I posted yesterday about an example of Xerox trying to go more green. Afterward, I was approached by one of my bosses with an anecdote of a similar nature from a couple years back. It prompted to clarify that I meant not to be a soap box for Xerox and their alleged attempts to be more eco-friendly. Because as this anecdote illustrates, what a company says and what a company does is not always the same -- and that's certainly the case with huge companies like them, where the bottom line -- profit -- is just that, the bottom line.
A few years back, a certain copy-machine producer (whose name rhymes with Danon) was advertising that they were now being more eco-friendly by allowing businesses to recycle their empty toner bottles -- you know, those big clunky plastic containers that fill up your dumpster like a Toys-for-Tots bin on Christmas. Supposedly, businesses could now arrange for this empty waste to be transported to said company's recycling facilities (or whatever third party's facilities they were utilizing). But when the boss man called the company about taking advantage of this program, a representative told him that the recycling service was not available for that product.
So yeah, they offer these services, but not for any of the products you use. Tricky corporations.
The lesson? Take what these multi-national corporations say with a grain of salt, because the bottom line is ALWAYS profit.
Speaking of companies that rhyme with Banon and bogus claims to eco-friendliness, check out this article in which Canon refuses to condemn the hunting of whales by Japanese fleets. Heck, if you're not willing to stick up for the whales, what good are you to the environment?
Friday, January 25, 2008
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Green Color Copies
There's a lot of talk about things like "global warming," "climate change," and "energy crisis" in the media today. And rightly so. These are issues we, our children, and our children's children, will have to deal with in the coming century.
So it's good to see that industries across the board are beginning to make changes that speak to the growing concern in our society about these daunting issues.
For example, here's a little something about Xerox and one of their recent attempts towards environmental responsibility:
http://copies.com/?p=117
Now, we're in no way promoting this company's new line of copy-printers which claim to make color copying as cheap as black and white (we did a post on this weeks ago, which you can view below). Sure, there very well may be instances where consumers actually would save money buying one of those machines, paying for the regular maintenance and solid ink stick refills, etc., but we hold true that 95 percent of the time, the business or individual will be saving more putting that burden on us. We're simply commending Xerox's baby steps in reducing energy consumption and waste from traditional ink cartridges.
More about color copies and printing, and their impact on the environment, coming soon.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
News in the Color Copy World
Here's a few headlines that caught my attention:
More Printers Moving to VDP
An article on the rising popularity of variable data printing, which we do at Docucopies.com.
Peace, Love, and Paper Power
Article about various ways in which paper company Domtar is "going green."
Pictorial Offset Joins EPA Program
This company was admitted into a program by the Environmental Protection Agency as the only major printing company.
More as it comes...
More Printers Moving to VDP
An article on the rising popularity of variable data printing, which we do at Docucopies.com.
Peace, Love, and Paper Power
Article about various ways in which paper company Domtar is "going green."
Pictorial Offset Joins EPA Program
This company was admitted into a program by the Environmental Protection Agency as the only major printing company.
More as it comes...
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Economists Proclaim Minnesota to Be in Recession
Big news in Minnesota today. According to economists, our great state has slipped into recession.
Ironically, this news broke after I wrote today's blog entitled "Fears of Recession? Not here."
But there's no irony in the basic principles stated, and I will reiterate them here, with a greater focus on why Docucopies.com will probably not raise prices during the so-called recession.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, paper and paper products fall into a class with alcoholic beverages, tobacco, drugs, and other products and materials which, for the most part, see no change in demand during times of economic strife.
This means that unlike airline tickets, real estate, recreational vehicles, and other products and services whose sales are largely depended on economic factors, color copies are something that individuals, organizations and businesses are going to need no matter what the economy looks like. (In fact, in some cases, businesses might need color copies even more during economic hardships)
So ye though we walk through the shadow of recession, we shall fear no harm to our business, for supply and demand art with us.
Ironically, this news broke after I wrote today's blog entitled "Fears of Recession? Not here."
But there's no irony in the basic principles stated, and I will reiterate them here, with a greater focus on why Docucopies.com will probably not raise prices during the so-called recession.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, paper and paper products fall into a class with alcoholic beverages, tobacco, drugs, and other products and materials which, for the most part, see no change in demand during times of economic strife.
