Jennifer McPhee
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (July 30/01) - Ask any office supplier what's hot these days and you'll get the same answer.

Generally, anything digital. Specifically, digital printers, copiers and fax machines.

Sony's DPP SV55 makes it easy to produce high-quality 4x6 borderless prints in about 90 seconds in the convenience of your own home.

Mike Maher, Xerox manager at Quick Print in Hay River says people are particularly interested in digital items that can be upgraded.

"So you can buy a basic copier and then add a fax to it later if you want," he says.

Maher said the Xerox Document Centre 440 is his most impressive item in the mid-volume range. It plugs into your network computer and lets you print, fax and copy directly from your desktop.

This multi-task machine scans and prints 40 pages a minute. It also sends and receives double-sided faxes.

But it's not cheap. Office equipment like this can cost from $16,000. to $19,000.

Sam Tukanuak, manager of Tittaq Keewatin Office Products, said photo-quality printers are becoming popular in Rankin Inlet.

No computer is required with these machines and they are easy to use. A memory card, which holds up to 50 photos, is inserted into the printer. When the images pop up on the screen, you can crop and select the ones you want.

According to Tukanuak, businesses and government departments are snapping up digital cameras. He adds, "But they are also popular with every Tom, Dick and Harry who walks through the door."

A few non-digital items are also making waves in his store, including gel pens, palm pilots, cellular phones and anti-static mats shaped like an ulu.

So far, Tukanuak is not selling wireless headset phones. "That hasn't really caught on here," he says. "But it's a good idea. I'll bring some in."

And stocking computer programs is a lost cause says Tutanuak. "That's because they change faster than I can change my underwear, basically."