Do you print Tabloid (11X17)?  Why does this matter?  Because if you do not I can get you a copier for $2,000 less or so on average.  If I didn’t ask I will guarantee that my copier is too expensive if I assume you do or an abject failure in your office if I don’t ask.  If you answer “No” to this question, there are very few circumstances where it will make sense to get a tabloid capable machine.

2) Do you duplex (print on both sides of the page)?  Why does this matter?  Well, if you do not, then again there are some options which will save a few thousand.  If you do and you also scan, I will know I need to get you a DADF (Dual Auto Document Feeder). If you answer yes and I get you a SADF or a RADF, something is wrong with this picture.

Do you need color?  This matters because color engines cost a lot more per print, but the equipment is coming down in price..  This question eliminates more than 50% of my options for you.

What is your volume?  This matters because volume is a huge part of the overall cost of unit.  If you say 2,000 pages a month and it is 20,000 pages per month, I will likely get you a copier which underperforms and is always broken.  If you say 20,000 per month when it’s 2,000, you will pay for a lot more machine than you need.

Do you plan on scanning?  How?  This is important because it let’s me know if I will need to coordinate with 3rd party vendors and  that can get expensive if I do.

These questions, when fielded by a good rep will help them take into account all of those “Little Things” which will bite you down the road if not addressed.  I try to not every question under the sun.  Like if finishing is needed, I ask what needs to be done. If you say just stapling, I don’t add hole punching and booklet making to the quote…  You should see line items left off or put on your quote as a result of the discussion you have with your rep.  If you would like to chat about getting a copier, I would love to help you weed through all of the “Little Things” to make sure you are happy for years to come.

Lexmark X658de Series

Here we are, a printer company that has the choice and knowledge between 9 different printer manufacturers for our printing needs (AMT, HP, Lexmark, Ricoh, Xerox, Okidata, Printronix, Tally, and Kyocera)…  Needless to say, we have many options.  So, when we were choosing what we were going to use internally, what did we choose, and why?  You will see we are not “married” to any particular manufacturer.  Like you, we have daily business needs and the label on the outside of the box does not matter as much as the function of the box.  So, here is a quick overview of what we use and why.

Color Printing:

In our office, you will find 2 color printers that get used.  The Xerox Phaser 7760 gets used primarily because we get a good deal on a demo unit and can sell the device after 6 months for $1,500 off the list price and essentially not pay for toner.  It does an awesome job on color, so we like it…  plus it is fast.  Most customers do not enjoy the same benefit, so I would not personally recommend emulation of us unless you need really high quality color prints and color matching is crucial to you.

For the heavy fill flyers, we use the Xerox Phaser 8860. This printer is far cheaper than any other printer in the color laser class.  Granted, it is not technically a laser printer (it is solid ink), but it’s quality is equal to or superior to a laser printer and you could use the same device and pay $.03 per color page or if you have heavy coverage, you can pay $.06 or so and have unlimited ink on a page…  We do too many of these to use a HP or other Xerox product.  We’d spend $500 to $1,000 per month more if we used anything else and get lesser quality.

Black and White Copier:

We use the Lexmark X658dfe multifunction device.  Why? At $4,000 it prints, copies, scans, faxes, collates, staples and is by far the easiest multi-function device on the market to use.  We did not want to spend an hour training 15 different users.  We plugged in the device and people started using it.  Plus, it is a blazing fast 55 pages per minute.  It does not do tabloid, which we are OK with.  Different people will differ on this point, but we don’t need tabloid (11 X 17) capability.  We are OK with Letter and Legal sizes.

Are there other great options?  Of Course there are.  The tricky part is each business has to evaluate their own needs and assess the costs and benefits of different manufacturers for their office.  Or, better yet, if you are in the Denver, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins area and have a copier or color printer need, I’d be happy to schedule an on-site visit so we can go over all of the options and make sure you are running as efficiently as possible.

____ Speed and Productivity (How many pages a minute, how many steps to complete an important task, how many special features does it have which will speed things up?)

____ Reliability – Do you want a technician in your office twice a month fixing the copier (does that even matter to you?) or are you hoping that this device will work for long periods of time without problems?

