enx magazine

Media Sciences is committed to providing the dealer community with high-quality, margin-rich, color toner cartridges and solid ink sticks for today’s most popular business printers With its corporate headquarters located in Oakland, N.J., and a subsidiary established in the United Kingdom in 2005, this rapidly growing, $21 million, publicly traded company is known for combining world-class engineering and a vision for innovation to provide its dealers with significant savings, exceptional color, and an industry-leading, full-protection warranty.

For years, Media Sciences has been first to market with alternatives to printer manufacturers’ brands, offering the independent dealer the opportunity to sell 100 percent newly manufactured color toner cartridges and solid ink sticks for use in Xerox, OKI, Konica Minolta, Brother, Epson, QMS, and Ricoh color printers with anywhere from 24 to 40 percent savings to the end user when compared to the OEM brand. Media Sciences backs its products with The Science of Color™, its proprietary process for delivering high-quality products at the very best price.

“In today’s environment, communicating in color is key to business success. Yet, it can be costly,” explains Fran Blanco, Media Sciences’ vice president of sales and marketing. “End users are often surprised by the high price of supplies for color printers, which points to a market need for a value-priced, high-quality alternative to the OEM brand. As the OEMs look to protect their lucrative supplies revenue stream, they are aggressively dropping their printer prices to capture maximum market share. This is an opportunity for Media Sciences and our dealers to offer end users a choice that is packed with margin for the dealer and savings for the end user--a winning combination.”

The Science of Color is but one business strength that differentiates Media Sciences from the OEMs and others in the aftermarket. The Science of Color ensures that the company delivers on five key metrics, which include:

· rigorous research and development

· superior standards for manufacturing

· intellectual property protection

· experienced, responsive technical support

· a risk-free, full-protection warranty.

Tremendous market opportunity and growth

According to Lyra Research analysts, the color business supplies market is at approximately $10 billion currently and is expected to reach $18 billion by 2009. The trend toward color means that customers who once purchased one black cartridge for their monochrome laser printer now purchase four cartridges--in cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Because color printing technology and supplies are more complex to develop, color toner cartridges have higher price tags than monochrome. This translates to four times the revenue and dollar margin for dealers. Media Sciences offers dealers a way to take maximum advantage of the color profit opportunity.

Media Sciences was the first company to introduce non-OEM solid ink sticks and new-build color toner cartridges. The company first entered the marketplace with products for use in Xerox color printers. Now, the company’s product line also boasts products for OKI, Konica Minolta, Ricoh, Epson, and Brother, which includes the company’s popular Clearcase® color toner cartridges, featuring a unique clear cartridge design for both aesthetics and functionality.

Media Sciences’ unique warranty demonstrates the company’s commitment to standing behind its products. With over 15 years of experience in the business of color, and with significant growth over the past few years, Media Sciences has a strong foundation in place to aggressively seize--and to help dealer partners aggressively seize--the tremendous opportunity that exists in the color business printer supplies market.

Last year, Media Sciences launched 10 new product offerings; expanded its team of highly experienced executives, R & D, and sales professionals; and invested a half-million dollars in its analytical laboratory. The year prior, the company’s growth was the impetus for a move to its new, larger headquarters in Oakland, N.J., which houses corporate offices, R & D and product manufacturing facilities, and the company’s distribution center. This fall, the company launched products for use in the OKI C3100 and C3200 color printers as the first in a series of product launches planned for the current fiscal year, which runs through June 30, 2007.

Programs for dealer profitability and growth

“Now is the time for dealers to build their businesses through the business color supplies opportunity, and we’ve committed ourselves to help them do so with our recently launched Media Sciences ClearProfits Dealer Training and Education Program,” states Blanco. Dealers can take a training tour at the ClearProfits dealer member website, www.msiclearprofits.com, to learn about Media Sciences and its focus on color. Those who take the dealer training tour will receive a $10 gourmet coffee card, a starter sales kit, and a password for access to the dealers-only section of the site, which provides tips and tools for selling Media Sciences products.

Media Sciences’ programs help independent dealers easily convert their customers to using newly manufactured color products. The ClearProfits Program provides all the information needed for dealers to deliver the message of quality, value, and choice through such offerings as:

· the easy-to-use ClearProfits Dealer website, www.msiclearprofits.com

· a dealer training tour and sales tools

· cross-reference listings and comprehensive sell sheets

· a corporate warranty certificate and technical support information

· The Inkling Dealer Newsletter and dealer bulletins and alerts

· lead sharing and marketing development funds

· periodic sales rep incentives, contests, and prizes

· end-user educational tools and marketing programs.

Another Media Sciences’ program benefiting dealers and their customers is the INKlusive® Free Color Printer Program. Media Sciences was the first organization to pioneer a free color printer program to qualified organizations in 1999. Today, its INKlusive® Free Color Printer Program provides resellers and their customers the ability to buy quality Media Sciences products and receive a printer for free. Dealers then receive commissions and ongoing incremental supply sales. The end user gets a free color laser printer, technical service, and automatic shipments of Media Sciences color supplies for as little as $99 per month. Visit www.msiclearprofits.com for more information on this program.

A commitment to excellence--and to customers

According to its ClearProfits website, “The Science of Color is behind everything we do at Media Sciences. It represents our leadership in the business of color.” And to remain a leader in color, the company invests significantly in the research and development of new products. Each year, it brings products to market only after those products have passed rigorous testing standards. Its quality assurance department uses customer usage data and applications to ensure all its products meet the highest standards. The company builds quality and reliability into each product it manufactures and stands as an industry leader in defining and documenting the appropriate criteria to benchmark color products.

Media Sciences’ warranty policy is the best in the industry, providing the end user the freedom to start using Media Sciences products without risk. Technical support for its products is available the first day of purchase and includes a two-hour response time as well as on-site support within 24 hours if required. The warranty the company puts behind its products includes repair or replacement of the printer if ever required. The full warranty can be viewed on Media Sciences’ ClearProfits Website at www.msiclearprofits.com/dealers/warranty.htm.

Media Sciences provides its warranty on a single-page certificate format, which is very impressive when presented to your end user. The company protects the dealer by adhering to strict patent protocols that include full intellectual property research for every product it sells. Media Sciences provides patent indemnification to all its distribution partners and end users.

End users are often told by manufacturers’ technicians and salespeople that the use of generic supplies in their printers will “void the warranty” or violate the terms of a service contract. This is not true and may be a violation of U.S. Federal Trade Laws if enforced by the manufacturer. On its ClearProfits website, Media Sciences not only acknowledges the real-life objections faced by its dealers, it provides its dealers with a professional way to overcome end-user concerns.

Blanco explains that many dealers have turned to Media Sciences as a solution for business growth when faced with the limited margins offered by printer manufacturers. One dealer, she reveals, recently told a member of her sales team that selling the INKlusive Free Color Printer Program not only helped him grow, but also helped him save his business. “Dealers turn to us because they know they can build their bottom line by selling a 100 percent new-build, quality-tested alternative backed by a proven, reputable manufacturer.”

Media Sciences sells its products through leading industry distributors. For more information, visit www.msiclearprofits.com or contact a Media Sciences sales expert at 201/677-9311.

Media Sciences Inc.

8 Allerman Road

Oakland, N.J. 07436

phone: 888/376-8348 or 201/677-9311

fax: 201/677-1440

Website: www.msiclearprofits.com

e-mail: info@mediasciences.com

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