Copiers

One of the first comparisons you need to make is the difference between analog and digital. Traditional analog machines are certainly simple to use; working on tried and tested technology, they use an old-fashioned Xerox process to make copies. However, most companies are phasing out analog copiers, and new analog copy machines are now few or none.

Digital copiers offer a range of advantages that is helping make them standard kit for most offices, big or small. First and foremost, they can be connected to your office network, and so can be used not just to make copies of existing paper printouts, but also used as printers, combining the ease of use of a printer with the functionality of a copier - as well as being more cost-effective. These modern copiers can also be used as fax machines - so you can create and send a fax from your desktop without having to get up or ever creating a paper copy, helping reduce costs, tackle storage issues, and minimize waste.

Digital copiers are also quieter and generally more reliable than analog copiers. For all these reasons, unless your budget is such that you may find a new digital copier prohibitively expensive (and costs are coming down all the time), an analog machine should be seen as a second choice.

There are also a host of extra features available for photocopiers, such as document feeders, sorter bins and finishers, and we will look at these below.

When choosing a copier for your business, such as Xerox, Canon copier, or another kind, you should bear in mind two main factors; what tasks you are going to require the copier to fulfill, and the performance you will need from it in terms of volume, speed, and so on. By thinking clearly about both aspects, you will get a clearer idea of the sort of money you will need to spend on new copy machines.

First, what are you going to use the copier for? If your needs are limited, and you’ll just be using it for making copies of paper documents, a basic black and white copier will probably suffice. Even so, most modern digital copiers are multi-functional devices, capable of copying, printing, faxing and even scanning. In some cases you may be able to get these additional features as optional add-ons at a later date, so if you’re not sure about your requirements in this respect, that might be a useful option to explore.

The other main issue to consider when choosing a new copy machine is the volume and speed you’re going to need from it. Does your business print off large runs of documents, forms, letters or other printouts? Copiers vary significantly in terms of speed of output – ranging from 15 pages per minute to 100. If your business regularly prints large batches of paperwork, this could tie up a slower machine for most of the morning! In that case, you would want to consider a more powerful copier (or, of course, look at sourcing more than one copier to save time).

Do not overlook the importance of choosing a copier that can handle the volume of copies you’re going to make every month. If your business will be making more than about 750 copies per month, you should think about going for a proper “business” copier that will be able to handle what you ask of it.

The temptation is obviously to answer “yes” to this question, but once again you need to be honest with yourself about your office’s needs. Color copies are significantly more expensive than black and white; color machines themselves run at around 20% more than regular copiers, and color consumables like copier toner attract a similar premium. For these reasons alone it’s worth asking yourself if you’re really going to need that extra functionality.

If you seldom require color copies you may find that it is better to go for a black and white copier – you can always go to a specialist reprographics business for special projects. If you are going to need multiple copy machines, consider selecting just one color copier, as this could well be enough to handle any color copying needs you may have. You can then use black and white copiers to handle the bulk of your copying, thereby saving you valuable resources.

As outlined above, most modern digital copiers are capable of being connected to your network and serve as multifunctional devices which not only copy but also print, fax and scan. As such, offices are increasingly using copiers to perform tasks previously done by printers. Not only are they quicker than printers – making it more time- and cost-effective to print off large batches – but copiers also come with a range of finishing options such as stapling and collating, as well as more advanced features such as booklets, enlarging and so on.

The other main advantage of digital copiers is their ability to “scan once – print many”. With traditional printers, running off a large document is a time-consuming task, and should you require more than a certain number of copies, an older photocopier would not be able to sort them, necessitating several trips to the copier to re-copy your documents.

With a digital copier, the machine scans the document into its memory before copying; so very long, non-stop copying runs can be programmed in without the user needing to stand over the copier constantly.

For all these reasons, using one or more copy machines as printers can deliver significant cash savings and will free up valuable staff time by taking some of the labor out of printing and copying jobs.

This decision will rest in large part on your available budget. Most companies, however, will choose to lease their copiers, either directly from the manufacturers or, more typically, from local suppliers. The advantages of this are obvious – after five years even a state-of-the-art copier may have become redundant, leaving you with a large bill for replacing it. Under a leasing agreement, on the other hand, you’ll encounter no such problems, and it is easier to upgrade to new machines as and when the need arises.

