Low- Volume Copiers & Multifunctionals
February 1, 2008
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While color copiers are the sexy product that salespeople will want you to buy, black-and-white copiers are still the mainstay of most offices and far less expensive to operate.
- You have a choice between off-the-shelf, retail models (usually cheaper to buy) and dealer models (usually less expensive to run).
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If you need full 11˝ x17˝ (ledger-size) output, you will probably have to buy from a dealer.
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Prices given for dealer-channel models are list prices (suggested retail price); the reality is that you should be able to buy these products for 25% or more off, if you negotiate.
- While there used to be big gaps in quality and reliability between vendors, those gaps have narrowed.
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Cost per page on dealer models is usually determined by negotiation with your vendor. That cost may be far more important than the sticker price.
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If you want printing, be aware that some vendors offer it as standard, while others charge extra for the same functionality. In many cases, this disguises the true price.
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Take monthly duty cycles with a grain of salt. Use them for comparison purposes only, but don’t expect to get the full page count month in and month out.
- Duplex (two-sided) output is a major plus in terms of saving paper costs, but note that you need at a two-sided document feeder (RADF) to get two-sided copies easily.
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Faxing might be a nice extra, but scanning to email is becoming a far more convenient and efficient solution.
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Salespeople will boast that their machines are more productive than same-speed machines from other vendors. Our testing has shown that current machines operate at between 85% and 100% of rated speed. The performance gaps are just not a big issue.
- Faxing might be a nice extra, but scanning to email is becoming a far more convenient and efficient solution.
- Faxing can be an expensive option on many copier-multifunctionals, especially in the dealer channel. In fact, it costs vendors relatively little to add it on.
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