How to Choose the Right Digital Copier

Photocopier - image by net_efekt on Flickr Most business owners and office workers would agree that they wouldn’t want to go one day without their trusty digital copiers. The modern copy machine is much more than a device used to reproduce printed material. Many of today’s copiers also function as printers, scanners and fax machines, and these features are expected to expand as manufacturers continue to develop new products.

Analog or Digital?

Years ago, businesses had to decide between purchasing analog or digital copiers, but as digital copiers have become more affordable, manufacturers are no longer making new models of analog copiers.  Digital copiers have the following benefits:

  • They save space by eliminating the need for multiple devices.
  • They combines the functions of many useful office tools into one compact machine:
    • copier
    • scanner
    • printer
    • fax
  • They have fewer moving parts than analog machines, which results in fewer problems for a more productive office.
  • A quiet digital machine makes little noise, meaning a more peaceful office environment.
  • They have improved print quality, so fine lines are clear and photographs are crisp.

Evaluate Your Needs

First, decide which functions staff need to perform their job responsibilities. Virtually all digital copiers are capable of printing, copying, faxing, and scanning, in addition to other functions. While it’ll save time for employees to be able to perform all these tasks from their desks, backlogs could occur if everyone relies on a single machine and the copier breaks down. In this case, offices may need dual machines. Decide whether staff can make do with a black-and-white copier or if they’ll require color copies. In most cases, a black-and-white/color hybrid copier will serve the needs of the office well, but more expensive graphic color copiers may be necessary for advertising agencies and other industries regularly producing high-quality images.

Next, evaluate the office’s monthly usage volume. Top tips:

  • This number can usually be found by looking at the current office copier’s counter, the receipts from the third-party service used for copies, or monthly paper usage.
  • If the copier will also be used as a printer, increase the number by about 50%.
  • Multiply the combined copy and print total by another 15% to account for future growth.
  • If the estimated usage is less than 700 copies per month, the office can probably get by with a small office copier instead of a more expensive business-grade copier.

Finally, decide how fast the office copier needs to be. Remember that copier speed is measured three ways:

  • copies per minute (cpm)
  • pages per minute (ppm)
  • outputs per minute (opm)

This number tells the purchaser how many normal, letter-sized pages the copier can create in a single minute. Copiers range from Segment 1 machines producing 15-20 ppm to Segment 6 machines that can produce 91 or more ppm. Standard offices typically choose a copier between Segment 2 and 4 for a range of 20-50 ppm.

Evaluate the Copier

Several copiers meeting your requirements should be evaluated before making a final choice. The best way to test out a copier is to ask the dealer for an in-house demo. When possible, connect the copier to the internal network and allow staff to use it for a few days. Most will be willing to give their honest opinion about a device they’ll be expected to use for a long period of time. If an in-house test isn’t possible, visit the copier dealer to put each machine through its paces.

The hands-on copier evaluation period provides the best opportunity to compare the quality of copied or printed material created by the new machine to the current copier’s output. In addition to performing routine copy tasks on the new machine, test its reliability by running a few special jobs and printing a large number of pages at once. Ease-of-use is another consideration; even the best quality of output won’t make up for a copier that is too difficult to operate.

Article by BuyerZone.

BuyerZone is a leading online service provider that connects buyers and suppliers for a range of services and equipment such as office copiers.

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