This means that unlike airline tickets, real estate, recreational vehicles, and other products and services whose sales are largely depended on economic factors, color copies are something that individuals, organizations and businesses are going to need no matter what the economy looks like. (In fact, in some cases, businesses might need color copies even more during economic hardships)
So ye though we walk through the shadow of recession, we shall fear no harm to our business, for supply and demand art with us.
Fears of Recession? Not Here.
There's a lot of talk in recent months, and especially in the last two weeks, about the possibility of the economy slipping into recession. The failing real estate market, the hits taken by large banks like Citigroup, job cuts across the board, the weakening of the dollar, record oil prices, the rise in cost of wholesale goods and the fall in retail sales -- all these factors point to a nasty conclusion.
How will this affect Docucopies?
It's hard to say. Recession will most definitely touch nearly all industries in some way due to the "trickle-down" theory (a rising tide floats all boats, and a falling one sinks them). One might draw the conclusion that the cost of paper might rise along with other wholesale goods. In theory, this could affect Docucopies's prices.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, paper and paper products fall into an industry class that also includes alcoholic beverages, tobacco, footwear, drugs, and other "nondurable" products believed to have a life expectancy of 3 years or less. Preliminary data for the producer price index in this industry shows a 5 percent increase in production costs in 2007. (Source: http://data.bls.gov/PDQ/servlet/SurveyOutputServlet?series_id=PCU424---424---)
But wait... those of you who've been our customers over the last couple years should notice that our prices have gone down, not up, over this period.
So it seems there's no indicator that our prices are suffering under current economic woes. Furthermore, if the rest of the economy were to suffer under a new recession, efforts by companies like Docucopies to keep their costs low could have a positive effect on the economy -- lower costs for the businesses that order our services means less price increase for their customers -- again, the old "trickle-down" theory (apparently it trickles up, too, despite perceived laws of gravity).
At any rate, no matter what happens to the economy as a whole, you can rest assured we will do all we can to keep our prices low. And if there are any changes in our prices, they'll be perfectly visible right on our main page -- not hidden in shipping costs, setup fees, etc.
It's just good business.
How will this affect Docucopies?
It's hard to say. Recession will most definitely touch nearly all industries in some way due to the "trickle-down" theory (a rising tide floats all boats, and a falling one sinks them). One might draw the conclusion that the cost of paper might rise along with other wholesale goods. In theory, this could affect Docucopies's prices.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, paper and paper products fall into an industry class that also includes alcoholic beverages, tobacco, footwear, drugs, and other "nondurable" products believed to have a life expectancy of 3 years or less. Preliminary data for the producer price index in this industry shows a 5 percent increase in production costs in 2007. (Source: http://data.bls.gov/PDQ/servlet/SurveyOutputServlet?series_id=PCU424---424---)
But wait... those of you who've been our customers over the last couple years should notice that our prices have gone down, not up, over this period.
So it seems there's no indicator that our prices are suffering under current economic woes. Furthermore, if the rest of the economy were to suffer under a new recession, efforts by companies like Docucopies to keep their costs low could have a positive effect on the economy -- lower costs for the businesses that order our services means less price increase for their customers -- again, the old "trickle-down" theory (apparently it trickles up, too, despite perceived laws of gravity).
At any rate, no matter what happens to the economy as a whole, you can rest assured we will do all we can to keep our prices low. And if there are any changes in our prices, they'll be perfectly visible right on our main page -- not hidden in shipping costs, setup fees, etc.
It's just good business.
Docucopies.com on FaceBook!
That's right... Docucopies.com now has a Facebook account. You can view it here.
Keep checking back for new posts!
Keep checking back for new posts!
Friday, January 11, 2008
A Few Selected Testimonials
Alright, I've spent a fair amount of words on this blog touting our services as being so great... some of the readers (how many of you are there, anyway?) must be thinking I'm full of it.
So here's a few selected testimonials from some of our customers:
I just want to thank y'all! Docucopies.com could just very well be the best thing that has happened to my PTA budget. Thank you!
-Toni Brookshire
OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! When my printing plans fell apart for a Christmas book I made as a present for my extended family, I came across you guys through a Google search. I was a little bit nervous about long-distance fulfillment, and even more so because I had a couple special instructions. But you guys executed perfectly! The quality was superb. You honored my special requests perfectly. Your customer service on the phone was helpful and supportive. Your web site was far easier to navigate than others I had worked with. The quality of the print job exceeded my expectations. I was elated when the job arrived at my doorstep ahead of when I even hoped to expect it. Thanks for helping make it a merry Christmas for my family! You probably don't always realize how doing a great job on a day-to-day basis can really make people's lives easier and more enjoyable. But that is exactly what you did for me. Thank you so much! Happy holidays and best to you in the new year!
