No matter which industry you’re in, finding a way to increase office productivity is something that every business owner could get behind.
One of the central ways you can achieve increased office efficiency is by downloading general productivity applications on your printer that can help expedite document workflow and streamline business processes.
Like your smartphone or modern-day computer, printers have advanced beyond basic office machines.
They’ve transformed into advanced technological investments that can act as a quasi-workplace assistant for your company.
Apps are an integral part of the modernization of printers, and as a print vendor that partners with Xerox, which maintains an extensive App Gallery, we’ve devoted our time to learning about the various applications available and highlighting the ones that could be worth looking into for your business.
One of the premier categories of apps on the Xerox App Gallery is the Productivity category, which is made up of 10 applications. We’re going to use our industry insight to limit that number down to the top four in the category based on effectiveness, popularity and distinctiveness.
Before getting into the top four Xerox printer productivity apps, you should note that some of these apps will cost money and not every app will be worth investing in if you don’t have a general need for it.
There are also plenty of other brands that have their own applications that may better suit your situation, so although we’ll be discussing Xerox’s apps today because that’s where our expertise lies, they are far from the only brand that offers apps as an additional printer feature.
The 4 Best Printer Productivity Apps
Without further ado, here are the four most notable printer productivity apps on the Xerox App Gallery:
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Amazon WorkDocs
Amazon WorkDocs is a cloud-storage solution that can be managed from your printer and is embedded with administrative controls and feedback capabilities that can improve the user experience.
The main benefit to investing in the Amazon WorkDocs app is it provides a medium to scan and store documents that you want to be secured and accessible only by those that have been granted permission by the administrator.
It’s also a place to quickly retrieve documents from the app directly on the machine if you need to share them with another member of your organization. Amazon WorkDocs supports all common document and image formats, with additional types constantly being added.
The main downside to Amazon WorkDocs is that it’s not compatible with most Xerox VersaLink devices, which means you can’t download it on non-compatible VersaLink machines.
If you’re interested in a cloud-storge solution and have a VersaLink machine, there are various other options at your disposal, including Connect for Microsoft 365 (OneDrive) and Connect for Google Drive.
Read our blog on Xerox’s ConnectApps for cloud storage to learn more.
The price of the Amazon WorkDocs app is per Xerox device and is set by the duration you choose: one year is $100, two years is $190 and three years is $270.
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Summarizer
The Summarizer is a general productivity application that generates summaries of lengthy documents, such as news articles, social media articles or blog posts, using artificial intelligence to create a concise interpretation of the original text.
It’s helpful for businesses that deal with dozens of pages of documents every day, like hospitals and schools, and want to save on reading and research time.
Some features that come with the Summarizer app include:
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Preview your summary at the user interface.
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Email the result in PDF or Microsoft Word format.
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Print a copy of the summary right from the device.
The price of the app depends on the number of credits (one-page counts for one credit) that you account for. The 250-credit price is $49, the 1,000-credit price is $159 and the 5,000-credit price is $659.
The Summarizer app has a 30-day free trial, or 50 credits depending on which comes first, and supports over 175 languages.
A preview of a summary from the Xerox Summarizer app:
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CapturePoint XAG
Similar to Amazon WorkDocs, CapturePoint XAG is a cloud-service solution that enables users to securely scan, convert and transfer documents to their preferred destinations, such as Google Drive or Dropbox.
Some of the other destinations supported on CapturePoint XAG that you can transfer documents include:
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Docushare and Docushare Flex
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File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
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Email and Fax
The app is priced at $100 for a 1000-page scanning capacity and is per Xerox device.
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Auto Copy
Auto Copy is an application that’s primary purpose is to cut down on producing copies by making the Auto Copy app your default screen.
The Auto Copy features include:
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Set Auto Copy as the default screen, for repeated copying.
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Copying will start after seven seconds of placing originals in the document feeder.
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Authenticated users can customize personal copy defaults easily within the app.
Although it is a free app, you have to have a Xerox AltaLink or Xerox WorkCentre i-Series device to access it.
If you want to learn more about the various apps on the Xerox App Gallery, read these blogs:
Interested In a Free Xerox App Trial?
Investing in productivity apps for your printer can increase workflow processes and contribute to a more efficient work environment.
The caveat is you must have a general need for the app’s features to make the investment worthwhile for your business.
There are over 70 apps currently listed on the Xerox App Gallery, and if you didn’t find any of the four highlighted here today useful, there could be others that fit your situation and would be worth looking into.
Some other notable apps that can help increase productivity include:
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Connect for DocuSign, which is an application that can aid daily business interactions by eliminating approval bottlenecks and keeping essential agreements moving forward quickly and efficiently. The price of the app is $14 a month, $149 a year or $315 for three years, and there is a 30-day free trial available. You must have a DocuSign account to access the app.
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Xerox Translate and Print, which is a general productivity application that helps eliminate language barriers, which is especially important to multinational corporations with diverse workgroups and school districts that have a student base from multiple countries. Over 44 languages are supported on the Translate and Print app, and the cost is tallied by the scan capacity you choose. A 100-page scan capacity is $50, a 1000-page scan capacity is $203 and a 5000-page scan capacity is $528.
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@PrintByXerox, which is a free app that can be used as a medium to print from your mobile device. To do this, you send an email with an attachment of the documents you need to print to the Print@PrintByXerox.com address. You will then receive a code you can use on any machine that is ConnectKey-enabled and has the @PrintByXerox app downloaded on it.
From our experience with customers, we’ve concluded that apps can be beneficial to businesses, but it helps to consult a trustworthy source to make sure you’re investing in the right application for your situation.
As mentioned in a couple of the app descriptions listed above, there are free trial periods you can opt into to see if the app would be helpful for your workplace before purchasing.
If you’re interested in a free trial or want an honest consultation on whether a certain app would be a fit for you, reach out to us and we will be there to assist you.
