by both causes with vintage vehicles and musical entertainment at fundraising events nationwide. For more information, please visit www.colormeoki.com.

OKI, Reg. OKI Electric Industry Co., Ltd. ENERGY STAR Reg. T.M. U.S. EPA.

MagicTouch® is registered to TheMagicTouch USA 2009

¹ This car is owned and maintained by Stewart and Bonnie Krentzman

² Study by Ellen Hoadley, Ph.D., Laurette Simmons, Ph.D., and Faith Gilroy, Ph.D. of Loyola College

³ Gap Intelligence 1/23/09

⁴ According to twenty-one K-12 Managed Services for Education assessments performed by OKI Data Americas