-Joe Stahl
OK - this is absurd - you didn't ship when you said you would, but on the day that I placed the order! Thank you for the superb service!
-Jim Young
Fabulous and easy self-service website, not to mention great prices! Small Businesses Love It! Love It! Love It
-Shonika M Proctor
So ya see, it's not just all puffery. You can read these and many other client testimonials at our testimonials page.
So here's a few selected testimonials from some of our customers:
I just want to thank y'all! Docucopies.com could just very well be the best thing that has happened to my PTA budget. Thank you!
-Toni Brookshire
OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! When my printing plans fell apart for a Christmas book I made as a present for my extended family, I came across you guys through a Google search. I was a little bit nervous about long-distance fulfillment, and even more so because I had a couple special instructions. But you guys executed perfectly! The quality was superb. You honored my special requests perfectly. Your customer service on the phone was helpful and supportive. Your web site was far easier to navigate than others I had worked with. The quality of the print job exceeded my expectations. I was elated when the job arrived at my doorstep ahead of when I even hoped to expect it. Thanks for helping make it a merry Christmas for my family! You probably don't always realize how doing a great job on a day-to-day basis can really make people's lives easier and more enjoyable. But that is exactly what you did for me. Thank you so much! Happy holidays and best to you in the new year!
-Joe Stahl
OK - this is absurd - you didn't ship when you said you would, but on the day that I placed the order! Thank you for the superb service!
-Jim Young
Fabulous and easy self-service website, not to mention great prices! Small Businesses Love It! Love It! Love It
-Shonika M Proctor
So ya see, it's not just all puffery. You can read these and many other client testimonials at our testimonials page.
Cheapest Discount Color Copies
Every now and then I see a blog post or discussion group of somebody asking "Where's the cheapest place to get color copies?"
The shocking part is not that these people haven't heard of Docucopies.com. The shocking part is that occasionally people still reply with "Kinko's has them for 99 cents a piece..." or something like that.
Obviously if people are looking for a good price on color copies, they've probably already tried Kinko's and realized they were getting jacked.
On that note, I will reiterate -- Docucopies.com has the best deals on color copies and printing on the net, period. Our website is the easiest to use, you can find out what your job is going to cost right on the website, we have better customer support than our competitors, and we have free shipping on orders over $150.
The only possible deterrent is that we do have a $70 minimum. If your order should cost less than $70, we will tell you so you can save your money.
So please, people that are still wondering about where to find the cheapest color copies, read this blog, and as Saturday Night Live's iron-pumping duo Hans and Franz would say, "Hear me now, think about it later."
The shocking part is not that these people haven't heard of Docucopies.com. The shocking part is that occasionally people still reply with "Kinko's has them for 99 cents a piece..." or something like that.
Obviously if people are looking for a good price on color copies, they've probably already tried Kinko's and realized they were getting jacked.
On that note, I will reiterate -- Docucopies.com has the best deals on color copies and printing on the net, period. Our website is the easiest to use, you can find out what your job is going to cost right on the website, we have better customer support than our competitors, and we have free shipping on orders over $150.
The only possible deterrent is that we do have a $70 minimum. If your order should cost less than $70, we will tell you so you can save your money.
So please, people that are still wondering about where to find the cheapest color copies, read this blog, and as Saturday Night Live's iron-pumping duo Hans and Franz would say, "Hear me now, think about it later."
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Economic Patriotism at Docucopies.com
We live in an ever-shrinking world, where the fate of everything from freedom in America to the cost of milk in Egypt to restricted Internet access in China are linked economically. Some call this globalization; some refer to it by much dirtier words. Whatever you want to call it, Docucopies.com doesn't care -- we are not a political organization, nor are we particularly concerned with international economics.
But one thing we do care about is supporting the local economy, and in this sense, we are talking about the United States of America. We keep our jobs here in the states and play an active part in strengthening our nation's economy. For example:
You will never call us for support and be transferred to some guy in India. Our customer support reps are right here, in house, so you can be assured there will be no language barriers or hurdles to jump through to find out about your job.
Our paper comes from the United States of America and Canada. American paper companies use sustainable practices in logging, which is more than we can say for companies in South America and around the world who would sooner clear cut an entire rain forest than lose profits.
