With a lot of options out there, it’s really hard to decide which copier or multifunction printer to choose. Don’t get sold into a device you don’t need or worse, accidentally skip a feature that is necessary for your office. Here are some points to consider when buying a new copier or printer.
– Colour vs. Mono (black & white)
As prices for colour multifunction copiers and printers have come down significantly over the last few years, as well as the cost per page (click charge) for service agreements. Most models sold nowadays are either colour capable or full colour machines. The choice in mono printers is not as big as it used to be, as most users prefer full colour printers.
– Colour editing
Whilst basic editing functions are enough for most users, some of the more high-end colour multifunction devices have advanced colour management capabilities. They either come or have the option to come with a special editor and controller for colour management. Although these advanced editing techniques can be impressive, they tend to be difficult and more time-consuming to master.
– Reducing colour printing and costs.
With the cost per page of colour output being much more expensive than that of black & white output, it is a good idea for many offices to control the colour output.
This can be done through several features of modern multifunction devices. One way is setting a limit to the number of colour pages a particular user than copy/print per month. This can be done through the machine interface and setting up user ID codes.
Another good way of minimising colour output is ensuring that all print drivers installed are set to black & white as the default setting. This way you avoid users printing pages that may have a small colour component, such as a logo on letterhead or email to be printed and charged as a full colour page, where a black & white copy may have sufficed.
– Automatic Document Feeders
An office copier with an automatic document feeder (ADF) allows you to copy or scan multi-page documents without having to lift and lower the cover for every sheet you copy. Instead, you drop a stack of originals (up to 50 or 100 pages) into the feeder, press start, and the ADF automatically pulls each page through.
If you copy or scan lots of double-sided originals, you should invest in a recirculating (or reversing) automatic document feeder (RADF). An RADF can turn pages inside the machine for simplified and fast double-sided copying. Other ADF’s can scan both sides of the page, effectively doubling the scan speed.
– Sorting and finishing
Digital copiers can sort copied or printed sets electronically without the use of sorter bins. Instead of separate bins, the prints are placed in a single tray at a right angle or offset from each other, allowing you to easily identify where one set ends and another begins. Bin-free sorting allows you to make unlimited sets at one time, rather than only as many sets as you have sorter bins.
