Business Copiers

Find the Balance Between the Size of the Machine and Your Monthly Printing Needs

Written by Steven Bryan

Even as more businesses become environmentally conscious or “green”, they still need to generate invoices, duplicate important documents, and create software listings, which is why having business copiers is essential to your daily operations.

Matching the Copier to Your Business Needs

When you compare business copiers, it is important to find the right balance between your monthly printing needs and the machine's capacity. You don't, for instance, want to invest the money and space in a large commercial copier that can churn out 200,000 copies a month when your staff only prints 30,000. On the other hand, if your employees put too much of a demand on a small business copier, you may lose money because of malfunctions and copier downtime.

A Small Business Copier Budget

Before speaking to licensed copier dealers, sit down and create a copier budget, which gives an accurate reflection of your monthly printing needs. Some things to consider include:

• How many departments will use the business copier for printing, faxing, and duplication? Make sure to speak to each manager and team leader to determine the print needs of their groups.
• What kinds of paper do you need in addition to letter size? Does your staff need legal or oversized paper for spreadsheets and presentations?
• How much will paper, ink and toner cost each month?
• Will at least one employee take responsibility for refilling the copier and making sure enough essential supplies are on hand? Do you need to add a clerk to take charge of the company's print needs?

When multiple people and departments use the same machine, it also is essential to set up some rules for business copiers. In a busy office, large print jobs, for instance, should be scheduled before and after normal working hours so that one employee doesn't occupy the machine for hours. Each employee also must take responsibility for picking up any documents they send to the copier from their workstation.

Service Agreements

Because they are a good source of revenue for the copier dealer, almost every salesperson will offer you a service agreement before closing the deal. This agreement, which could run for a period of years, requires an upfront payment, but it does cover things such as service calls and necessary repairs.

In a busy office, a broken copier costs your business money, so a service agreement actually can be a great investment. Without an agreement in place, you have to pay a technician just for showing up at your door each time the copier stops working; parts and labor also can be expensive without some kind of agreement in place. When you compare business copiers, also compare the service agreement that each licensed dealer has to offer.

Are you ready to purchase business copiers? Submit a free request for price quotes and get matched to multiple dealers who will try to get you the best deal for your business.

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