We do not have Washington lobbyists. We don't give money to political candidates or campaigns, political action committees, or causes. We have no clandestine contracts with international conglomerates, media organizations, contractors or utility industries. We do not control any other aspects of your life than the color copies and printing you order from us. We wouldn't even try it if we could.
We observe fair and ethical business practices. Even our competitors can appreciate that.
We support independent businesses. If a customer brings us a job that's too small, or we're overloading with jobs, we're more than happy to refer the job to another local printer or copier. And they're happy to do the same for us.
We fight big conglomerates and chains like FedEx Kinko's, Staples, and Office Depot. Heck, our pricing is already way better, so in our view, we've already won that battle.
Check back regularly to read more about how Docucopies.com supports our country and local economics.
But one thing we do care about is supporting the local economy, and in this sense, we are talking about the United States of America. We keep our jobs here in the states and play an active part in strengthening our nation's economy. For example:
Check back regularly to read more about how Docucopies.com supports our country and local economics.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
The Little Print Shop that Could
Sometimes people get the impression that we, as the front-running purveyors of cheap color copies and printing online, are out to put the local mom-and-pop copy shops out of business.
This could not be less true.
Still, I have read blogs and forums in which people refer to the top online places as mafia-like, as if we're all part of some organized syndicate whose primary directive is price-gouging, fixing the market and stealing business away from the little guys.
While we can't speak for our competitors, this is certainly not true of us.
Here's the truth: Docucopies.com began over 25 years ago, long before anyone knew what a dot-com was. Our founder and CEO, David Pressley, was a student at the University of Wisconsin River Falls in western Wisconsin. It was here that he managed the print and copy shop on campus. Eventually he, along with his wife Karen and a few business partners, took up shop in historic downtown Hudson, Wisconsin and named their print and copy shop Copy Cat. Over the years, Pressley expanded and diversified his business in Minnesota and eventually made the transition to the Internet, where the business continues to thrive and grow today.
Docucopies.com has a synergistic business relationship with smaller, localized print and copy shops, because while the business has certainly grown since being the little shop that could, we never forget our roots as a mom-and-pop shop and support the mutual effort to protect independent business from the large national chains.
Here's a well-deserved salute to small businesses, and a defiant fist in the face of the chain-copy mafia.
This could not be less true.
Still, I have read blogs and forums in which people refer to the top online places as mafia-like, as if we're all part of some organized syndicate whose primary directive is price-gouging, fixing the market and stealing business away from the little guys.
While we can't speak for our competitors, this is certainly not true of us.
Here's the truth: Docucopies.com began over 25 years ago, long before anyone knew what a dot-com was. Our founder and CEO, David Pressley, was a student at the University of Wisconsin River Falls in western Wisconsin. It was here that he managed the print and copy shop on campus. Eventually he, along with his wife Karen and a few business partners, took up shop in historic downtown Hudson, Wisconsin and named their print and copy shop Copy Cat. Over the years, Pressley expanded and diversified his business in Minnesota and eventually made the transition to the Internet, where the business continues to thrive and grow today.
Docucopies.com has a synergistic business relationship with smaller, localized print and copy shops, because while the business has certainly grown since being the little shop that could, we never forget our roots as a mom-and-pop shop and support the mutual effort to protect independent business from the large national chains.
Here's a well-deserved salute to small businesses, and a defiant fist in the face of the chain-copy mafia.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Cheap Color Copies and Printing, Free shipping and more...
We at Docucopies.com know we have one of the greatest products on the Internet. We do cheap color copies, color printing, stapling, binding, three-hole-punching, bookletizing, and more. Our industry is somewhat unique, in that it's one of the only ones where you can get the service done offline, or you can go online to our website and save upwards of 700% on a color copy order. Let's put that in realistic numbers:
Say you go into the chain copy shop in town where color copies cost 49 cents a piece, which is a realistic estimate. You order 1,000 color copies. Math geeks? That's right, you're looking at paying $450 for a stack of papers.
Now instead of taking the time out of your busy day to start your car and drive to the other side of town (or further), you log on to Docucopies.com (you're so smart!). You enter your job info, upload your file, and the copies are at your house or business in two days. And it only cost you $90!
The savings doesn't stop there. That's just on a thousand copies. The more you get, the more you save -- get your color copies for as little as 5 cents a piece!
