The holidays are over and chances are, Santa didn’t leave a new printer for the medical imaging department. But it could be that management thought ahead and allocated funds in the 2005 budget. With the financing taken care of, that leaves the administrator to begin the decision-making process.

Where to start? George Santanello, director of marketing in medical systems at Sony Electronics Inc (Park Ridge, NJ), suggests that buyers start by asking colleagues for recommendations. “Some facilities have published their experiences, and these case studies can be found online,” he says.

The Internet is an excellent place to conduct initial research and learn about the technology, but nothing replaces speaking with a sales representative. “Reps know the features of their products and can help a client match a printer with the facility’s needs,” says Greg Cefalo, director of portfolio management for digital output systems at Eastman Kodak Co’s Health Imaging Group (Rochester, NY).

Events like the upcoming Health Information and Management Systems Society show (HIMSS, February 13?17 in Dallas) provide the opportunity to talk to colleagues and vendors as well as see the products in action. “Image quality should be one of the primary considerations when purchasing a printer,” says Robert Neary, national marketing manager for FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA Inc (FMSU of Stamford, Conn). “The printer must at least have the spatial resolution of the image it is printing and the capability to optimize grayscale reproduction for each modality.”

About the Vendor

Some facilities might start with a vendor, while others will look directly at printers. Both will work, but either way, you’ll want to ask these 10 questions about the vendor:

  1. How long has the company been in business?
  2. Is the company financially secure? Will it be in business for as long as the product is expected to be in service?
  3. What is the company’s reputation? Is it reliable?
  4. How long has the company provided products and services to the medical imaging community?
  5. How active is the company? How many products has it successfully launched into the industry?
  6. Does the company offer a full portfolio of products, allowing the option of acquiring the whole system from one vendor?
  7. Does the company also offer film and supplies?
  8. What is the company’s specialty?
  9. Will the vendor’s representative ask about the buyer’s specific needs?
  10. Does the company stand beside its products with warranties and/or other programs?

About the Printer

The vendor is just one, albeit big, part of the decision. The other important factor is to evaluate the printer itself. Representatives from a handful of printer vendors offer these 10 criteria for the evaluation process.

  1. What will the printer do? The first thing to consider when buying a printer is its purpose. With what equipment will the printer interface? Will it print for multiple modalities or just one? How far along is the medical imaging facility in its digital migration? Is film needed for diagnosis, archiving, and/or referral? Is film needed at all? “More options exist if film is not needed,” notes Frank Burkhardt, director of US operations for aycan Medical Systems (Rochester, NY). “Paper can be used.”
  2. What features are needed for this purpose? Knowing the printer’s use helps to determine which features are needed, including the level of resolution. For instance, mammographers will want all of the features and resolution of 650 dpi; those performing projection radiology will probably want to be able to print different sizes to avoid using film that is unnecessarily large; and pediatric radiologists will want to limit the edge’s border for true-size imaging. Those with high volume will want to consider the throughput and efficiency features, such as automatic film sorters. Another feature is color. Most diagnostic imaging work is done with black and white; however, applications like PET use color, and some printers offer this feature.
  3. How much space is allotted? If space is limited, it will help to narrow the list of options. Some companies offer printers specifically designed for close quarters, such as mobile labs. These also might have reduced heat and noise output.
  4. Which printers fit these needs? The buyer should develop a list of the printers and their vendors that meet the buyer’s criteria. If the vendors have not yet been evaluated, now is a good time to consider those 10 questions highlighted in “About the Vendor” (above).
  5. What is the service support associated with the printer? “Clients say that customer service support is at the top of their minds. When the product doesn’t work, will service be delivered quickly? Facilities don’t want a waiting room full of patients backed up because of the printer,” Kodak’s Cefalo says. FMSU’s Neary advises having automatic fail-over to ensure printing continuity if a printer goes offline. Of course, this service will very likely not be free.
  6. How much will it cost? Consider not only the printer price, but also the cost of ownership. “Many companies are surprised by the postsale costs,” Burkhardt says, noting that the cost per print can range from 10 cents to $3. Estimate service, film, personnel, training, and operation for an idea of the total expense. Andrew Joel, CEO of Volugraphics Inc (Atlanta), suggests that the buyer consider the printer’s functionality. “Does the printer do what it needs to do? Does it do anything extra? Unnecessary features add unnecessary costs,” he says. Is the vendor offering any promotions? Some companies will offer the printer for free with signed contracts covering film purchase agreements.
  7. What is the warranty? This not only can save the buyer money, but also indicates whether a company is willing to stand behind its product.
  8. What is the image quality? Does it match its claims? Samples of the prints should be readily available and should be consistent. “Consistency of the images is important,” Neary says, “so buyers should consider selecting a printer with automatic film-density calibration built in.”
  9. What is the product’s reputation? Is it reliable? A higher quality printer should have fewer service issues.
  10. Are there any environmental concerns? Burkhardt notes that some traditional wet imagers use chemicals that require special disposal procedures. For some facilities, this issue might be a deterrent to selecting that product. For others, though, it might not be an issue.

