Introduction
Despite of
the high trends of digital media and digital communications, photocopiers are still
an indispensable piece of equipment in most offices. Choosing the right
photocopier for your company's present and future requirements is essential for
your administrative success.
Photocopiers
do a lot more than just copying documents. Some photocopiers are also capable
of printing, scanning and faxing. These are known as multifunction Xerox machines.
If you need a photocopier but are overwhelmed with the choices available in the
market, here is a simple guide to help you choose the best one for your
business.
Budget
Saving money
is every company’s priority so it is essential that you choose the right model
which will boost your bottom line. A wise owner will consider the total cost of
ownership before choosing a photocopier. For this, one should find out the cost
of the photocopier and how much it will take to run the device over the course
of time including the servicing and parts replacements.
Top Photocopier brands
Canon
The Canon
series offers a range of efficient photocopiers for desktop to high-end
printing hubs. Perhaps they are the most comprehensive range of solutions, with
best maintenance support.
Hewlett Packard
Generally it
caters for the lower end of the market particularly for the desktop machines.
At the higher end, it offers office multifunction machines with up to 30 CPM
copy speed.
Konica Minolta
The Konica
Minolta is one of the most popular and renowned models of photocopier in the
market. They produce a wide range of office machines, but specialise in
high-end photocopiers for professional print rooms.
Kyocera
Kyocera
copiers mainly fall in the middle market. They make office copiers and
multifunction machines that range between 15 to 60 CPM that are compact than
most major brands. They are also one of the most environmentally friendly
brands.
Panasonic
Panasonic
deals mostly in home office as well as small office machines. The largest
photocopier machine in their range is capable of around 60 CPM. They provide
reliable photocopier services and have good maintenance track records.
Ricoh
The Ricoh
“Aficio” range has photocopiers and multi-function machines to cater all types
of needs, including professional printing at the utmost level.
Samsung
Samsung
produces multi-function devices for lower end of the market. They make mainly
desktop machines that are reasonably priced.
Toshiba
It is
mid-market brand that mainly offers medium sized office multifunction devices.
Know your copier volume
Copier volume
means the total number of pages your photocopier will copy in any month. You
can get an estimate of the monthly output by simply looking at the bills from
the print shop. If you already have an existing photocopier then check the
meter. Some companies also use apps and programs which can tell you all about the
number of copies taken from your device.
Black and white or coloured copies
Coloured
copies are usually more preferred, especially if they contain any images, graphs,
etc. because they look more attractive and easier to understand. The price of
colour photocopiers has gone down in the last years so even the small
businesses can purchase them. Most photocopier models also have an ink saving
feature that help the owners to control the costs. If you want to purchase a
colour photo copier, you should first determine your colour output requirements
for the past years. Then, find out if this number increases in next few years. If
the number is too low, it might be a great idea to keep a printer and buy a
monochrome photocopier. This will keep the expenditure in control as black ink
is much cheaper than coloured.
Simple copier or a multi-functional unit
Different
departments in a business organization may need specific function from the photocopier.
For example, the marketing department may need coloured copier or printer for
their marketing materials. The accounting department may require a simple black
and white copier. The sales department may prefer a colour scanner. Your choice
of photocopier will impact all these departments and greatly impact your team’s
productivity. If you want more than just copying then go for a multifunction
device.
Different types of Photocopiers
Portable photocopier: Small and portable desktop
photocopiers are available at very reasonable rates. But, due to their slow
speed, low print quality and limited tray capacity, they are more preferred at
home than in office environments. If you need more than 500-100 copies in a
month, then this option is not for you.
Desktop photocopiers: These are quite smaller than
their floor standing counterparts. For a small to a medium sized workplace,
they are the best option. Although their tray capacity, printing speed and
sorting options are limited than the floor-standing photocopiers, they boast
just as many image editing functions as their larger counterparts.
Floor standing photocopiers: Most medium
as well as large offices have high demand for print services and a
floor-standing photocopier is best suited to their requirements. As the name
suggests, these are quite larger, stand-alone machines due to their size,
generally have larger tray capacities and are capable of printing on larger
paper formats. They are generally used by professional printing companies
rather than in offices where the printing and copying is not the first task of
the day. Most of the photocopiers also feature an ADF (Automatic Document
Feeder) which means that the machine can create multiple copies of multiple
originals, so you actually don’t need to stand next to the copier and replace
the document being scanned. The floor-standing
copiers are also often called MFDs or multifunction devices. This is so because
they are also incorporated with scanners, fax machines or printers (or all the
above).
Traditional Photocopier Features
Automatic Document Feeders
An automatic
document feeder (ADF) permits you to copy multi-page documents quickly without
having to lift the cover for every sheet. Instead, the stack of originals are easily
placed into the feeder and by pressing start button, the ADF will automatically
pull each page through.
A reverse
document feeder (RADF) can be used for duplex or double-sided copying in which
the pages are automatically flipped inside the feeder to scan the other side.
Duplex Copying
Duplex, or
double-sided copying is a useful feature which enables printing on both sides
of each sheet. The benefits of this feature include less paper usage, lower
cost, reduced filing and less time involved if you were to produce the double-sided
copies manually.
