How to Choose the Right Copier for Your Small Business

Last week, we talked about how Managed Print Solutions can save your business a lot of time and money. But did you know that simply having the right equipment can make a positive change on your business? This is especially important for small businesses, where even the smallest expense makes a big difference. Today, we’ll be looking at how to choose the right copier.

Step One: Make a List of Needs and Wants
What will your copier be used for? Copiers have a wide range of capabilities, including scanning, faxing, printing, folding, stapling, binding, saddle stitching, and, of course, copying. What is most essential for your business? The right copier will perform the tasks you need and will even have the ability to create automated workflows, which makes using the copier for routine tasks much faster and easier. Make a list of what you absolutely need in your new copier and what you want but don’t need. For example, you probably need copying and scanning capabilities for daily use, but saddle stitching can be done as needed by a print shop.

Step Two: Assessing Volume and Speed
How many pages do you print per day? Do you often find employees complaining about how long it takes to print something? Do several large print jobs often get backed up while employees are waiting to print a couple pages?
If you print thousands of documents per day and frequently print many large jobs, you may want to invest in a higher-end copier. This is the right copier, even for a small business, because it can handle the strain of heavy daily use and still maintain a long shelf life. So, despite the higher price, a costlier printer is a better long-term investment.

Step Three: Assess Your Current Print Costs
Knowing how high your current print costs are can help you to make a cost-conscious decision when choosing your new copier. For this, you’ll need to know several things:

• Equipment: The price of your current equipment (which may be a purchase price, lease price, or cost-per-page agreement).
• Burden rates: The time it takes for your IT team to troubleshoot problems, schedule maintenance, and order supplies.
• Supplies: The ongoing cost of purchasing supplies like toner, paper, staples, etc.
• Service: Monthly service agreements or single maintenance fees.
• Life cycle: The rate at which your equipment becomes deteriorated or obsolete.

Of course, most companies don’t keep track of this much detail. If you’re having trouble calculating your current print costs, call Centric Business Systems to do a professional assessment for you. We can help you to determine how much you’re spending now and how much you can save by choosing the best copier for your business!

Contact Centric Business Systems today
If your document management services are costing your organization too much money, contact the experts at Centric Business Systems today. Whether you require upgraded equipment or an in-depth analysis of your workflow, we have the expertise needed to maximize your systems and help you make the most of our technology. We will go above and beyond to create the ideal solution for your needs and will work closely with you to improve your organization’s productivity and efficiency. To learn more about what we can do for you, give us a call at 877-902-3301, send us an email at info@centricbiz.com, or fill out our contact form to learn more about how we can help your organization run better.
Please follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+.