Many customers walk into Dean Office Solutions not knowing the first thing about how to buy a copier. They’re not sure what they’re looking for, what features they need, or even how much they want to spend.
Because this happens so often, I felt it would be beneficial to put together a quick guide on how to buy a copier. These are the questions you should ask yourself before coming in to buy a copier. If you’re not careful, you could end up paying more than necessary for a high end machine that has a whole slew of features you’ll never use. Some stores will try to sell you the best copier based on their bottom line, not yours.
At Dean Office Solutions we always try to match each customer up with the best machine for their needs at a price that fits within their budget. The following list of questions will help narrow down the features that are most important for you to have in your next copier, so you can walk away with the best copier for your needs at the right price.
How To Buy A Copier: Questions To Ask Yourself
Do you need to staple?
If you routinely make a lot of copies that need to be manually stapled, some machines can save time by stapling copies for you.
Are you doing primarily sets or singles?
Are most of the copies you make part of sets, such as booklets, or are they mostly standalone sheets? If you print mostly in sets, some machines can save time by automatically sorting them for you.
Will you be doing copying, printing, scanning, or all of the above?
Some machines do one thing exceptionally well, while other machines do multiple things very well. Find out what is important to you and that will help narrow down the type of machine you need.
How much are you going to be use it? How much do you use your current machine?
Determine what your output is like on your current machine, and then figure out if a new machine will help you output more volume more quickly, and at a lower cost.
How much can you save by not going to an outside printer?
If you currently outsource certain items, like color printing, you may be able to save money by buying or leasing a Copier/Printer that does that task and bringing it in-house.
How To Buy a Copier: It’s All About Volume
When it comes to how to buy a copier, the most important thing you need to know is your volume. Are you making 50 copies a day or 5000 copies a day? Find out how many copies and prints you’re actually making. One way to figure this out is determine how much paper you go through.
Bring that information in with you, along with the answers to the above questions, and I will help guide you towards the best copier for your business.