Renee DiIulio is a contributing writer for Medical Imaging.

Printer Possibilities

While we had them on the phone, Medical Imaging asked the vendors who contributed to the story about their newest printers.

The aycan DICOM Paper Print Solution by aycan Medical Systems prints images in both traditional and PACS workflows to plain paper at near-film quality. The system works with the DICOM 3.0 standard and features free format selection and calibration. The product is environmentally safe and certified by the FDA. “The cost per print is less than 5 cents,” says Frank Burkhardt of aycan.

FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA Inc introduced the newest printer in its DryPix line at RSNA 2004. (See “RSNA – That’s a Wrap!” for a complete RSNA wrap-up.) The DryPix 4000 features a compact design; 110-V power supply; throughput between 110 and 160 films per hour, dependent on film size; 50-?m pixel resolution and high (3.6) maximum density capability, without using special film; a built-in DICOM server; film-size flexibility (14 x 17 inches, 14 x 14 inches, 10 x 14 inches, 10 x 12 inches, and 8 x 10 inches), with as many as two film sizes available at all times; and true-size imaging, with printing to the edge of the film. Options include automatic fail-over and a four-bin film sorter. The printer is good for mammography and decentralized environments as well as small, centralized settings.

Eastman Kodak Co’s Health Imaging Group has released a new dry laser imager and new digital color printer. The Kodak DryView 8150 prints as many as 70 radiographic films per hour; supports three film sizes (14 x 17 inches, 14 x 14 inches, and 11 x 14 inches); uses an internal DICOM interface; and is ideal for low- to mid-volume printing. Buyers can choose to use Kodak’s Remote Management Services, which allow online monitoring and software distribution. The Kodak Color Medical Imager 1000 prints diagnostic-quality color images on both letter- and A4-size paper for nuclear medicine, ultrasound, 3-D imaging, and other color digital medical imaging systems. The printer generates images in less than 75 seconds, and will be available for order in first-quarter 2005.

Sony Electronics Inc’s new FilmStation dry film imager uses blue film designed specifically for the product to produce high-quality images. Flexible, compact, and scalable, the imager prints as many as 70 14- x 17-inch films per hour. It offers redundancy, DICOM connectivity, and automated calibration.

Volugraphics Inc has a prototype available that uses autostereoscopic technology to produce images for 3-D modalities. The first 8- x 10-inch copy is printed in about 7 minutes, with subsequent copies produced at a rate of more than 25 per hour. Volugraphics’ Andrew Joel says that the company is working on reducing the print time to less than 2 minutes.

-RD

Clockwise from top left: Eastman Kodak Co’s Health Imaging Group recently released the Kodak Color Medical Imager 1000, a digital printer that generates images in less than 75 seconds. Sony Electronics Inc’s new FilmStation dry film imager is flexible, compact, and scalable. The DryView 8150 from Eastman Kodak Co’s Health Imaging Group offers an online monitoring service. Volugraphics Inc has developed a prototype that prints 3-D images using autostereoscopic technology.