Hard Copy | From the Editor’s Desk: December 2018/January 2019

written by Scott Cullen | December 17, 2018

Another year in the office imaging industry is in the books. It was a year of acquisitions, new product introductions, dealer meetings, drama and intrigue (think Xerox), and personnel changes. One might say, it was a year just like any other year.

As one year ends and another begins, we at The Cannata Report are optimistic about what’s next. Some of that optimism is on display in our cover story, “Trends, Companies, People, and Products to Watch in 2019.” However, our optimism is tempered with a strong dose of reality. Because of that, not everything in our cover story is rainbows, sunshine, and roses. But that’s what makes the imaging industry, as we call it now, so interesting. Next year, who knows? Maybe we’ll be describing it as the data industry as hardware, solutions, and services providers shift their emphasis from imaging to data.

No matter how we describe this industry today, or what we may call it tomorrow, it remains dynamic. Without a doubt, it is so much more dynamic today compared to when we used to call it the copier industry. How can you not appreciate the innovative changes technology has delivered to this industry? Thinking about defining moments for this industry, we can’t help but rewind back to that moment in time when the copier plugged into the network, effectively becoming a multifunctional device. We may take that development for granted today in our connected world, but that was when everything changed, and this advance was one of the first steps toward transporting us to where we are today.

It’s in that spirit we continue to embrace what’s next. As we sit here on the cusp of a new year, let’s enjoy the rollicking ride we experienced in 2018, and prepare ourselves to move forward and welcome the many changes in store for us and this industry in 2019.

ScottSig