Gartner Dataquest Survey Shows Enterprises Plan to Continue Having Copiers and Printers Coexist...

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 22, 2001

New User Survey Examines How Companies Plan to Use

Copiers in the Future

While today's office environment features computer networks and multifunctional printing devices,

a recent survey by Dataquest Inc., a unit of Gartner, Inc. (NYSE:IT) (NYSE:ITB), says copiers will still be an important device in the workplace. More than 90 percent of the users surveyed said that they think both copiers and printers are here to stay, and almost 70 percent believe that copiers and printers will continue to coexist.

"Copiers and printers will continue to coexist because each has its place in the office and each has advantages and disadvantages, with no one side providing all the needs," said Lynn Ritter, principal analyst for Gartner Dataquest's Digital Document and Imaging group. "The mind-set still seems to be to use printers to print out one set, then go to the copier for reproduction -- although the copier could be digital and connected to the network. There is also an underlying concern for causing too much network traffic if all printing were done over the network as opposed to doing big jobs offline on a copier."

Even as the copier world has rapidly turned digital, many aspects have not changed. Those surveyed said reliability, service support and copy quality are the top acquisition criteria. It will continue to be very important for copiers to have excellent features so jobs can be done quickly and efficiently. Those surveyed said an automatic document feeder, a sorter, and automatic duplexing are the top desired features.

"It is clear that end users realize that connected digital copiers, because they have the full functionality of printers, could replace printers, but not vice versa, because printers obviously cannot provide image capture," Ritter said.

Gartner Dataquest surveyed 298 participants from companies of all sizes and across diverse industry segments. All respondents had to be responsible for and knowledgeable about their company's copier usage and acquisition to ensure that company's statistics and their views were based on firsthand knowledge.

Additional information is available in the Gartner Dataquest User Wants and Needs report "User Wants and Needs 2000: The Digital Difference." In this report, Gartner Dataquest profiles U.S. organizations in their use, perception, preferences and plans regarding copy equipment.

This information is produced by Gartner Dataquest's Digital Document and Imaging group. This group provides a complete picture of the document management industry including copiers, printers, facsimiles, and multifunctional products. To purchase the report or subscribe to Gartner Dataquest's Digital Document and Imaging programs, please call 800/419-DATA or 408/468-8009.

Gartner Dataquest is the recognized leader in providing the high-technology and financial communities with market intelligence for the semiconductor, computer systems and peripherals, communications, document management, software, and services sectors of the global information technology industry.

Gartner provides unrivaled thought leadership for more than 10,000 organizations, helping clients achieve their business objectives through the intelligent and efficient use of technology. Additionally, Gartner helps technology companies identify and maximize technology market opportunities. Gartner's technology content and strong brand reach IT professionals globally through Gartner Research, its research and advisory unit; Gartner Consulting; Gartner Events, including Gartner's renowned Symposia; and at www.gartner.com. Gartner subsidiary TechRepublic, Inc. (www.techrepublic.com) is the leading online destination developed exclusively for IT professionals by IT professionals. Gartner, founded in 1979 and headquartered in Stamford, Conn., achieved fiscal 2000 revenue of $859 million. Gartner's 4,600 associates, including 1,400 research analysts and consultants, are in more than 80 locations worldwide. For more information about Gartner's industry-leading products and services, please visit us on the Web at www.gartner.com.