Make sure you read the fine print in any lease agreement, and are clear on the total cost of the deal. There are always added extras, so make sure you’re not paying over the odds for them!

Copiers’ running costs vary according to a number of factors. If you are leasing your copier then there will normally be a set cost-per-copy price built in to the agreement. Every month, or quarter, the meter on the side of the copier will need to be read in order to ascertain how many copies you have used so that you can be invoiced accordingly. Depending on your agreement a member of staff may need to send in the readings from each machine, or the company from whom you are renting them may send someone round to do this. Color copies are usually more expensive.

Consumables such as copier toner are not normally included in the price of a lease agreement, unless you have chosen an all-inclusive contract. This will make life easier but will almost certainly cost more in the long term. Bear in mind, too, that you are under no obligation to purchase consumables like copier toner from the dealer from whom you are leasing your copy machines. It may be much cheaper to go through an alternative supplier for these items.

In addition, there will be a set rental charge, normally levied monthly. All of these charges will be clearly laid out in your rental agreement. Be aware that some leases stipulate monthly copy minimums – so make sure that you are not going to be stung for the price of copies that you haven’t actually made.

This is simply one of the most important aspects of any copier agreement. There’s no point having a whole bank of top-end copy machines if none of them are working! Copiers, even modern digital copiers whose reliability is much improved on older models, do break down from time to time, develop faults or just jam. Anyone who’s ever used copy machines will testify to that! So while choosing a reliable copier is a top priority, so too is making sure you have a service plan in place that is going to provide you with cheap and efficient support when there’s a malfunction.

Ask some tough questions of your dealer before agreeing to sign any service agreement. In particular, establish from the outset what is covered by your agreement and what is not. Parts and labor for repairs are usually covered, but it’s worth checking if there are any types of parts that aren’t covered by the agreement.

A good dealer will be able to get someone out to repair a copier within a certain stipulated response time – particularly important if you have heavy copy volume or a limited number of copy machines. If you frequently use the copier on weekends or in the evenings, you should check whether your service contract covers you for callouts during these times.

Many dealers will also arrange for a replacement copier to cover you in the case of major repairs being required. Whatever the specifics of your service contract, bear in mind the importance of an agreement that covers all your company’s likely servicing requirements. There’s nothing more frustrating than being unable to print while you wait all afternoon for a repair man to come.

There are a number of additional options available for copiers. Some come as standard while others may be available only on top-end machines, or as optional add-ons.

The principal feature that most users will be looking for in a copier is the finisher. Older analog copiers use sorters, which have a capacity of between 10 and 40 bins, so if you require more copies of a multi-page document you would often need to remove all the collated documents, feed the original back into the document feeder and start again. By contrast, digital copiers tend to have “finishers” which perform functions such as offset stacking, stapling, collating, saddle stitching and the like.

The range of optional extras is almost endless. Copiers are available that will take larger documents, or holepunch finished copies. Many copiers also have PIN facilities that can be used for secure printing where confidentiality is a factor, or allowing the user to print to the copier during the day and then run off all their completed documents in one batch towards the end of the afternoon. PINs can also be used to collect data on use for cost recovery purposes, as for example when allocating usage to specific departments or client accounts.

These features can be extremely useful, but before committing to an expensive additional feature, consider whether or not you’re actually going to need these functions. Think about what you will require, as opposed to what you think might be nice to have.

Like all office peripherals, photocopiers are undoubtedly guzzlers of electricity – and all that paper has to come from somewhere. However, the good news is that copiers are becoming more environmentally friendly all the time, and energy efficiency is now one of the prime concerns of manufacturers and consumers alike.

Modern digital copy machines usually have “energy save” modes that cause the machine to power down if it has not been used for a certain period of time. They’re also manufactured using more environmentally conscious processes than previously. But you can do your part, too. Copy onto double-sided paper wherever possible – not only will this save trees but it makes sound economic sense, too. Recycle used and scrap paper, rather than discarding it. And ensure that the machine is switched off at the end of the day. It’s estimated that copiers use 10% of the electricity in the average office – so taking steps to cut their energy usage is not only good for the planet, it’s good for your company’s utility bills, too!