Granted, we are not the only company online offering such a drastic price break. If we were the only ones, the price would not be so low. Healthy competition assures that you will continue to save on your color copies. But what makes us the best is that we have a consistent reputation of producing high-quality color copies at impossibly low prices, and offering free shipping on orders over $150. We also have other services besides just copying, including custom promotional products and pre-printed themed border paper. Other companies have tried to play catch-up, but they're just a bunch of Johnny-come-lately's!
With this little factoid, it might seem odd that so many people are still throwing their money away at Kinko's, on campus, or {gasp} at Walmart. I know, it doesn't make sense to us either. Thanks for reading.
Get your cheap, quality color copies and printing today and, in the words of Razor and Blade from the movie Hackers, never again [over]pay for a service that would be dirt cheap if it weren't owned by a bunch of profiteering gluttons.
Say you go into the chain copy shop in town where color copies cost 49 cents a piece, which is a realistic estimate. You order 1,000 color copies. Math geeks? That's right, you're looking at paying $450 for a stack of papers.
Now instead of taking the time out of your busy day to start your car and drive to the other side of town (or further), you log on to Docucopies.com (you're so smart!). You enter your job info, upload your file, and the copies are at your house or business in two days. And it only cost you $90!
The savings doesn't stop there. That's just on a thousand copies. The more you get, the more you save -- get your color copies for as little as 5 cents a piece!
Granted, we are not the only company online offering such a drastic price break. If we were the only ones, the price would not be so low. Healthy competition assures that you will continue to save on your color copies. But what makes us the best is that we have a consistent reputation of producing high-quality color copies at impossibly low prices, and offering free shipping on orders over $150. We also have other services besides just copying, including custom promotional products and pre-printed themed border paper. Other companies have tried to play catch-up, but they're just a bunch of Johnny-come-lately's!
With this little factoid, it might seem odd that so many people are still throwing their money away at Kinko's, on campus, or {gasp} at Walmart. I know, it doesn't make sense to us either. Thanks for reading.
Get your cheap, quality color copies and printing today and, in the words of Razor and Blade from the movie Hackers, never again [over]pay for a service that would be dirt cheap if it weren't owned by a bunch of profiteering gluttons.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Holiday Gifts from Docucopies.com!
We at Docucopies.com hope everyone had a comfortable and safe holiday season. We also hope you took advantage of our special holiday gift to you of 50% off binding -- that's spiral and comb binding, mind you.
If you didn't get a chance to take advantage of our offer, don't fret. At Docucopies.com, we love giving away stuff. It's a part of what makes us better than our competition. So don't worry, we'll be running another special really soon... if we're not already!
Our New Year's Resolution? Continue to smack down the competition and bring you the best darn color copying and printing services available on the 'net, and off.
If you didn't get a chance to take advantage of our offer, don't fret. At Docucopies.com, we love giving away stuff. It's a part of what makes us better than our competition. So don't worry, we'll be running another special really soon... if we're not already!
Our New Year's Resolution? Continue to smack down the competition and bring you the best darn color copying and printing services available on the 'net, and off.
Happy New Year from Docucopies
Hi everybody, and Happy New Year!
2008 is officially here, and it's going to be a great one. At Docucopies.com, we're constantly reinventing ourselves, adding content to our website and blogs, optimizing our services, and otherwise working hard to continue to bring you the cheapest, highest-quality color copies there are.
In the coming year, you can expect the following from your pals at Docucopies.com:
Provide high-quality color copying and printing services to our customers
Beat our competitors by offering the best prices on the Internet
Provide excellent customer service and set-up help
Offer our trusted clientèle sweet deals like free shipping, discounts, and more
Fight the powers that be (Kinko's, Office Depot, etc.) by beating them at their own game
Offer other services such as pre-printed border paper and promotional products through our various partners
Look for new, innovative ways to provide quality color copy and print services to our customers at the lowest prices possible
Update our blog with relevant, industry-related entries for those who would read them
and more... just wait and see!
Don't forget to check out our Myspace profile. Add us as a friend today!
2008 is officially here, and it's going to be a great one. At Docucopies.com, we're constantly reinventing ourselves, adding content to our website and blogs, optimizing our services, and otherwise working hard to continue to bring you the cheapest, highest-quality color copies there are.
In the coming year, you can expect the following from your pals at Docucopies.com:
We will continue to...
And we will...
Don't forget to check out our Myspace profile. Add us as a friend today!
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