Paperless offices are old news. Many companies find it impractical to completely ditch all printed documents. Instead of going ‘paperless,’ they are following the new and practical trend of ‘paper-light.’ These businesses print judiciously and use electronic files instead.

By using an in-house office copier to print key documents, you can have the convenience of physical documents while still saving time, money, and the environment.

Office Copiers Explained

Office copiers don’t just produce copies anymore. Nowadays, they are often multifunction devices that can scan, copy, print, and fax documents.

These multifunction printers, often called MFPs, tend to be bulkier and a bit more expensive than a simple printer. However, they are more compact and affordable than a stack of simpler devices.

MFPs offer function and convenience and can slot seamlessly into a regular office workflow. These are an initial expense, but for modern-day busy offices, they quickly become more affordable than outsourcing these tasks to another company.

How Office Copiers Help Modern Businesses

Multifunction office copiers are a modern solution to an old business problem. How do you efficiently produce and manage your company’s papers?

In the old days, would’ve needed a half-dozen devices, from specialty printers to scanners and more. They needed to be bought, serviced, repaired, and replaced. It created a merry-go-round of devices breaking down or having outdated software. This meant that employees needed to work around whatever was out of service that week. Sometimes, the only solution would be to hire outside printing services in the interim, adding to the month’s expenses. These bottlenecks led to customer inconvenience and business inefficiency.

Nowadays, feature-rich MFPs offer a company numerous advantages. These include:

• Enhanced security compatible with modern security software
• Integration with a variety of operating systems
• Time-saving and space-efficient device
• Reduced costs for power consumption, supplies, and maintenance or repair
• Automatically feeding paper in or storing papers that come in, freeing up employee time
• Automatic scan and save functions to help keep files organized
• The ability to scale up or down to meet surges in demand
• Printing capabilities far beyond simply spitting out text documents

Best of all, you don’t need to spend a small fortune to get a highly capable MFP. Even the more basic models come with a wealth of business-enhancing features. These can meet your company’s needs now and years from now when your business has grown.

What to Look for When Selecting an Office Copier

What features are you looking for in your MFP? That depends heavily on your business’s needs. Some questions to ask yourself include:

What will you be printing? Will you need color copies or just black and white? Simple text documents or high-definition photographs? This will determine which printing technology to select. Laser printers tend to do better with text documents, while inkjets can make high-resolution graphics.

What are your faxing needs? If you only send the occasional page, just about any MFP will do. What if you do frequent, high-volume faxing? You may need a fast fax modem to keep up. Does your office receive faxes after hours? You may need a machine that can store a volume of incoming pages.

What’s the capacity of the automatic document feeder? This is a critical concern for printing, scanning, copying, and faxing jobs. If your business handles stacks of paper every day, make sure the tray has the capacity for these jobs. Otherwise, you’ll have an employee wasting their time and talent feeding papers into the machine.

What about data transmission? How will you get data to the machine? Most multifunction office copiers have USB ports. You can’t take it as a given that they’ll have Ethernet and Wi-Fi capability, so check with your vendor. Do also check if it’s compatible with your business’s network, so this MFP can handle print requests from every floor of your building.

Is it secure enough for your use? Basic machines will do if all you print are flyers, pamphlets, and other innocuous papers. If you handle sensitive documents or client data, is the machine compatible with your document management security software? Does it unlock with passcodes, log users, or offer other common security features?

What kind of printing capabilities do you need? Duplex printing? Do you need your office copier to staple, fold, or punch holes in documents? If you intend to print on nonstandard materials, heavy paper, or cardstock, does this machine have a strong enough motor for the job? Is it compatible with the inks you’ll need for these surfaces?

One final easily overlooked concern is space. How much can you dedicate in your office? Remember that you’ll need space for the MFP itself, a user at the machine, and access to the back or sides for repairs and resupplying. Smaller operations may not have the physical space for a large, sophisticated, feature-rich printer.

Once you have a list of your company’s must-haves, take a look at what’s on the market and within budget. There is an initial cost for the device, ink, toner, and paper. You’ll also want to make sure that you have an affordable and reliable supplier for ink and toner, especially if you’re considering a more specialized model. Depending on how much it’s used and what you need it for, you might be better off with a refurbished device or last year’s flagship.

Office copiers are feature-rich devices. At a minimum, they will scan, print, copy, and fax your documents. More sophisticated devices will integrate seamlessly to your network, enhance your data security, and even handle tedious tasks like folding and stapling pamphlets. MFPs are an initial investment that removes the need to buy and maintain a tower of single-use devices. Office copiers also streamline your company’s workflow and help you offer competitive products and customer service.

Is your Mill Creek-area business ready for a new office copier? Contact Copiers Etcetera today, and we will be happy to discuss your options.