Copiers are a sizable investment for an Small to Medium Business. The machines can range dramatically in price, and many printing companies offer numerous configuration options, allowing you to customize your machine to meet your business’s unique needs. Other issues that affect pricing are service and warranty plans, and capital expenses such as supplies (toner, ink and paper). Because copiers are such a large investment for most companies, you will typically have options to buy or lease your color copier, and there are pros and cons to each purchasing method.
The price of a copier is far more complex than just comparing sticker prices. Companies should budget for capital expenses that fold into the copier’s operating costs, such as paper and ink (toner or inkjet). But beware: even these costs can be misleading. For example, inexpensive inks or printer parts may seem like a benefit, but if they cause problems down the line, such as leaks or machine slowdowns, then the company is going to be spending money to fill those performance gaps. In other words, what may seem affordable on the front end could wind up being incredibly expensive down the road.
From an operational perspective, factors like copy speed can feed into or prohibit worker productivity and collaboration. The same goes for printers that constantly require maintenance or repair – those issues also hinder productivity. Additionally, in recent years, with more businesses becoming concerned about sustainability and environmental responsibility, energy use has come into play as an important factor for many business buyers. The same goes for features such as two-sided printing (duplexing), which affects both cost and waste output.
Your organization must conduct your own cost-benefit analysis before committing to a printer. For printers that many groups of employees will rely on, speed may be the No. 1 factor. For design-centric businesses, such as ad agencies or architectural firms, ink cost and image quality may trump everything else.
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