Samsung Printing Solutions today announced that the company will hold a worldwide online event called “EUREKA! Beyond Printer” to mark the unveiling of the revamped Smart UX Center website on September 1.

The event is designed to improve the customer experience as Samsung is transforming the office into a dynamic workplace. It is open to users of the Samsung Smart UX Center, and to anyone who wishes to share their stories and ideas. Participants of the event can submit their entries in two different categories; the “My Eureka Story” and the “My Eureka Idea”. The first category is intended to allow customers to share their real-life experiences with Smart UX apps, and the second category will allow customers as well as dealers to suggest innovative app development ideas.

Beginning from September 1^st through October 15^th, submissions can be made via Samsung Smart UX Center event page (https://smartux.samsung.com/EventBoard). More details of the event can be found on the website.

Samsung Printing Solutions will focus on the benefits and experience it delivers on a customer’s stand point when reviewing submitted stories and evaluate them based on the following three factors: cost saving, productivity and workflow improvement. Judges’ top three stories and app development ideas will be shared through the event page. Also, visitors will be able to vote for their favorites by clicking on the Like button. Online voting will account up to 50 percent of the overall evaluation. The winners and runners-up of both categories will receive cash prizes, with a combined total of US$33,300 up for grabs.

The winner of the ‘My Eureka Story’ will receive a prize of US$3,000 in cash, while 20 second place winners including customers’ dealers will each receive US$100. The event itself is not just about winning, but about sharing ideas. The first 1,000 applicants of the story-sharing category will also be rewarded with gift vouchers of US$20.

In the case of the ‘My Eureka Idea’ category, the winner will receive a US $3,000 cash prize, while three runner-up contestants will be awarded with US$ 100 each.

The Smart UX Center is an Android-based touchscreen control panel for Samsung’s range of MFP printers, including the MultiXpress series. The UX Center enables users to seamlessly photocopy, print, edit and transfer documents in any form, using devices such as printers, computers and mobile devices.

Original article:

http://samsungprintingsolutions.com/2016/08/infographic-history-printing-innovation-samsung/

* All functionality features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.

Until a decade or so ago telephones were all about hardware. The dawn of the smartphone, however, turned that on its head. In the mobile and tablet industry, where apps are now arguably more important than the devices they run on, software developers are now enjoying a golden era. Samsung’s Smart UX Center, first unveiled in 2014, is seeking to bring the same kind of metamorphosis to the printing business.

The party has begun, says Samsung Printing Solutions. And the good news is that software developers everywhere are invited.

Vast Potential

At first glance, the Smart UX, Samsung multi-function printer(MFP)s’ tablet-like interface, simply looks like a modern touchscreen. However, a clue as to its true potential can be found in its name, says Jooho Um, Principal Engineer at Samsung Printing Solutions.

He explains, “The Smart UX allows for a familiar user experience whereby people download, delete and update apps as they would on a smartphone. The joy of this system for end-users is that if they know their way around a smartphone, they pretty much already know their way around the Smart UX Center too.”

According to Principal Engineer Hyunjong Kang, another software developer at Samsung, the fact that the Smart UX Center is Android-based means creating printer software is now a game almost any developer can play.

And although app developers like Kang have already produced a range of handy apps for the Smart UX Center (some 33 to date in his case), non-Samsung developers can take advantage of this new platform too.

Kang says that Samsung sees itself as a technology leader, but now intends to let developers all over the world shape the future of app creation for the Smart UX Center. “We have just created the core technology,” he explains. “The multitude of developers out there will do the rest.”

“Just as the Smart TV has become the focal point of the smart home, the Smart UX Center has the potential to allow the MFP to become the hub of the office,” says Hyoeun Kim, Senior Engineer at Samsung Printing Solutions. “That means any business with an MFP will be needing a lot of apps in the very near future – presenting a great chance for developers.”

Enabling Creativity

Software experts with a wide range of backgrounds are quickly coming around to the notion of the new platform. Smart UX center apps are created using Samsung’s Software Development Kit (SDK), which is based on the easy-to-use Android API system.

