Desktop computer sales

Now is a bettr time than ever to be selling systems for presentation graphics on PCs, compatibles or Macintosh computers.

During the past two years, the Apple Macintosh computer has established itself as a desirable platform for presentation graphics. Applications like Microsoft PowerPoint, Aldus Persuasion and CA/Cricket Presents have made it easier than ever to create and produce professional level presentation graphics.

Most recently, the advent of Windows 3.0 has caused a dramatic growth in business graphics applications on PC platforms, spawning PC versions of PowerPoint and Persuasion as well as new presentation graphics applications, like the new IBM Hollywood software.

Even non-Windows applications including Harvard Graphics, Lotus Freelance and Ashton-Tate's Applause II are experiencing new growth and attention in the market.

But, no presentation system would be complete without some form of output device, usually color, and usually relatively high-end.

Buyers of these high-end peripherals are looking for quality output rather than price and may need a higher level of support than "typical" small computer system buyers.

This presents an opportunity for resellers who focus on presentation graphics applications. It can mean new sales opportunities and potentially higher realized gross margins. In the case of color printers, an initial sale can also mean an ongoing annuity in sales of supplies like overhead transparency film, ink ribbons, etc.

The "traditional" way to produce a presentation is to bang out word lists on paper using a large Orator type ball on a typewriter, then copy it onto an overhead transparency using an office copier or special transparency maker. A remarkable number of people still make presentations exactly this way.

The advent of laser printers made office communications and presentations look as if they were professionally typeset. Today, laser printers can easily produce monochrome overhead transparencies directly onto special transparency film.

But with professional-quality color output devices available for less than $10,000, many companies are standardizing on color for their external use. Some of the major products in this category include film recorders, liquid crystal display (LCD) projection panels and color printers.

Desktop film recorders are capable of producing professional-looking color 35 millimetre slides, typically at the rate of five to 15 minutes per slide. Some companies prefer 35 millimetre slides because they convey a "professional" image and are suitable for formal presentations to large audiences.

However, 35 millimetre slides require low-light viewing and are not ideal for small- to medium-sized audiences where more audience interaction is required. Also, film must be processed, adding time and risk to the production of presentations and eliminating the possibility of the inevitable "last minute update."

LCD panels provide an inexpensive and portable way to project computer displays using an ordinary overhead projector. Until recently, they have been restricted to monochrome or very limited color. Today, reasonably good color is available for about $6,000.

LCD panels are ideal for presentations and interactive discussions where computer data must be changed on the spot and displayed.

Some LCD panels offer remote computer control, imitating 35 millimetre slide projectors. LCD panels are limited to the resolution of computer displays, typically 640 by 480 pixels and offer a maximum of only 64 colors.

At the low end of the scale, color ink-jet printers and pen plotters offer reasonable, if limited, color output with prices approaching $1,000. Pen plotters are limited to six or eight colors, and are slow, noisy and incapable of producing color "sweeps" and other special effects available on today's presentation software.

Low cost ink-jet printers have gained acceptance as "plotter replacements" and can do a reasonably good job on specially coated paper and transparency film. While faster than a pen plotter, ink-jet printers typically take four minutes or more for a full color page or transparency.

Although the printer itself is inexpensive, the cost of a page on transparency film can easily approach $4, depending on the amount of ink coverage. And color ink-jet printers are typically limited to 216 dots per inch (dpi) or less, limiting their appeal to many business presentation customers.

Recently, high-quality color printers based on thermal wax transfer technology have gained widespread acceptance for production of color overhead transparencies. With 300 dpi resolution and the ability to render potentially millions of colors, these devices can produce transparencies which rival 35 millimetre slides.

With the ability to produce multiple copies at more than a page per minute, thermal wax transfer printers are ideal for higher volume printing applications, both on transparency film and paper.

Color printers have the advantage of immediate results with no film processing and are ideal for producing last minute presentations.

They can also serve as print previews of 35 millimetre slides, reducing the risk of errors in last minute presentations produced on a film recorder. And they can print color presentation handouts an audience will retain long after the presentation.

All of these output devices have one thing in common: they are designed to make their users look good. Ultimately, this is what drives the sales of presentation systems.

Resellers who realize this and focus on presentation graphics applications can make both their customers and themselves look good.