Written by: Daniel Fulton, Photizo Group

Can you turn a square into a circle? Printers attempt to do so every day, with each print. And it turns out to be quite costly. Print and computer screens use pixels (dots) to describe data (text, graphics and images). While screen pixels are square, the printer pixels are round. To account for the difference, the printer uses overlapping pixels that create ink and toner overuse. A team of software and business professionals decided to address this issue, founding Preton in 2005. The Tel Aviv-based company created Pixel Optimizer to solve the problem.

Designed mainly for enterprise users, PretonSaver with the Pixel Optimizer uses algorithms to remove overlapping pixels from print jobs. The technology can also identify different elements of a document and remove unnecessary aspects before printing. When printing from a Web browser, for example, the Pixel Optimizer can remove wasteful banner and advertisement images.

The motivation for developing the Pixel Optimizer was simple: rein in consumable costs, a goal both end-users and MPS providers should understand well. Device users are well aware of the effect toner and ink costs can have on increasingly slim bottom lines. The same is true for providers, who, in the face of stiff competition, are looking for ways to increase revenue from existing and future MPS contracts.

With Pixel Optimizer technology, Preton is seeking to impact the cost per page paradigm. End-users report an average of 30-35 percent savings on toner and ink, while MPS providers can reduce fixed per page costs. Preton estimates that the average provider can reduce toner costs by roughly 30 percent, generating noticeable savings and creating greater profit margins. Less toner also means lower logistical costs, again raising profit margins for providers.

Although unnecessary pixels are removed without a noticeable loss in quality, users can select to print client-facing documents with normal pixelation. Conversely, internal documents or reference materials can be printed with toner savings of 50 percent or greater.

Preton has also created Elements Identifier, a technology that identifies the different elements on a page, such as text, pictures, or graphics. These elements are affected differently by the removal of pixels—savings may be higher on texts than on graphics or pictures without degrading quality. To maximize savings without degrading quality, Preton uses Elements Identifier to apply different optimization algorithms. The saving levels reached on the text can achieve as high as 50 percent, while the graphics and images can benefit from 20-30 percent savings.

Preton solutions are sold mostly in Asia and Europe, and entered the U.S. market last year. While they may just be scratching the surface of the North American market, Preton’s potential success should be aided by a recently announced partnership with Pharos.

In the partnership, Preton’s Pixel Optimizer technology will be integrated into Pharos Blueprint Enterprise, providing Pharos users additional savings and supply cost reductions. Also included in the bundled offering are Preton’s ink and toner consumption reporting, which includes a unique measurement of printed page coverage.

While a partnership with Pharos represents an excellent method of increasing exposure for PretonSaver in North America, other attributes of the solution may make it desirable to a variety of organizations.

For example, the flagship PretonSaver Enterprise utilizes rules-based features to reduce consumable spending by up to 50 percent. In addition to the Pixel Optimizer, page and color usage privileges, print quotas, forced duplex and automatic image omission are included. The solution also offers device discovery and management features. Bundled, these features have led several enterprise users to implement PretonSaver, including the United Kingdom’s National Health Service Purchasing and Supply Agency (NHS PASA).

NHS PASA chose PretonSaver because it addressed two organizational concerns: security and environmental sustainability. In the implementation, PretonSaver Enterprise was integrated into the existing IT infrastructure, with additional security measures put into place to protect sensitive information. Only authorized users can print sensitive documents and every print job carries a dated identifier. Both features are of particular importance in an environment where confidentiality reigns supreme.

Preton boasts success in reducing costs across a broad cross-section of for-profit and non-profit industries. Insurance companies, large universities and financial services providers are among the enterprise users of PretonSaver, many of which tout toner and ink savings inline with Preton’s internal estimates of over 30 percent. With the average office employee spending $150 annually on consumables to print nearly 10,000 pages per year, a solution like PretonSaver can be a helpful tool for both end-user organizations as well as MPS providers.