Imaging is the new 'black'

Imaging is the new 'black'

By Mark Chillingworth

Imaging bureaux and document scanners are to be given an image shake up. French company Escargot has commissioned fashion icon Jean-Paul Gaultier to design a range of new document scanners and imaging devices, as well as a series of city centre imaging bureaux where the staff will wear sexy uniforms from the designer.


"Why is it that PDAs and Tablet PCs are considered sexy, but document scanners and the process of scanning your documents isn't?" We are going to put the sex back into scanning."

Announcing the new venture, which will simultaneously launch in France, UK, Australia and the US, Alain Panis, the CEO said that the imaging sector needs to get sexy and to entice customers to scan their documents.

"People will be encouraged to turn their documents into electronic files if the bureaux are an interesting place where they are made to feel welcome, warm, friendly and that they can express themselves through digital documents," he said from Paris.

Escargot has spent 89,000 Euros on market research and feels and that the imaging sector is being made to look dull while other technology sectors bask in a light of coolness.

"Why is it that PDAs and Tablet PCs are considered sexy, but document scanners and the process of scanning your documents isn't?" We are going to put the sex back into scanning," Mr Panis said.

Central to the new sexy scanning image; Escargot plans to open bright fashionable imaging bureaux in city centres across France, UK, US and Australia with centres opening in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide later this year. The new centres will be reminiscent of the latest fashion shops in London, Paris and Milan and bring scanning into the fashionable high streets.

In true French fashion, the centres will only have female staff and Mr Gaultier has promised to design a uniform that reflects the beauty of the workers and of scanning he said.

"I think that the document destruction cases of the last two years would not have occurred if workers had been enticed into scanning bureaux by beauty. They would then reveal in the comfort of scanned documents. This sector needs to throw out the cardigans," said Jean-Paul Gaultier.

The Escargot city centre bureaux will feature scanning services, but also sell a new range of scanners built in France and designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier.

"Apple made PCs sexy with the iMac; we will do for scanning what Apple did for computer, but with some very special French flair," Mr Panis said.

Apple announced yesterday that the British designed iMac will cease production.

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