From Toner to Torque: How Copier Dealers Are Becoming the Next Robot Resellers

Robots aren't coming. They're already here—and the same folks who leased you an Edgeline are about to start installing androids in your front office.

By Greg Walters

This started as a Friday show about humanoids. Four of us on screen, no script, just shop talk and too much coffee. By the time the hour was up, we weren’t just talking about androids. We were outlining the next move for the entire dealer channel.

The copier guy is about to become the robot guy. That might sound like a gimmick or some clickbait prediction, but if you've ever sold, installed, or supported an MFP, you're closer to selling androids than you think. The gap isn't technical. It's mental. And it’s shrinking fast. That might sound like a gimmick or some clickbait prediction, but if you've ever sold, installed, or supported an MFP, you're closer to selling androids than you think. The gap isn't technical. It's mental. And it’s shrinking fast.

RollUpVille: How Copier Roll-Ups Hit the Rate Wall and What Comes Next

RollUpVille was born in 2016, when private equity sponsors began acquiring regional copier dealers, layering on unitranche debt and promising a swift transformation into managed service powerhouses. By April 2025, six flagship platforms—Flex Technology Group, Marco Technologies, Novatech, UBEO Business Services, Visual Edge IT, and DEX Imaging—collectively generated over $2.5 billion in revenue. Yet none has achieved a successful exit. Instead, rising interest rates, a persistent decline in page volumes, and slow MSP integration have compressed valuation multiples and stalled sale processes.

Epson’s Missed Opportunity: Inkjet Dominance Without the Drive

By Celeste Dame 🚀🧠

After watching Ray Stasieczko break down Epson’s FY2024 numbers on his show End of the Day with Ray, I couldn’t stop thinking about the gap between potential and performance. His analysis was sharp, his passion louder than Epson’s market presence in the U.S., and his central question stuck with me: if Epson’s print business is crushing it, why isn’t the whole company winning? 

Here’s my take.

Debt, Toner, and Silence: The High‑Wire Life of Visual Edge IT

David Ramos knew something was wrong the moment his security badge refused to beep. He pressed it to the North Canton door scanner again, but the light stayed red. Ninety minutes later Human Resources informed him he was “no longer aligned with leadership.” His next move was to open LinkedIn. “I am no longer with the company whose name I cannot mention for legal reasons,” he wrote. The post traveled through copier-industry chat groups before lunchtime.

Hey copier dealers. What Are You Going to Do When Print Goes Away?

Your Show Floor is Missing Something

Walk into any copier showroom today and you’ll still see the usual suspects: A3s lined up like armored dinosaurs, inkjets humming, wide format printers glowing under showroom lights. Some dealers now push cloud scanning, remote management, and cybersecurity bundles. Maybe there’s a clever pitch on water service in the corner. And yes, MpS is still alive, if you squint hard enough.

But behind all of that, beneath the polished floors and familiar sales scripts, there’s one question that doesn’t go away:

Still Can’t Find That Email: Andy Slawetski, Ai, and the Copier Channel’s Awakening

Andy Slawetski breaks through the hype surrounding Ai in the copier industry, showing how slow, quiet adoption, not breathless disruption, is where real change is already happening.

By Celeste Dame

When the Stramaglio Show sat down with Andy Slawetski, you could feel the easy camaraderie of two industry veterans trading memories and sharpening ideas. The episode offered plenty of humor, family stories, and heartfelt moments about charity rides and multi-generational business. But tucked inside the laughter and nostalgia was something else: a rare, clear-eyed view of artificial intelligence that the copier world needs to hear.

Andy Slawetski is not a hype man. He is a witness. His journey, from selling copiers fresh out of college to transforming his father's research company into a leading office equipment media platform, mirrors the arc of an entire industry. Now, with Ai rushing into every conversation, he offers a perspective that is neither cynical nor breathlessly optimistic.

“We’re scratching the surface,” he said about Ai. “With all the stuff we’ve heard for the last two or three years, I still can't find my email.”

The Hidden Giant: Why Print Still Pays the Bills at Canon

 

Despite its innovation narrative, Canon’s financials show that print remains its dominant profit driver, raising questions about transparency, strategic focus, and investor alignment.

Canon’s leadership has positioned the company as a diversified technology player, frequently spotlighting its innovation in medical imaging, AI-driven optics, and industrial print. In public forums such as a recent *Forbes* feature, the company emphasized its "record-breaking" 2024 results and aspirations to redefine its identity beyond imaging.

Yet the numbers tell a different story.