Summer is on its way in North America. The days are getting longer, the weather’s warming up, and people are spending time outside. And nowadays, most of those people have a cellphone handy.

Startups in the long-simmering QR code market are hoping that the change in season, along with what they say is a “critical mass” of smart phones, will finally bring QR codes, barcodes that lead to URLs or information when scanned, into the mainstream. The idea is that when more people are out and about, the more likely it is that they’ll interact with QR codes on things like movie and concert promotion posters. And at least two QR code startups are in the process of closing on fresh rounds of funding to make sure they can seize what they think is a major opportunity to bring QR awareness to the masses. But are QR codes really a seasonal thing?

Los Angeles-based startup ShareSquare makes QR codes that lead to customized HTML5-based web applications. The majority of the company’s clients are in the entertainment industry, from independent musicians to large movie studios, and use ShareSquare’s QR codes on promotional materials. ShareSquare launched to the public in March after proving popular at the South by Southwest conference, CEO Matthias Galica said in an interview this week.

Galica says his company is quickly closing on about .5 million in funding to ensure that it can capitalize on what he says is a crucial time for the QR space. “Most of these QR placements are out of home, and [in the summer] people have the opportunity to interact with them,” Galica said, noting that the funds will be used to double the size of ShareSquare’s developer team. “We’re seeing the market really accelerate.” Summer is a huge time for concerts and big movies, so maybe he has a point.

Also currently in funding talks is Paperlinks, a Los Angeles-based startup. Paperlinks sells stationery products, like wedding invitations and business cards, which include QR codes linking back to a customized site. Paperlinks CEO Hamilton Chan told me in an interview this week he’s in the process of securing an undisclosed amount of venture capital to help fuel his company’s projected growth. “We want to grow very aggressively,” Chan said. “The time is right for QR codes.”

It bears mentioning, however, that not everyone is so bullish about QR technology’s current potential. In late March, Google quietly shut down the QR code initiative it debuted for its Places product in 2009 . The word is, Google ditched QR to focus on developing near field communications (NFC) technology, which goes beyond offering more information about products. With NFC, people could use their mobile phones to buy things.

It could well be that both QR and NFC have widespread adoption, but in a world of ever-increasing mobile technology, there may not be enough room on the average consumer’s radar for two features that are so similar. That may be the real reason why QR companies see this summer as a now-or-never moment: They’re hoping QR will be the first to grab a place in the sun, and in consumer’s minds, ahead of NFC.

Related content from GigaOM Pro (subscription req’d):

• Why Google’s “Favorite Places” Will Push QR Codes Into the Mainstream
• Connected Consumer Q1: The Over-the-Top vs. Pay TV Battle Heats Up
• Smart Grid Apps: Six Trends That Will Shape Grid Evolution

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LinkedIn, one of the oldest social networks focused on business professionals, has filed documents with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to trade on the public market, seeking to raise up to 5 million. It is a hotly anticipated public offering and with good reason. The SEC filing contains several gems, such as the fact that LinkedIn’s personalized recommendation features typically involves the processing of over 75 terabytes per day. Since its inception in 2003, Mountain View, Calif.-based LinkedIn has grown to a company that has sales of 1.4 million in the first nine months of 2010 and profits of million for the same time period, according to the S-1 filed with the SEC.

While LinkedIn’s offering won’t quench the demand for IPOs from companies such as Facebook or Zynga, the fact that it’s hitting the market first could not only help set expectations, and eventually valuations, for other hot startups, but also likely make it a stronger candidate because of its focus on business as opposed to consumer networking.

Sure, the company has its competitors and detractors in a market cluttered with social networks both personal and professional, but the timing is also auspicious since hiring appears to be picking up. According to a national survey of chief financial officers by Bank of America, 47 percent of companies with revenue between million and billion plan to hire in 2011. Currently, LinkedIn is making 41 percent of its revenue from its “hiring solutions” business that helps recruiters connect with the best candidates.

