Digital Vs Analogue Copier – Know The Difference Before You Buy

Though most of the people prefer digital copiers, analog technology is still occupying a wide landscape. So if you are thinking to buy or opt for copier rental, it’s important to educate yourself about the difference between both digital and analog copier. In this post, we will look at what makes analog different from digital machines.

Originally, photocopiers used to be analog, which was the defacto standard until digital copiers came into the limelight to offer surprising features that were not accessible with their analog counterparts.

 

How Does Analogue Photocopier Work?

The working of analog copiers is based on light that passes through a lens and reflected onto its photosensitive surface. This light beam has a high intensity and thus requires fans to keep the machine working fine and cool during the copying process.

Unfortunately, these fans attract dust and mirror on the printer become coated with a thin film of dust and grime that consequently results in inferior copy quality. Also, analog machines don’t possess a memory and therefore, require a scan for every copy to be printed.

These copiers feature a cylindrical drum that is charged electrostatically by using a high voltage wire. A photoconductive material covers this cylindrical drum that makes it conductive when comes in exposure with the high-intensity light. Much like traditional cameras, this bright light illuminates the document which needs to be copied.

The lighter and whiter portions of the document reflect the light back, whereas the darker areas like images and text don’t do it. The document then projects the light onto the photoconductive material that covers the above mentioned cylindrical drum. Therefore, white blank areas on the document reflect light back onto this drum that results in charging these areas positively.

In analog copiers, the toner itself positively charges, so it is repelled by the positively charged areas of the drum that have received the reflective light.  And toner is also attracted to the drum areas which remain negative charge, or we can say the areas which have received no light.

The whole process results in the impression of pattern existing on the drum which is transferred to the sheet of paper using rollers with the application of pressure and heat.

 

How Does Digital Photocopier Work?

The process that digital copier machines follow is defined by the fact that it stores a digitized form of scanned document which has to be copied. As soon as this scan is digitized, one can enhance it and remove errors before printing it for professional use.

The printing mechanism used in these machines or the process of transferring toner onto the media resembles that of a laser printer.  The digital photocopier relies on a system of interconnected sensors and mirrors to imprint the intended piece of paper with the image, which attracts the toner to it through an opposing charge.

 

It’s true that digital machines have replaced the analog one. Though digital copier still reflects light, the light doesn’t need to be of extremely high intensity much like that required in its counterparts. That’s why it doesn’t require fans for cooling the machine, and it also attracts no unwanted foreign objects like dust and debris into the optics.

The light in digital machines is reflected into a unit that is responsible for converting light and dark into binary signals. The copy of scanned document is projected onto the drum with the use of laser or a led array. The hard drive saves the document and allows it to be reused whenever required in the future.

 

Why People Prefer Digital Over Analogue Copiers?

 

Copy Once, Print Many 

These modern printers allow scan once and print many times facilities saving users a lot of their efforts and time. Undoubtedly, scanning and storing data on the hard drive can give rise to security risks, manufacturers of copiers have introduced secure data encryption of hard drives to prevent damage or loss of your sensitive data from the machine. So, whether you buy or go for copier rental Singapore services, don’t forget to check data encryption facility in it.

 

Paperless Office Movement

Since more and more offices are turning to be paper-free, the ability to scan documents, then extract text and file them efficiently is swiftly becoming the norm of owners of digital multi-functioning printers. Many companies are providing document management solutions that allow you to scan quickly, file and sort all your documents whenever required. With these features, helping companies and security regulatory agencies, you can save yourself a lot of time, money and effort like a pro.

 

Efficient Networking Facility 

With the use of a digital photocopier machine, it is easy to connect your MFP or copier machine to your network and process it straight to and from your desktop computer. Users can also avail things like FTP, emailing or faxing by connecting their machine to the network within their premises.

The devices used in networking may utilize cloud-based storage and also offer added benefit by allowing off-site storage of documents for future retrieval. These systems make multiple office employees share a single print device without needing to install their own unit that certainly saves consumables, time and money.

 

You Can Have Multiple User Accounts

Digital multi-functioning printers and devices allow you to secure your office. You can allocate available resources in the better way by using multiple user accounts. Keep in mind that not all products operate in the same manner.

However, the ability remains similar for an account that can allocate and track consumables and resources allowing you to properly bill the job and track the whole inventory meticulously without leaving a single loop hole. In addition to that, you can scan user boxes and perform other activities that are related to users by using cloud or FTP-based storage options.

 

Final Words

While you may be able to get used analog copiers on the market, but their unfavorable functioning against modern day requirements doesn’t make it a wise investment. So, to meet the modern and demanding official paperwork needs, the digital option certainly is the more flexible and safer bet. You can invest in copier rental option to save huge money, especially when you need it for very short-term.