Researching Your Office Copier Options
The best place to start your copier research is to think through what your current day-to-day needs are, and then look ahead two to three years. The two most basic considerations are speed (how fast you need the copier to produce each page) and volume (how many copies you will make each month.) One of the biggest mistakes you should avoid is buying a copy machine that can meet your speed and volume needs right now, but will become a burden in the next year or two do to expanding usage or growth.
Copiers are sorted into six segments based on speed. Segment 1 machines run between 15 and 20 pages per minute (ppm), while massive Segment 6 copiers can crank out as many as 100 ppm or more. Of course, you'll pay more for faster copiers, and chances are you don't need those extreme high-end speeds. Most offices find that Segment 2 to Segment 4 copiers meet their needs, with speeds ranging from 20 to 50 ppm.
Your monthly copy volume is as important a consideration as speed: exceeding the manufacturer's recommendations for how many copies a machine should make a month can lead to breakdowns and potentially void your warranty.
If you already own a copier, estimate your volume by checking the counter on the machine itself, which is usually found under the copier glass. You can also track your paper usage to get a rough estimate.
If you don't have a copier, you may be able to tally up your copy expenses (from outsourcing copy jobs) to see your current copy volume. Or, you may just have to take your best guess based on the number of users that will be relying on the copier and what types of copying requirements your office might produce.
When do create an estimate, a good rule of thumb is to add about a 15% buffer. The buffer will help make sure you don't overwork the copier, which will almost guarantee increased downtime and service requirements. In addition to the 15% factor, you should also scale up your paper use estimates by 50% or more if you will be using your copier as a printer.
Color Printing
There are two major types of color copiers you'll want to consider. If you only occasionally need to make color copies and exact color matches aren't critical, a hybrid copier will save you money. Hybrids are increasingly common, in particular in higher speed and capacity machines (Segment 3 and above). A hybrid machine allows you to print in black and white for standard copy or print jobs and then select color when needed.
If you regularly make color copies, or need very precise colors, you may want a color-only copier. The more precise you need your colors to be (for pre-press or design work, for example) the more you're likely to pay. Speed is often less important in color copiers than black & white machines, but more expensive models print in one pass, while less expensive models applying the four base colors one at a time (resulting in a slower copy speed).
Finally, any color copier will require more expensive supplies, which includes the paper (unless you're content to use regular laser copy paper on a hybrid machine), toner (with four colors instead of just black, each can usually be replaced separately), developer (one for each color usually) and fuser oil. As a rule of thumb, you will usually run out of toner first, then developer and finally the fuser oil. The cost per page for color copying is far more than black and white copying, so it makes sense to limit access to a color copier to those people who really need it.
Copier Features
Modern copy machines offer a ton of features and options, ranging from production functions such as printing and faxing to sorting, image editing and even security controls. Many machines are now billed as “document centers” or “document imaging” machines, which references their ability to store documents in memory (for future retrieval and access) along with functions such as network printing that can take modern machines far beyond being “just a copier.”
Most copiers now include automatic document feeders (ADF), which allow users to copy a stack of documents instead of placing them one at a time onto the glass. A re-circulating ADF, used to flip pages around inside the machine, is a good option to consider if you will frequently need to copy lots of double-sided pages.
Sorting and finishing include multiple bins or bin-free sorting (setting documents at right angles to separate them), stapling, folding, three-hole-punches, and more. Some type of sorting system is standard on most machines with higher-end copiers offering more in recognition of larger output, while finishing options such as stapling or hole punching tend to be optional.
In general, a copier will include a one or more letter-sized paper supplies, along with other bins in a range of sizes (letter, legal, adjustable) with larger machines including more options and larger bin sizes. Larger paper capacities let you go longer between refills.
Allowing employees to print from their desktop computers directly to your copies will save you money -- the costs per page are lower than laser printers - and means you have one less machine to purchase and maintain. This functionality lets your employees to quickly produce dozens of collated, stapled, high-quality documents without leaving their desks. The only downside to using your office copier as a printer is that it creates a single point of failure that can seriously impact your productivity if the machine has a problem.
You can purchase a fax module as an option with your machine or later as an add-on; this feature will let you send and receive faxes through your copy machine. Copiers with this ability will either route faxes into the main output bin or into a dedicated fax bin; to send, you'll either scan documents on the copy glass or feed them via your document feeder. Again, the only real potential downside here is losing multiple office functions simultaneously if the copy machine requires service.
Digital copy machines can allow you to edit documents that have been sent to the machine. Basic examples include automatic re-sizing or rotating to fit selected paper sizes, or reducing multiple images to fit onto one sheet of paper. More involved editing includes adding watermarks, stamps such as “confidential,” page numbers, or even removing borders from tables.
Depending on what your specific needs are, these features can range from invaluable to unused, so it may be worth taking an informal poll of your employees that will access the new copier. Often, users prefer to finish the editing process at their computers and simply hit “print” or “copy” to create the document.
Pricing & Leasing
Of course, the price you'll pay for a copier that meets your volume, speed, and features requirements can vary considerably. A good starting point to consider is that an entry-level office copier costs around $1,500. That will get you a machine that prints about 15 pages per minute (ppm) and handles at least 10,000 pages per month, which is a good fit for a smaller office with a low but steady volume of copies.
Faster office copiers can range from $2,500 up to $10,000. Features like more advanced finishing options, additional paper sources, or networking and fax modules can all contribute to higher prices.
If the purchase price for a copy machine that meets all your needs is simply too much for your budget, don't despair. Instead of downgrading your requirements, which will probably lead to dissatisfaction anyway, consider leasing a copier. For a manageable monthly fee, you'll get access to the copier or copiers you need with the latest features.
While paying a monthly fee for a copier may seem like a waste, remember that you'd be paying a monthly fee for a service agreement with a copier purchase. The lease agreement will include all the service and emergency repairs you'll need (or at least it should; take the time to read your lease and make sure) and in some cases also includes "consumables" like toner and replacement parts.
Another advantage of leasing a copier is that after the initial two-year or three-year term, you will be able to upgrade to a newer or faster machine without a significant capital expense. In the fast-paced world of technology, this can mean you get access to new features before companies that buy their own machines.
Lease pricing varies with the speed and features of the copier, but many fall in the range of $150 to $250 per month. Terms can range from one to five years, but terms of 24 to 36 months are the most common. If you're interested in saving money and don't expect to need a faster copier or more features, ask around for a lease that includes a purchase option at the end. The dealer will apply some of your lease payments towards the purchase price.
Source: Copier Research |
