Experts underline growing importance of color printing for small and medium size businesses in UAE

Local governments are recognizing the growing power of SMBs too and their impact being the driving force behind the region's economy generating between 40% and 50% of gross domestic product (GDP). Experts and leaders in the regional color and document management industry gathered during the launch of Dr. Printer campaign, an educational road show to support SMBs in document and image management.

Ernest Azzam from HP Middle East said:

"The SMB working environment is characterized by multitasking, doing more with less, and a reliance on in-house resources to maintain and generate revenues; principals which are becoming increasingly vital in the current economic climate. Printing is one of the most important pillars of daily business activity especially color printing. It is becoming more important with marketing and communication function being done in-house. Our new HP Office Jet Pro 8500 is designed to be an integral part of document and image management solution for SMBs whilst bringing the cost of colour printing down. In addition, we are pleased to unveil the HP Photosmart Premium AIO C309H, HP Laserjet 3530FS and HP Color Laserjet CM2320fxi."

"Economists and scientists underline that using color is more effective and efficient way to communicate especially for SMBs who have little or no marketing and communications resources in place. It captures an audience's attention and adds visual impact to corporate presentations and reports. It also gives professional appearance and differentiates documents and a company's image from the competition. Color, a word so simple and easy to understand, yet so dynamic in its effect, has made an enormous impact over time on the way the world conducts business. When used correctly, color has the ability to invoke emotion, spark ideas, create impressions and ultimately distinguish one company, product or individual from the next. It is interesting to see that color traditions are not yet fully integrated into the way SMBs work in the region. Despite color being a part of our everyday lives, in the workplace we are still heavily reliant on black and white as a means of business communication and this must change," said Dr. Raymond Hamden, Clinical Psychologist and Key Opinion Leader in the Dr. Printer campaign.

Many studies confirm that printed color documents improve readers' absorption of the information by 40%, learning from 55 to 78%, and comprehension by 73%. Research conducted by the secretariat of the Seoul International Color Expo documented that 92.6% of the decision makers said that they placed importance on visual factors when purchasing products. Only 5.6% said that the physical feel via the sense of touch was most important. Hearing and smell each drew 0.9%. When asked to approximate the importance of color when buying products, 84.7% of the total respondents think that color accounts for more than half among the various factors important for choosing products.

"With the help of HP Print Technologies, we are now able to deliver printers that offer record-breaking speed and high-precision results. In the Western world printing for SMBs is done through managed print services or printing shops. However, due to growing traffic, weather conditions and the costs involved most SMBs in the ME region prefer to print in-house," he added.