Sorting and finishing
The latest
copiers and printers by Canon and Toshiba can sort the copied sets
electronically without the use of sorter bins. Instead of using separate bins,
the copies are placed in a single tray offset from each other, allowing you to identify
easily where one set ends and the other begins.
You may
require a finisher if you want your photocopier to copy many sets of multi-page
documents. The most common type of finisher is automatic stapler, which can
save a great amount of time. More advanced versions are also available like
three-hole punches, folding, saddle stitch binding, and many more. Finishers
are optional on the photocopiers, and may vary in price according to their functions.
Paper supply
Each paper
tray, pedestal, cassette or paper feed unit is a separate paper source. The
number of sources in a photocopier is important if you want to copy onto
different paper stocks, like A4, A3, letterheads, coloured paper, transparencies
and for reduction as well as enlargement purposes, without reloading the copier.
Paper sources can typically hold a minimum of up to 50 to 100 sheets, and the
largest-capacity units can hold around 3,000 sheets.
Digital photocopier features
Photocopier Printing
A printer
module and network card can be added to a digital copier which functions as an
office laser printer, working at the same pace as it takes to make copies.
These copiers can allow the employees to produce many stapled copies of a five-page,
two-sided proposal without even leaving their desks. Most offices can avail the
benefits by using a copier as a printer as the per-page costs will be as little
as 20% of the laser printer printing costs.
Most of the copiers
run standard networking protocols, but you must make sure that the model you
choose is compatible with your network.
Photocopier Faxing
With addition
of fax module to copier, you can send and receive the faxes through your copier.
You can effortlessly send multi-page faxes using document feeder, or you may
use the copier glass to fax single pages, catalogues or book pages. Incoming
faxes are printed as soon as they are received, sometimes in a separate output
tray. With a network interface, multiple users can send faxes from their
computers.
Image editing
Digital
copiers are capable of editing your documents. This includes automatic page
numbering, adding watermarks like "confidential" or "copy",
or adding any stamps. They can also rotate the scanned images to match the precise
orientation of the available paper supply, thus, saving on wasted time as well
as paper from unanticipated errors. They can even combine the images in
creative ways.
Stackless duplexing
Digital
copiers support stackless duplexing by saving each side of the original page in
the memory, then printing both sides. This means that the number of two-sided
copies created are no longer limited to the capacity of the duplex tray. You
will be able to get your duplexed copies much faster.
Automatic re-sizing
Digital
copiers offer a unique automatic sizing function that enables it to note the
dimensions of your original documents and adjust itself by using its pre-set
reduction/enlargement settings, even if the copying paper has a different size than
the original.
Automatic shut-off
Almost all digital
photocopiers now have an automatic shut-off option that saves energy and
decreases any wear and tear.
Security
Many digital photocopiers
allow the users to enter a code before they can generate copies. This gives a
level of security, preventing any type of unauthorized usage. Some machines can also hold the faxes
or important network documents in memory until a specific code is entered, then
print them. This keeps the confidentiality of the documents.
Choosing the right photocopier model
You can
follow these things to determine the right photocopier model for your company:
Look at the lab test reports – It helps
you to know how the machine performs, especially under tough conditions.
Test drive – Most photocopier suppliers will install a test unit in your
office for a set time duration. It is the perfect time to know the
productivity, quality, ease of use and reliability of the photocopier.
Test your dealer – Ask the dealer if they can arrange
training for your employees. Ask what will happen if the machine breaks down.
How fast will they fix it? Will they send any replacement if they need to take
it out from your office? Will they give you a software that can be used with
other existing programs?
Look at one model higher and lower – If you have a
choice, it’s good to check the next photocopier model up and the next one down
before finalizing your deal. You may find that the cheaper one will also work
for you or the higher version might be more useful for you when your business
will grow.
Photocopier maintenance
In most of
the offices, a malfunctioning photocopier can cause very serious logistical
issues along with a lot of frustration. However, due to the complexity of
modern machines, the repairing cost of these photocopiers can be very costly.
Because of these points, it is a common practice to have a service or maintenance
contract; so that in a monthly fee, an expert third party will take on the
responsibility of ensuring that the copier is kept in good service. Regardless
of this, the following will give you a better idea of the sorts of conditions
and level of services to expect from the photocopier service provider. Consider
these points while assessing the contracts:
Will
you need to pay a fixed monthly fee or a fee based on volume of your usage or
both?
How
long will it take them to send a technician in case the photocopier breaks
down?
Will
the maintenance contract cover the cost of photocopier parts and labour if the photocopier
needs any repair?
At
what cost will you get the photocopier consumables like ink and toner?
In some
cases, it is possible to extend the warranty for the photocopier. However, this
will usually apply to cheaper machines, where it is not very economically
prudent to take a service contract. These extended warranties will cover much
less than a service contract and it is highly unlikely that the technicians
would be sent to your office. So, relying solely on the warranty will usually
mean very long delays while your photocopier is sent away for repairing.
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