This means that developers familiar with building Android apps could feel intrinsically drawn to the idea of creating apps for the Smart UX Center. However, the Samsung developers say the fact that the SDK is so intuitive means you do not have to be a smart app development expert to get involved, either.

Kim says, “At first we had a lot of SDK requests from developers without much of a printing background – from people who had created apps for other smart devices. More recently, though, people with more printing experience and less in the way of smart apps are starting to get involved too. In many cases, there are developers who want to create Android versions of existing print apps. The SDK lets them do precisely that.”

Kang agrees that making Android apps with the SDK is a win-win situation for both designers and users alike. He notes, “Android is user-friendly when it comes to making apps, and users also find the platform easy to work with. I also feel that you can develop apps much faster with the SDK than with other tools.”

Expanding Business Horizons

As business printing solutions can be even costlier than print hardware, software experts who develop particularly useful paid apps could stand to earn substantial rewards in what is now very much a nascent software field. Enterprises increasingly need customization solutions – something that app developers can now provide with the Smart UX Center.

Although the mobile and printing app development processes are very similar, understanding the subtle differences between the two could be key for any developer looking to score success with a Smart UX Center app.

“The biggest difference between printing software and mobile apps is that the former often involves developing apps for the business community,” explains Um. “That said, developers can make apps targeted at very different groups of people. Dealers, IT decision makers (ITDM) and end-users all require very different workflow scenarios, so all need very different kinds of app.”

Developing the Future

If likes of Um, Kim and Kang are correct, the future is looking very bright for Android app developers everywhere. And as software professionals look to diversify their activities, consumers and businesses owners are already starting to feel the benefits.

“This has torn up the rule book,” says Kang. “Just like as modern people cannot imagine their lives without their smartphones, enterprises of the future won’t be able to recall how they got by in the days before the Smart UX Center.”

Read more about Samsung Printing Solutions’ activities and latest products at:

http://samsungprintingsolutions.com/

You can also follow Samsung Printing Solutions at:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/samsungprinting

Original article:

http://samsungprintingsolutions.com/2016/08/samsung-software-professionals-smart-ux-center-creating-endless-opportunities-for-developers

Samsung Printing Solutions today launched “A Guide to Developing and Launching Apps for Samsung’s Smart UX Center”, a step-by-step walkthrough for companies and developers with an interest in creating applications for the Android-based Smart UX Center to enhance their smart and mobile business experience. The guide has been distributed to Samsung’s international software vendors (ISVs) and other related companies.

The guide represents a major step forward for Samsung’s printing app ecosystem, spelling out the various roles and responsibilities in the app development process for Samsung Electronics offices around the world and ISVs. The guide provides an overview of how Smart UX apps are created, with key instructions regarding planning, development, sales and customer service.

Some of the processes outlined in the guide include:

• App development: Software vendors develop a Smart UX app using the Software Development Kit (SDK), provided by Samsung upon request.
• Contract matters: Vendors discuss terms with Samsung pertaining to sales, revenue sharing, customer support and other app-related issues.
• Verification & Validation (V&V): After completing the development stage, the ISV requests Samsung to test the app’s efficacy.
• Registration: Apps that pass V&V are registered on the Smart UX Center and made available on the Printing App Center.
• Revenue calculation: Vendors determine apps’ supply price to Samsung, who will help determine the appropriate retail price for end-users.
• Customer service: Developers can adapt ISV customer service policies and establish contact points for app developers. This helps customers, and also Samsung, to get in touch should an issue occur.

“With our expertise in the printing industry, Samsung has been actively cooperating with app developers to vitalize the global printing app market,” said David SW Song, Senior Vice President of Printing Solutions Business at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung will continue to seek ways to improve the printing environment for offices everywhere and strengthen its position as the leading company in the global printing ecosystem,” he added.

The flexibility and customizability of Smart UX Center apps are enhancing productivity and the work environment in offices around the world, while also cutting costs.

In Italy, for example, Massinelli, a Samsung dealer, has helped its client create a digital catalogue app on the Smart UX Center to save on expenses previously used for printing and sending hardcopy catalogs.

Another Italian dealer, Gaviolli Printing Solutions, has successfully developed a new app called the Visitor Registration App. This program allows visitors to events to self-register and receive informative printouts.

