It’s a bittersweet moment for any software developer, but the day has come to bid adieu to Argos 6. Effective April 30, 2012, we will no longer support Argos 6. If you haven’t done so already, now’s a great time to get Argos 7 up and running.

To see what’s new in Argos 7, click here. To download and try it, click here.

Argos 7 has a lot to recommend it. But if you’re still not sure or have questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch and we’ll walk you through the new version and the upgrade process.

Sharp Global Printing

Users with multiple Sharp MFPs are now able to send a print job to one machine then release it on another.  Allows users to avoid waiting for a machine to finish a large print run, and is useful when printers are separated by large distances.

Sharp Hybrid Logon

Provides an extra layer of logon security for Sharp MFPs.  Users who enter a PIN must then enter their domain password before they are granted access to the machine.

Scheduled Reports

Users can now set up a scheduled task which will email a PDF containing Argos report results.  Reports will be automatically generated hourly, daily, weekly or monthly.

Version Notification

Argos Manager will now notify users when a new version of Argos 7 is available for download.  It is a convenient way to get access to the latest features and advancements.

Argos 7.3 is available now at sepialine.com/get.

Today we announce the release of Argos 7.2.2, which adds Sharp to the list of MFPs supported by Argos Secure Release. Argos 7.2.2 is available for download at sepialine.com/get, so go grab it today!

Innovative software increases accuracy, streamlines workflow

San Francisco, CA – November 8, 2011 – Sepialine, a leading provider of document accounting and control software, today announced that it has been awarded U.S. patent number 8,027,441 for its routed phone call accounting software. The patent covers Argos Phone Tracking, a part of the company’s Argos Document Accounting Suite. Companies use phone tracking to monitor telecommunication costs, charge clients for reimbursable expenses, and lower costs.

Traditional call accounting products work by blocking access to outside phone lines until users key mandatory accounting information into their telephone handset, at which point they’re allowed to proceed with their phone call. Because telephone handsets lack the usability and features necessary to easily and accurately find accounting information, this conventional pre-billing form of accounting discourages compliance, often yields inaccurate accounting data, and is generally unpopular with end users.

The patented Argos Phone Tracking software employs a post-billing model that allows users to complete phone calls first, then prompts them to allocate their completed calls via the Argos Desktop Client, software installed on the user’s computer. The Argos Desktop Client is designed for fast, easy, yet mandatory billing with intuitive searching, bookmarks for popular client codes, snoozing, and adjustable limits that reduce intrusions and preserve productivity. The Argos post-billing model is the basis of the recently-awarded patent.

“Over ten years ago, we introduced deferred billing to the market; first, with printing then, later, for copying,” said Ray Bradley, Sepialine President. “Now we’ve applied the concept again with Argos Phone Tracking. It’s a truly unique and valuable way of solving an age-old problem, and we’re pleased that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office concurs and acknowledges our innovation.”

For more information about Argos and Argos Phone Tracking, please visit www.sepialine.com, call Sepialine at (800) 404-9558, or contact an authorized Sepialine partner.

About Sepialine

We’re Sepialine, and we make Argos. Since 1998, we’ve focused exclusively on perfecting the art and science of tracking expenses — print, copy, phones, and more — with accuracy, efficiency, and a touch of humanity. Companies around the world, big and small, use our software every day to lower costs, reduce waste, increase user awareness, meet sustainability and green goals, and boost profits.

Contact:
Fatimah Gorin
fgorin@sepialine.com
221 Main Street, Suite 1350
San Francisco, CA  94105
Ph: +1-415-986-4900

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What’s Secure Release?

What do I need?

For now Argos Secure Release runs on Canon MEAP devices. We’re working on versions for Xerox, Sharp, and more, as we speak. We’ll be releasing those additional embedded clients as they pass our quality testing. Argos Secure Release piggybacks off our existing Argos OnBoard solutions, so you’ll need Argos 7.2, users and PIN codes, just like normal.

What else is new?

How do I get it?

Download Argos 7.2 here.

Color is the big news for 7.1. Argos now detects color printing. Color is everywhere in Argos now, and it’s not just an afterthought. Rather than just multiplying media types (“Small Format B&W” and “Small Format Color”), Argos lets you maintain one media (“Small Format”) that can carry both color and black-and-white pricing data. For those upgrading from Argos 7.0.x it means a shift in the way you think about and configure Argos. We have an upgrade guide here, and if your Argos maintenance contract is current we won’t mind one bit if you call us before upgrading and make sure everything’s in order first.

