The venerable office copier has been a staple in businesses for almost 50 years now. Every day, new and refurbished machines are sold or leased to companies around the world. In fact, since the introduction of the first Xerox 914 plain paper copier, the business of copier sales has become a $24-billion industry with more than 1.5 million copy machines for business sold each year.
Although numbers vary greatly, it appears that the average lifespan of an office copy machine is between five and ten years. However, many businesses lease machines with a typical lease period of three years. These lease returns can find a new life as a refurbished machine which can be a great option to buying a new machine.
What to Look for When Choosing Copy Machines for Business
A new copier can be a huge expenditure, especially for a smaller business on a tight budget. And larger businesses may find themselves buying multiple machines to be used throughout their offices. Available space and the overall footprint of a copier are certainly important. Print speed and other features need to be considered. And almost every purchaser is going to have a budget when making this type of purchase.
However, selecting copy machines for business use involves a bit more than simply the size, speed and price. Here are five tips to help you decide
5 Consideration When Buying (or Leasing) Copy Machines for Business
Consider the Copier Design and Size
How the machine is built in relation to the needs of the operator is a function of design. A quality business copier will possess certain design characteristics that set it apart from lower end machines. When it comes to copiers in an office, space is often limited or at a premium. Overall weight and size, therefore, are strategic considerations. While the machine is limited to how small it can be built, a lean and narrow footprint is preferable.
Security features such as secured printing and user authentication are typical. Ethernet, wireless support, and USB support are considered standard items, as well. In addition, user-friendly operations are vital. Touch screen functions as well as intuitive operator commands will be found in any quality copier.
What Are Your Production Capacity Needs
Capacity and production features can be considered in terms of warm up time, paper capacity, and printing speed. One of the frustrations of many an office is waiting for the copier to “warm up.” Quality machines are designed to minimize this necessary operation.
In addition, the best copiers will hold over 1,000 sheets of paper with some boasting 3,000 or more sheet paper capacity. This allows for less “down time” adding copier paper in the middle of a project. High capacity also means that these machines can manage over 100,000 copies per month in normal service.
As for printing speed, look for copiers that can produce at least between 35 to 45 or more copies per minute. This rate should be the same, or very close, for both black and white and color copies. Many high-end machines can produce copies at speeds of over 85 pages per minute.
Think About Your Need for High-End Image Quality
Overall image quality on most copiers is quite good, but his varies for either black and white or color, and for copies versus printing. However, the best machines will deliver copies at 1200 x 1200 dpi (dots per inch) for both. Some copiers can achieve more, but at a certain point the image quality difference is rarely noticeable.
The toner yield of the black-and-white and the color cartridge is a key factor here, as well. Typically, the greater the yield, the more copies you can make before having to stop and change out the cartridge. Cost and availability of toner cartridges should be taken into consideration, as well.
Bindery Tools and Functions
Many functions that used to be features on high-end machines are now standard items on most copy machines. For example, duplex printing, hole punching, and stapling are almost always included with most machines. Other “standard” functions include the ability to scan, print and fax documents. In addition, you will often find booklet and cover creation functions, negative and positive inversion, image repeat, image mirror, and the ability to apply secure watermarks.
Networking Capabilities
Adding your photocopier to your network so it can be used by other devices in your office is essential for most businesses. Many higher-end copy machines are built as “network ready” devices that also serve as scanners, fax machines and printers, as well as functioning as photocopiers.
In addition, you need to think about the level of support you can receive from the company you buy or lease a machine from. Typically, the manufacturers of quality business copiers will provide email, phone, and online support to provide a seamless user experience.
Consider Leasing Your Next Copy Machine
While buying a copier is simpler than leasing, there are sound reasons for considering the option of leasing a machine. The primary reason is that a new copier can be a huge expenditure, especially for a smaller business on a tight budget. This is why, many times, leasing your next copier can be a strategic financial and operational decision.
With a lease, you usually incur no out-of-pocket expense as there is generally no down payment or other costs. In almost all cases, lease agreements require no down payment or a first payment in advance. A customer simply agrees to a number of payments that begin several weeks after the installation of the machine. Retaining the equity of cash-on-hand is one of the primary reasons that nearly 75% of commercial business copiers are leased.
A business copy machine is a significant investment. Therefore, careful consideration right from the beginning is very important and leasing or buying a refurbished machine can both be seen as a strategic options.