____ Pricing – Is price the #1 factor for you, or are other things more important than price?  Each customer is different and it is good to know which type you are so you either get the best price or get the other features you may find more important.

____ Finishing and Paper Handling – Does it need to handle 12 X 18 paper or 11 X 17 paper or handle 90lb bond paper or a special gloss paper?  Does it need to hole punch or make booklets? Is the FUNCTION on some special processes crucial?

____ Environmental Concerns – Do you want a copier which produces less waste and does not produce VOC’s (like ozone) or is that of relative little importance to you?

____ Image Quality – Are you looking for print shop type color, or just business color?  Are you needing perfect scans or “rough draft” type of scans.  What is the performance threshold you are looking at with this device?

Once you have your criteria in mind, it’s far easier to help you meet your objectives and make this process as painless as possible.

If you have read through these posts at all, you will see a consistent theme where I have warned against the problem of “overbuying” for your needs… with some budgets shrinking, now people are facing the opposite problem more often.  I will have customers here in Denver tell me they are doing 4,000 to 5,000 prints per month and they want to look at a $400 to $600 HP device like this.  Don’t get me wrong, those can have their place, but it certainly is not for the person doing that sort of workload. 

There are several factors that need to be addressed in every copier sale if it is going to serve the needs of the customer as efficiently as possible.

1) What work actually needs to be done?

2) What volume of work needs to be done?

3) What steps are you willing to do to get job done?

4) What is the convenience worth if you are buying add ons?

5) Is the device appropriate for the job at hand?

Once these questions are asked, you can look at the 4 componets of cost, 1) The machine, 2) The Maintenance 3) the consumables and 4) The manpower costs and see what is the most appropriate device for the job.

We are happy to help if you need assistance getting these important questions answered for your company.

I have watched the purchasing decision for many of the copiers that are going out today change hands from Facilities to IT.  Often this is a tough battle of politics within a company where one person (the Facilities person) has one preferred vendor and the other (the IT specialist) has another vendor they like.  Both can feel an obligation to their business partners and don’t want to see people they have worked hard with get pushed out the door.  Why is this happening?

The primary reason is today’s copier is much closer to a computer than copiers 10 years ago were.  10 years ago, they were more like lighting equipment or another general commodity.  Now, these devices can print, copy, scan, scan to specific software, require being put on the network and essentially become an IT supported device.  What would I suggest a company do if facing this situation?

1) I would try and make sure all parties WORKED TOGETHER within a company.  Competition is good, so giving both vendors a real shot is a valid option.

2) Whoever buys the device needs to be involved in supporting it.  If they are not, then there will be bitterness that develops as one group will complain about everything they have to do now that they didn’t have to before. They complain because they weren’t even involved in the selection process.  If Facilities or Purchasing retains the final purchasing authority for the copier, they need to be given tasks which will make a poor decision affect them directly.  An example might be they are the ones to call for the service calls, etc…

3) Utilize the relative strengths of each group.  The most saavy customers we have use IT to really check out the machine and then IT passes us to purchasing who approves the final contract which is for the item the IT people recommend.  Essentially a company who does this is saying we think our IT staff is best equipped to tell us what will work and our purchasing department is best equipped to negotiate the contract to get what IT said will work best for us.

4) Lighten up a bit.  Everyone complains they are too busy for everything these days.  If a task is getting taken off your plate, relax a little and enjoy having one less responsibility.

5) If your company is going to re-delegate, make sure you bring everyone together and explain what you are thinking and let them voice concerns and work to eliminate those concerns.  Ultimately though, you may have to make someone unhappy to get the best device for your company. (This cuts both ways…  some IT people are only looking at the bottom line and not functionality in a copier as they don’t tend to use them much…  this can be just as bad…)

One of the most aggravating things for most copier customers is dealing with the leasing companies.  These companies do not make money via service and products like we do, they make it via interest and charges.  It is important to realize this and to prepare yourself so that you don’t end up paying a ton of money because you weren’t completely aware of the leasing nusiances.  I have included a .pdf here for our customers in Denver which should help you save hundreds to thousands of dollars.  We can help you make sure the lease you are signing for a new copier makes sense and meets your objectives.

Here is the money saving link:

Leasing Pitfalls