Further information about Smart UX App development and registration can be found on Samsung Printing App Center (http://printingapps.samsung.com) or Printing Solution Market Support Portal (http://www.samsung.com/global/printingmsp/knowledge/Smart-UX-Center.html?guide=apps).

Samsung affiliate PrinterOn has been a making a name for itself in cloud printing circles for 16 years. In fact, the company was pioneering in this field even in the days before people started using the term “cloud.”

The company began life as a Canadian document handling company. But in the late 1990s, PrinterOn realized that market was changing. It acted fast as the millennium approached, and first launched its cloud printing services in 2001.

Angus Cunningham, PrinterOn’s President and CEO, explains that timing was everything. He says, “We saw mobility as a strong and fast-developing market force. At the same time, we also realized mobile workers still needed to use traditional office tools as part of their work.”

Cunningham says PrinterOn foresaw a shift in the market. This led solution providers to shift their focus “from niche to mainstream needs.”

Cloud Breakthroughs

PrinterOn’s strategy paid dividends. Cunningham says businesses are now making key decisions with mobile matters in mind. “Cloud acceptance is clearly growing,” he notes. “Our vision of the cloud has allowed us to take a design-based approach. That means we can provide a broad base for all our current products.”

For smaller companies, however, spreading news of your developments is not always easy. Cunningham explains, “While we did see great opportunities, we faced limitations in terms of developing our business. As we were a smaller business at the time, we had to focus on areas where we could drive up revenue.”

Shared Visions

Samsung Printing Solutions was impressed with PrinterOn’s vision for the future of mobile printing and began to take a keen interest. The two companies started talking in 2010 and signed preliminary agreements in 2013. Finally, in September 2014, Samsung and PrinterOn finalized a wide-ranging partnership deal.

It was a deal that brought immediate benefit to both parties. Cunningham says Samsung believed PrinterOn’s solutions would be compatible with a wide range of printers, and that they were “open-standard and agnostic.”

Says Cunningham, “Samsung also recognizes that most companies have a mixed set of printers. To better service that need, you need to be able to handle a diverse printer lineup.”

PrinterOn CEO Angus Cunningham uses a smartphone to manage a print job on a Samsung multifunction printer.

Going Global with Mobile Printing

The Samsung collaboration means PrinterOn can now deliver solutions to a much bigger market.

“We have always been strong in terms of R&D. But before we struck our partnership with Samsung, we did not have a huge marketing presence,” explains Cunningham. “For us to really get into the mainstream, we needed a good partner. With Samsung, we have much more in the way of worldwide technical resources. Our product and R&D teams can access these to speed up their product and service development.”

And the collaborative advantages do not stop there. The PrinterOn chief adds, “There are now more eyes to look at our products, and more minds to consider market needs as we develop new solutions. Samsung told us, ‘If you need something, let us know and we’ll make it happen.’”

Security Matters

Many IT decision makers say security is a concern when it comes to mobile printing and cloud services. That is why PrinterOn’s solutions help ease such concerns. These include high-grade end-to-end encryption, which ensures sensitive documents stay safe.

“Security awareness is part of our culture,” says Cunningham. “We review our own security as part of the development process. We also encourage our customers to perform their own security audits and to share the results with us. We then use this feedback and incorporate it directly into our product development.”

New Horizons

PrinterOn now offers a range of cloud and mobile printing services suitable for companies of all sizes. Cunningham says, “All our product lines are in a state of growth.”

And PrinterOn sees big opportunities in the mobility sector. This, explains Cunningham, is another area where the Samsung partnership can help. PrinterOn solutions developments also can also add value across multiple Samsung businesses.

Most importantly, says, Cunningham, the partnership offers plenty of potential for future growth. He says, “Enterprises are going more mobile than ever. As mobile devices become more powerful, the scope for integration will only continue to broaden.”

Read more about Samsung Printing Solutions’ activities and latest products at:

http://samsungprintingsolutions.com/

You can also follow Samsung Printing Solutions at:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/samsungprinting

Original article:

http://samsungprintingsolutions.com/2016/05/printeron-ceo-says-samsung-partnership-will-take-our-technology-mainstream/