User aliasing is another big one, although it probably doesn’t seem as flashy as color. Much as we all hate to admit it, we all have multiple identities in computer-land. We might log in as “msmith” but Active Directory knows us as “domain\msmith”  — and if you’re on a Mac, identities multiply quickly. Argos 7.1 lets you glue each user’s multiple identities into one single user, which is key when you’re trying to configure user behaviors in Argos. It also makes Argos licensing a whole lot simpler to manage.

Billing periods acknowledge that not everyone marches to the beat of the Gregorian calendar. Mid-month billing cycles and multiple cycles per month. It’s in Argos 7.1.

Active Directory import lets you synchronize your users from Active Directory, a much-requested capability now in Argos 7.1.

Sticky favorites drawer keeps your favorites visible or hidden depending on how you last left them in the Argos Desktop Client. Also much-requested, it’s here in Argos 7.1.

Argos OnBoard for Sharp gets a facelift. Our embedded copy and print tracking solution for Sharp OSA takes advantage of OSA 4 technology on compatible models with a new login screen that’s crisp, clear, and to the point.

There are lots of other small improvements and fixes, too numerous to mention, that befit a major version upgrade. We hope you like it, and thanks for your ongoing support, interest, and ideas.

The Sepialine management team — including our co-founders — are still here, on the job, and have no plans to go anywhere. For that matter, the entire Sepialine team is still here and we’re all doing exactly what we were doing last week. We have a new release, Argos 7.1, almost ready to ship, that we hope you’ll be excited about.

We’re grateful for our loyal, vocal, dedicated customers. Without you, there is no Sepialine. We’re still here, we’re still engaged, and we’re not planning to go anywhere. We invite you to call us at (800) 404-9558 or email with questions or concerns.

Jeremy Evans
Co-founder
jevans [at] sepialine [dot] com
extension 169

Chris Povio
Vice President, Sales
cpovio [at] sepialine [dot] com
extension 112

Ray Bradley
Co-founder
rbradley [at] sepialine [dot] com
extension 149

Questions & answers for everyone:

Q: Who is LINK?

A: LINK is a new document services company formed by three industry leaders: Thomas Reprographics, National Reprographics (NRI), and Callprint.

Q: Why was LINK formed?

A: LINK is designed to provide sophisticated document services at national and worldwide scales to enterprise customers.

Q: Will Sepialine remain in business?

A: Yes. We plan to continue doing exactly the same thing we always have: make great cost recovery software.

Q: Will Sepialine keep its name? Will Argos?

A: Yes, and yes.

Q: Will I have to purchase my Sepialine Argos licenses through LINK from now on? Will I have new contacts?

A: No. You will continue to deal with Sepialine and/or your Sepialine dealer — same as you always have.

Q: I’m a Sepialine Argos customer. Will I start getting sales calls from LINK?

A: No. The Sepialine customer list remains confidential — as it’s always been — and won’t be shared with LINK or anyone else.

Q: Will the Argos development roadmap change?

A: No. We plan to continue developing the same product on the same trajectory as we have been for over ten years.

Questions & answers for reprographic and print providers:

Q: Won’t LINK compete with me?

A: LINK will pursue accounts with national and global scopes. Overlap with customers might happen from time to time. But we’ll never mine the Sepialine customer list for leads. We will pursue accounts through the “front door,” or through relationships that have been cultivated previously.

We urge you to call us or your contacts at Thomas Reprographics, NRI, or Callprint to discuss your concerns around this question.

Q: What will keep LINK or Sepialine from taking my existing customers?

A: Sepialine’s customer list is off-limits to LINK and its member companies, so LINK won’t be using it for leads. Period.

Q: Can I continue to license Sepialine software for my customers?

A: Yes. We have no plans to discontinue our products, offer exclusivity to LINK, or in any other way change the availability of our software.

Q: At the same price as before?

A: Yes.

Q: Will I still be able to get support for my existing Sepialine Argos placements?

A: Yes. We have no plans to discontinue or change our support policy or practices.

Q: Will LINK have access to a newer or better version of Argos than I do?

A: No, we will continue to make one version of our product, available to everyone.

Q: Now that you’re owned by my competition, should I look for a new cost recovery vendor?

A: We understand that initial impulse, but we hope you don’t. As we’ve said, we’re still here, Argos is available to everyone under the same pricing and terms as you’ve always had, and we won’t share confidential information. Our industry only succeeds when we’re all successful. If you want to talk further, please call us.