Copier Buying Guide: Specs that you should Check Before Renting or Buying

When deciding to upgrade your office equipment such as a copier, you have to think real hard before hitting the purchase button.

Commercial copiers these days cost around USD 3,000 to USD 40,000 depending on what the device can do. That amount is not a cheap investment for an office essential. You might ask why there is a huge disparity between the prices of these pieces of equipment when they all perform the same function. Well, that’s a good question that we want to answer today.

In our previous post, we talked about the things you need to know about copier lease where we extensively discussed the common terms of agreement and benefits of leasing a copier. Today, we’re going to tackle the different specifications of a copier machine Singapore or a multifunctional device that you should examine in order to make the right decision as to which equipment to rent, lease, or buy.

 

Dimensions

How much space can you spare for a copier? If you’re going for a multifunctional device that prints, copies, faxes, and scans, you can rent or buy multifunctional devices (MFDs) that are as small as 12 inches.

We’re talking about high-end MFDs here that can print up to 36 pages per minute. Contrary to the size of huge copiers that were being sold a few years back, the dimensions of MFDs now range from 410 mm x 398.5 mm x 318.5 mm to 575 mm x 477 mm x 310 mm only.

 

Paper size

Another specs to consider is the range of paper sizes that a device recognizes. Paper sizes include A4, Letter, A6, Photo (10 cm x 15 cm), Photo L (89 mm × 127 mm), Photo 2L (13 cm × 18 cm), Index Card (127 mm × 203 mm), and A3, Ledger. Some advanced MFDs and copiers can print on all these sizes but some are limited to barely 10 paper sizes.

In addition, check if the device has an automatic paper adjustment feature that changes the orientation and structure of the document. This feature allows the device to change the settings of the soft copy so that the content will perfectly fit into the paper size of your choice.

 

Ink or toner cartridge capacity

Toner cartridge capacity tells you how many pages you can print before the cartridge runs out of toner or ink. Some high-end models have cartridges with up to 2,400 page-yield, which means the ink or toner can print up to 2,400 pages before it runs out. If your office regularly prints hundreds to thousands of pages per day, better choose high-end models to avoid printing interruptions.

 

Document feeder

Whether it’s a multifunctional device or a plain copier, you have to check if the equipment has an automatic document feeder (ADF) or not. These days, 80% of copiers have an auto document feeder feature. Simply put, ADF allows the device to handle several pages so you won’t need to wait for the first page to be printed before you insert another paper.

 

2-Sided Printing

A close relative of this feature is the automatic 2-sided printing capacity. When a copier has this feature, you don’t need to manually turn the paper in order to print on the other side. The device automatically turns the paper in preparation for 2-sided printing. This feature helps companies reduce their printing cost while helping the environment reduce waste.

 

Paper-drawer capacity

Just like the ADF, a high paper-drawer capacity contributes to the efficiency of printing. When the paper-drawer capacity is high, you don’t need to regularly get a pile of paper to replace what’s lost after a few rounds of printing.

150 sheets of paper is an average capacity for an MFD while the most expensive multifunctional device of Brother has a 250-sheet capacity. The latter is perfect for law firms and similar offices that require high volumes of prints everyday.

 

Print noise and speed

Familiar with the noisy sound of copiers and printers whenever they work? If you are in a quiet environment that requires a huge amount of focus, you better pick a quieter device that doesn’t produce too much noise even on its fastest printing mode.

Relative to the noise is the speed of the printer or copier. A high-end copier these days can produce up to 35 prints per minute on its fastest mode, but expect to hear a higher level of noise from the device too.

 

Number of users

Having to change the setting of the device every time you print is time-consuming. If you work in a company with hundreds of employees sharing the use of a single printer or copier, this ultimately lessens operational efficiency. Solve this problem by choosing a copier or a multifunctional device that allows you to save up to 30 printing modes.

This means that up to 30 employees can save their printer settings and choose their own customized mode every time they need to print. If it will be more helpful for your office, you can customize the modes according to paper size, speed, and other settings instead of customizing them according to the desired settings of each employee.

 

Connectivity

Some copiers and printing equipment can print documents straight from a mobile device without requiring any internet connection. This doubles printing efficiency by cutting the preparation time before a file is produced in hard copies. Through bluetooth connectivity or the ethernet, some printers and copiers can receive the file and directly print it from any device.

Some devices, however, require web connection and Wi-fi direct before recognizing the file for printing. You also have to check these connectivity features to find the right fit for your office.

 

Display

The most expensive multifunction device from Brother has a clear and vibrant 3.7″ TFT colour touchscreen LCD placed at the top right corner of the device. This competitive display allows you to select the correct print settings with just a tap, make some modifications, and see the output before finally producing a copy. This makes printing and copying accurate.

However, the copier display does not have to be this luxurious. You can stick with a smaller one as long as it clearly shows the settings that you need to adjust in order to print a copy accurately.