Key Features to Consider When Purchasing Business Copiers

Business copiers are among the biggest investments you will make to keep your office running as efficiently as possible. Whether you are buying a copier for a small office space or investing in several copiers for multiple offices,you need to make sure you are buying equipment designed with several key features and fits within your budget. Because some machines do need to be serviced regularly, you will need to take some time to compare brands, service agreements, and warranty information before making the purchase.

Here are some key things to look for when purchasing business copiers for the office.

You need to make sure your copier can handle the volume of printing your office needs. Larger copiers with print, fax, and other functions may be better-suited for corporate environments and office spaces where you will have multiple users. Review past service agreements with print shops or use auditing tools to determine what the average print volume is for your office. This can make it easier to choose a copier that can handle the print volume your office needs.

If you will not be using the copier to make copies of marketing collateral, presentations, or images in full color, you may be able to save money by buying a copier that only uses black ink. Consider your budget and the primary use of the copier when comparing different makes and models. If you do plan on buying a printer copier with scanning and other capabilities, you may need something with color options.

A multi-use copier may have scanning, printing, and fax capabilities in addition to basic photocopying features. Consider investing in a multifunction product with several capabilities and functions to save office space and even save money on equipment purchases. This type of investment may be justified if multiple departments will be sharing equipment on a regular basis. For example, marketing teams may need to take care of printing, scanning, and faxing tasks on tight deadlines. Accounting and finance departments may need to use a scanner and photocopier more often than others. Sales teams may need access to a fax and printer regularly. Consider the benefits of a multi-purpose machine instead of standard business copiers when you team members or employees from different departments will be sharing equipment.

Some copiers are equipped with a hard drive that lets users store copies of documents, transfer documents electronically, and line up copy jobs virtually. Consider business copiers with a hard drive if you think some users might need access to template-style documents such as forms and checklists on a regular basis. The hard drive will also need to be large enough to accommodate for large-scale printing jobs and long queues. Compare hard drive features to make sure the copier can handle your company's workload.

Almost all of the latest models of copiers have wireless printing capabilities which allow users to print remotely. You will need to make sure your copier is set up with some type of network security authentication system so that only certain people have authorized access to the machine and network. Wireless printing capabilities can increase productivity and streamline business processes. Consider investing in a copier with wireless printing capabilities and options to create accounts for different users.

Buying a copier for your business can be a big investment and you will need to compare certain features to make sure you are making the best business decision. Consider the benefits of a multi-use machine versus a standard copier to save money and office space.