The company, can use its offering to acquire companies to round-out its business oriented offerings. LinkedIn — which was started by Reid Hoffman, widely recognized as the dean of social networking — earlier this week acquired CardMunch, a little start-up that allows you to take snapshots of business cards and translates them into electronic address cards.

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It is possible to start a business selling Xerox phaser 3200 printer. The first thing to do is to get a good understanding about the machine. This allows you to become a good sales person, as you are able to offer as much information as possible about the equipment. Other things to do include knowing how to operate them and install them as you might need to do that after making a sale.

You can incorporate the Xerox phaser 3200 printer as one of the items available on sale if you already own a store. This can be a good business idea is you own a store that sells office supply equipment, computer parts, electronics and home appliances. Printers can be a good addition about some of the items available on sale if you already own such a store.

There are other ways to start out the same kind of business. However, this needs you to dedicate a great deal of your time and even resources. You can do this if you are passionate about selling and marketing. The reason is that such a business needs you to be aggressive and very outgoing for it to be successful. You can run such an enterprise from your home or a small office. This helps to reduce costs involved in operating such a business.

One method of selling Xerox printers as a personal business is by making door-to-door calls. However, it is important to make an appointment first before calling in your potential buyer. One method of doing this is coming up with a list of potential businesses or individuals that might be interested in buying such equipment. You can get such names from a business directory.

For you to succeed in getting good references and even appointments, it is advisable to run your business in a professional manner. In this case, you need to have appropriate business tools to help your succeed. Plan your time well and come up with an impressive presentation to give potential clients. You can consider printing some brochures and business cards that give relevant details about your business.

Once you get the materials that will help you give professional services, you need to organize your time so that you do not waste it running around. Set aside a number of days during the week and dedicate these for making presentation about Xerox printers and physical follow up on potential clients. You can use the rest of the time making calls and organizing business activities.

Do not concentrate on specific methods used to get clients. As you run your business, make personal contact, which helps clients spread word about your business. This is a good way about increasing your business presence in the market. You can consider sending emails or even coming up with a website about your enterprise.

As you go about selling Xerox phaser 3200 printer, it is advisable to maintain good client relations. Come with an effective plan about how to support and meet the needs of your clients. Attend to every inquiry or questions mailed to you without fail. This will help you keep and maintain your customer base, which is important for the success of your business. Also, make sure to sell toner printer cartridges. Xerox Phaser 3200 toner cartridge will need to be available so people can change their ink as necessary.  Selling Xerox cartridges will ensure repeat business!

The Xerox Phaser 6300 Printer is capable of handling the demanding tasks of a busy office setting. Despite its compact size (18″ height x 22.8″ depth x 16.9″ width), it performs quickly but with simplified operation. There are several different features which allow room for maximizing output while keeping production and Xerox Phaser 6300 cartridges costs low.

A PowerPC processor resides in it, with a high-speed of 800 MHz. Because of such, first page is out in as short as 12 seconds. A max resolution of 1,200 dots per inch ensures clear details and vivid colors. To further improve color rendering, Xerox includes Automatic Color Correction feature. This lets the printer choose the best printing approach for different elements of a page, such as fonts, graphics or photographs.

There are several different media sizes the machine can work on. They include: letter (8.5″ by 11″), legal (8.5″ by 14″), executive (7.25″ by 10.5″), A4 (8.25″ by 11.7″), A5 (5.83″ by 8.25″), folio (8.5″ by 13″), and statement (5.5″ by 8.5″). Up to a max custom size of 8.66″ by 35.4″ can be used as well. Some supported media types are: regular bond, coated paper, transparencies, labels, envelopes and business cards.

Up to a max of 5 media trays can be attached to the 6300, making the handling capacity to a whopping 2,300 media sheets. With a duplex unit, two-sided printing frees you from having to reload a paper each time you need to print at the back side. Multiple jobs can be placed on the machine at once, thanks to the Job Pipelining innovation available.

Xerox has thrown in a lot of innovative features to help enhance productivity needs. Run Black switches the printing to black and white if one of the colored cartridges is depleted toner. Watermark lets you add texts like “draft” or “confidential” as the document’s background. Secure Print, on the other hand, requires the user to enter the correct password before being able to print confidential documents.

