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Technology has undergone unbelievable advancement over the past decade. Machines designed to serve a single purpose have been replaced with those with multifunctional capabilities – a photocopier isn’t just for photocopying anymore! These devices are now able to copy, print, scan, fax and come with a various assortment of different add-ons. It’s no wonder people can sometimes feel overwhelmed with not only deciding which machine best fits their needs, but also how to use all the features on their new machine once they have it.
Keeping it simple
Despite how overwhelming all the different features on a machine might seem, office technology really is user friendly! One of the main complaints people have when they first use their machine is that there are just too many buttons, applications and options – they don’t know which button does what and which ones they need. The majority of machines today are easily-customizable, allowing the user to delete or hide applications they don’t use and have only the ones they want front and center, eliminating the confusion that comes along with too many apps cluttering up your main screen.
We love touch screens
Machines offering large touch-screen displays also help increase how user friendly a piece of equipment is. Both Sharp and Lexmark offer machines boasting this feature, allowing you to easily navigate different on-screen menus quickly and seamlessly on an easy-to-read screen.
Crazy for QWERTY
One of the best features offered, both in terms of convenience and ease of use, is the full QWERTY keyboard available exclusively from Sharp on certain models. This allows you to quickly type out long messages, addresses or file names and make changes to anything you have typed without having to erase all your work. To make it even more appealing, it can be pulled out when needed then pushed back in under the display when it’s not being used.
Haptic feedback is where it’s at
Lexmark has also made improvements to the ease of use when it comes to typing on their machines. Offering haptic feedback on their navigation screens and on-screen keyboard makes typing on a Lexmark easy and accurate. Have you ever typed out a long file name or email address while looking down, only to look up and realize you didn’t press one of the buttons firmly enough and are missing a letter? Now you have to erase everything you just typed and start over. Well, consider that pesky annoyance a thing of the past when you use a Lexmark machine with haptic feedback – you will be sure you pressed every button firmly and your typing is correct, saving you valuable time and frustration.
So there you have it. When you hear “new technology” there is no reason to get nervous – it’s all created with you, the user, in mind. No one wants to spend hours learning, re-learning and fiddling with a new machine and you really don’t have to. Once you’re properly trained on the easy-to-use systems incorporated into your MFPs, you’ll be good to go!
