Office Machine That Meets Your Needs

Even with the proliferation of business activity carried out online, your office is sure to have a photocopier. However, is it up to the task and meeting the needs of your business? You won’t know unless you do an audit of your photocopier’s performance and seek to understand how your staff are using it.

In this article, we ascertain what you need to know before you purchase a new photocopier machine for your office.

Feedback

To choose better options for printers and photocopiers that meets the needs of your business, first, meet with your staff and get feedback from them on how they are using the existing machine. With the input, you can learn how your team are using the device, and what core function is used most often. Even legacy photocopiers are multifunction, i.e. they will print and copy, and newer versions also have a scan feature.

Does your current photocopier have the scan, print and copy features? If not, ask your staff if it did, would they use all the features? For example, if your business purchased a multifunction photocopier, how would the scan feature improve productivity?

While it may appear pedantic, seeking to understand if additional functionality is worthwhile is essential. Your budget will go further if, for example, you find out that there is no need for the scan feature and what your staff need is a photocopier that can also print high-quality colour and with speed.

Nowadays, even the cheapest machines on the market do more than just photocopy, and the more expensive options offer a lot more functionality including security, printing speed, i.e. the number of pages printed per minute. Other features of higher spec photocopiers from brands like Toshiba include WIFI enabled, and premium colour, whether it is an inkjet or laser machine.

High Tech

Technology advancement in photocopiers suggests that whatever you purchase, there are newer models in development, therefore, choose a machine with a higher spec than your office needs. If your budget allows it, choose an MFD (multifunction device) it will include fax, scan, copy and print.

Elect a machine that allows connectivity via mobile devices. Imagine how productive your staff will be if they don’t need to leave their workstation to activate the MFD. Plus the queue is not your team standing at the photocopier awaiting their turn to use it, but it’s the storage facility on the machine.

Specification

The spec of any machine is essential including colour, clarity or quality of copy or print.

Quality

The quality in a copier is not determined as high and low quality but determined by the DPI.

The DPI is how many dots per inch a machine will produce. Therefore the higher the DPI of a machine, the higher the quality and resolution of words and images. If you don’t regularly print or copy images, you will not need a high DPI, as it doesn’t matter when it comes to documents. However, if you usually print out and copy images, then a high DPI machine is your option.

Colors or Black & White

Do you copy brochures and coloured images or simple documents? Machines that copy and print colours are usually more expensive, and need more maintenance, than black and white copiers. So, if your work doesn’t require coloured images, it’s better to stay with a black and white photocopier.

Speed

The speed of a machine is how many copies it can produce in one minute. This feature depends on how many employees you have and how much you will need the photocopier. High-speed copiers will reduce the wait time, which means less time wasted while waiting for the photocopier. However, if you don’t regularly use it, you will not need a high-speed machine.

Capacity

Capacity is the paper size you use. An office will usually need a machine that works with A3 or A4 paper. If you need other quantities, you will have to look for customized photocopiers.

Inkjet or Laser

If you don’t need a high volume machine and are looking for an economical option, an inkjet photocopier will be the best option for you. It’s also preferable for those who need coloured copies with high DPI; however, you will need to replace the ink regularly. Laser copiers and printers are ideal for those who need black and white prints without images and need a high volume machine.

As technology deepens in photocopiers, more features will be available, and your office can benefit from higher levels of productivity.