What is the Best Copier for My Office?
To best answer this question there are a few more questions that need to be asked first. The answers to these questions will hopefully guide you in the right direction to acquiring the correct copier/s for your office.
Should I Lease or Own?
The first question you want to ask is whether or not you are in the position to buy or lease a copier machine. Your business's CFO or an accountant will be a good person to consult when trying to answer this question. There are both pros and cons to owning and leasing office equipment. Here is a table to better help you decide:
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Owning
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Leasing
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PROS
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CONS
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PROS
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CONS
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Less expensive in the long-term
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Harder to upgrade from year to year
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You can pay on a monthly basis
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Can be costly in the long-term
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You own it
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Hard to get rid of
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Easy to upgrade
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You do not own it
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Higher discounts when purchasing multiple units
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You will need maintenance support
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Usually sold with a maintenance contract
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Contracts could have hidden fees/ unfair stipulations
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What Will my Usage be per Month?
The next question to ask is how many copies you think your office will make in a month. This number does not need to be exact. A rough estimate will be enough to point you in the right direction. Your usage will also help in determining the speed your copier will need to operate at to keep up with your usage. Copiers are ranked by how many copies they make in a minute, or their CPM (Copies Per Minute). Here is a table to help you determine what CPM your new copier needs:
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Copies Per Minute
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Application Size
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20 CPM or less
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Small or Home Offices (< 5K Copies Per Month)
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21 – 35 CPM
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Small Offices or Workgroups (< 10K Copies Per Month)
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36 – 50 CPM
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Mid-Sized Offices (< 20K Copies Per Month)
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51 – 65 CPM
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Large Offices and Copy Centers (< 50K Copies Per Month
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66 – 80 CPM
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Corporate Copy Centers (< 100K Copies Per Month)
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81+ CPM
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Production Print and Copy Centers (100K – 250K Copies Per Month)
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What do I Need the Copier to Do?
The last question you'll want to ask is what you'll actually need the copier to do. Modern copiers come with a wide array of accessory options and knowing a little about these different accesories should really help you in finding the perfect copier for your office.
Accessories/Options:
- Color - This allows the copier to print copies in full color. Color copiers are generally more expensive than thier black and white counterparts.
- Document Feeder - This allows the user to copy multiple-page documents without having to hover over the copier, copying each page, one-by-one, off the glass.
- Duplex - This allows the copier to make double sided copies in one pass.
- Extra Paper Supply - These are extra trays you can add to the copier so it can hold more paper.
- Cabinet - A cabinet adds extra storage space for things like copy paper, toner, and staples.
- Finisher - The finisher can have different functions like the ones listed below:
- Stapler - A stapler automatically staples a group of pages together after copying them. Very useful if you copy multi-page documents.
- Folder - A folder will fold your pages for you after copying
- Hole Puncher - The hole puncher will punch holes for two and three-ringed binders.
- Networking - This means the copier is connected to your business's network, giving it the ability to email copies to your employees at their desk.
- Scanning - This allows the copier to scan documents.
- Faxing - This allows the copier to fax documents.
Once you know which accessories your copier will need to meet your requirements, the last step is to contact your local office equipment dealer and provide them with the specifications you decided on in this blog article. They will be able to provide you with the most current prices for the models that best fit your needs.