Without compromising performance, the 6300 can be easily installed. The One-Touch Installer feature enables you to install the printer in under 3 minutes, by simply pressing a button. Attaching the printer to a computer or network in the office is easy too. This, thanks to the two connectivity options available: a high speed USB 2.0 dock and an Ethernet 10/100 Base-T/Base-TX RJ-45 connection.

Keeping printing costs low without compromising quality output is a smart move these days. Good thing this machine comes rated with a 120000-impression per month duty cycle. In addition, there’s a Toner-Saving mode that allows you to save on toner when working on draft documents only. PhaserSMART lets you troubleshoot the unit through online means, thus saving you from having to resort to hiring technicians each and every time.

Then there’s also CentreWare IS integrated into the machine. This allows configuration and management using a PC hooked up to the network. The Phaser 6300 with Xerox Phaser 6300 toner cartridges is easy to install, so the demands of a workplace can be met right away. Operation is easy, yet results can be very professionally rendered with its included Xerox Phaser printer toners. With the technologies Xerox has added, productivity needs can be achieved.

When a person is starting a new business it is important they have the proper HP LaserJet 4P printer to begin effectively and efficiently. An individual starting a business will need to create multiple marketing tools. These will include business cards, brochures, and other documents that will have specific information that must be crisp and clear in the body and surrounding text of the document. All the printing you’ll need will be provided by the HP LaserJet 4p toner.

Historically, printers that provide professional quality services were very large. In most cases, they had to be placed in the corner of a room or a separate room. This is no longer the case as technological advances have resulted in printers that are durable and sturdy, yet small enough to fit on the corner of a desk. These printers offer a small business the versatility and function of the larger professional printer, without the bulk.

One of the major expenses of a printer is maintenance. This is especially true when the printer is being used on a regular basis by two to twelve individuals. The professional printers are designed to require low maintenance. They also can easily be networked for the same number of workers in an office setting. When multiple people are going to be using the same printer, it will be wise to get an expansion card for the memory printer queue. This will allow individuals to have documents in the print queue without disturbing their workflow at the computer.

The larger and more professional, printer is very cost effective for a business that is anticipating growth. An individual who is purchasing a printer, should always consider their anticipated growth to at least 18 months. In most cases, printers will have upgrades available every 18 to 24 months. Getting a printer that meets your current and anticipated needs will save start-up expenses and investment.

The printer you select should have the front double tray load system. This system provides two trays that fit snugly in the front of the printer. One tray holds 8.5 x 11″ paper, the other tray holds legal size paper. In some cases individuals choose to have one tray hold card stock, envelopes, or other unusual paper. The trays protect the paper and are very easily accessed if there is a paper jam.

An optional foldout paper tray is available, which makes it very easy to print odd sized paper, card stock, or small envelopes. The foldout tray is directly attached to the meeting rollers of the printer. When an individual wants to use this tray it folds out from the body of the printer. Papers going through this tray are not fed through the roller system, maintaining the integrity of the print on any weight of paper.

When choosing a printer that will be most appropriate for your business needs, it will be necessary to review the options and features available with printers. When choosing a printer, it is important you calculate the amount of toner that will be used on a regular basis. In most larger printers, a toner cartridge will print up to 10,000 documents before requiring a refill. This is one reason the toner cartridges for larger printers are more expensive and those for home multi-function printers.

In most cases the service agreement is available with a new printer. This makes it very cost effective for the new business owner to purchase a machine that will provide them with the service they require. This service warranty or agreement provides repair and maintenance on the machine for up to three years.

Getting an HP LaserJet 4p printer that has toner cartridges included in the service agreement can be very cost effective when a new business owner will have a tremendous amount of printing in the first year of business. The service agreement will also cover repair and maintenance of the machine that save on startup costs for the business.

Your business will continue to save money on HP LaserJet 4p Replacement Toner when ordering online. The convenience of local retailers just can’t match the prices found for HP Laser Toner when you find a quality Compatible Laser Toner merchant online.