Copier Brands

There are many different brands on the market which can make buying the right laser printer copier a bit of a nightmare.  If you want to use environmentally friendly products in your office or home, you may wish to consider a HP product.  Other brands are also going green but HP has made a very public commitment to reduce the amount of energy their machines use as much as possible.  They are also committed to recycling and to using recycled plastic where possible.  Their newer models include a carbon footprint calculator so you can work out what impact your actions are having.

In addition to be greener, you need to select the model of laser printer copier that best suits your needs. These will differ between a thriving office based business and a new home business.  Both companies may be successful but the former is likely to have more staff and by implication more copying requirements.  You will need to buy a machine that is capable of delivering a high standard even with the increased workload.

Don't just make a decision based on the price of the printer alone.  Check out the cost of the paper and toner too.  Sometimes people will recommend that you use a generic brand of toner to save money, but you may find that you invalidate your warranty by doing this, and a lot of internet after market toners are inferior products and can cause machine damage and problems.   Check with the manufacturer, but if there is any doubt you can always use a less expensive brand, but choose one with a good reputation, when the warranty has run out.

When it comes to buying printers, laptops etc, you should always look at the deals available online to see what the best discounts are.   Be careful though, that you only deal with a recognized retailer and take extra care when inputting your bank details.  Where possible use a credit card for extra protection when buying a laser printer copier, if your dealing with an online store.

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Should I Purchase A Color Copier Or A Black And White Copier?

Most people think that buying a color copier is a lot more expensive than buying a black and white (b/w) copy machine.  And why shouldn't they?  Have you seen the price of a color copy at your local office solutions store lately?  The truth is there is not much difference in the original purchase value between black and white copiers and color copiers.  Read on to learn the real cost difference and find out if you should purchase a color or a b/w copy machine.

Since the time copiers were first invented, color copiers have almost always been more popular than b/w copiers.  Now its black and white counterpart, the color copier can print, copy and scan in beautiful full color as well as in black and white. So why would anyone choose b/w copy machines over color? Well, there is a substantial cost differential when it comes to servicing a color copier.  For example let's examine an office that makes 10,000 copies/prints per month. From that number, about sixty percent are for black and white images and about forty percent are for color copies.

On a national average, copier dealers will put a color copier under service for $0.01 for black and white images and about $0.07 per color copy.  That makes the cost for black and white copies for the month sixty dollars and the cost for color output for the month $280.  Over the course of four years the service costs would escalate to $2,880 for black and white images and $13,440 for color output.  So while original purchase values are similar, the life cycle service costs are substantially different.

However, this is not to say that a color copier is not worth the service cost.  The average color copy/print at a business supply/service store is around $0.89 for a single page.  It's no wonder so many people think color copying and printing is so expensive...it is when you're paying someone else to do it!

So if you're making a lot of color copies, you may experience a significant savings doing it all yourself rather than having it done at the local printers.  Scanning documents in full color and then sending them to an archive file or to a clients email is also very attractive, not to mention extremely more professional than your competitor's b/w images.

Today's color copiers can print in vibrant color with wonderful resolution, and many can also print 12" x 18" documents that fold and staple to make printing magazines or booklets fast and easy.  Check out a color copier for your company today!

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How to Buy the Right Copier

Definitions

Business class copiers-Not sold in office club stores.  Sold by knowledgeable and reputable dealers. Designed for higher volumes and dependability.

Office club copiers & personal copiers -Sold in office club stores i.e. Office Depot, Office Max and Costco... For personal and low volume customers.

Cost of Equipment

The cost of a copier can be quite expensive.  Just shopping for price and buying one on cost alone can be misleading and can end up being more expensive in the long run.  This is especially true if you make thousands of copies per month.  You could be paying three times the amount of the price of the copier in toner and supply costs.  It doesn't matter if you are buying one for a business or for personal use.  The first thing you should do is research the cost per copy.

Volume and Cost per Copy

When purchasing a copier you must first research your monthly copy volume.  This is the first step in choosing which copier is right for you.  One easy way to determine this is to think of how many reams of paper you use per month.  Each ream is 500 sheets.  Just multiply that by the amount of reams that you use and you have a fairly accurate assessment of your "copies per month."  The reason you must know this is because it helps you determine you're "cost per copy."  This is how much it will cost you every time you press the copy button.  Now, you take the price of the toner and divide that into the estimated yield and you have your cost per copy.  Example: The toner cost is $100.00 and the yield is 10,000 copies.  Your cost per copy is.01 cents per copy.  Office club type copier supplies are almost always more expensive than a business class type copier.

Service and Repair, Service contracts

Most copier service companies, (not affiliated with office clubs) will not provide you an onsite service contract on an office club copier.  This is because they don't sell them.  Office club stores will normally offer extended warranties but coverage may not be complete.  For example they might not cover the toner or they won't cover on-site service.  I have had customers call me and tell me that they had to ship the machine off to have it repaired and that they didn't even get the same machine back afterward. They received a replacement machine.

Many times a business class copier service contract that covers parts, service, and toner and supplies (everything except paper) is less expensive than the toner costs on a personal copier.

Automatic Document Feeder and Feed Systems

Document Feeders

An automatic document feeder is the feeder that automatically feeds your original documents one at a time so you don't have to stand there and lift the lid each time you have a stack of originals to be copied.  Not all document feeders are created equally.  There are many different mechanisms that feed, separate and eject the originals on all of the makes and models of copiers.  Business type copiers have much better mechanisms than personal copiers.  When you are in business and you make lots of copies and sets of copies it is frustrating when you can not count on this feature to work dependably.

The most common problems are multi-feeding and jamming.  Multi-feeding is when the feeder pulls in more than one at a time.  Most of the time the copier will not let you know this happened.  It will not show a jam and you may not realize it did this until you are in the middle of your very important meeting and you have some missing pages.  Paper jamming is another problem where it doesn't pull the paper through correctly and jams.  This is also very frustrating.

Feed Systems

Feed systems are the rollers and mechanisms that pull in your copy paper to make copies.  Paper jams are the most frustrating thing that a person can have with a copier.  Office club type copiers have inferior systems that feed the paper in and as you make larger copier runs, the dependability is much less than a business type copier.  I am speaking of my experience of over thirty plus years in the industry with copiers on both document feeders and feed systems but there are exceptions and some personal copiers work just fine.

 

Quality and Longevity

Quality of the copies being made has really improved over the years especially since the digital evolution.  There really is not much difference in copy quality.  I have seen personal copiers that have just as good resolution and copy quality as a very expensive business copier.  When it comes to the quality of manufacturing, sturdiness and just plain quality of the equipment you can see a big difference.

Business type copiers are built to last.  It really depends on your copy volume as to how long each machine will last.  Business copiers are built to last the monthly duty cycles that the manufacturer has designated.  Though sometimes I feel that they over estimate these amounts.  There are applications where a personal copier will need to be replaced in only one year next to a business type copier that will last seven to ten years, really!

Conclusion

Buying a copier can be expensive, but buying the wrong copier can be a waste of money.  By doing your research ahead of time you can save money and use your copier for many years with few problems. Finding a dependable company to service your machine is just as important as buying the right machine.

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What's The Difference Between A Refurbished Copier And A Used Copier?

If you're going to buy a copy machine, you may have heard a lot of different terms thrown around, like new, used, re-manufactured, demo and refurbished.  Not knowing the difference between these terms can dramatically affect how much you pay for your copier.  Read on to learn the difference between a refurbished copier and a used copier.

New

You probably know this one already, but a new copier is brand new, and comes directly from an authorized channel, like a dealer or distributor.  The phrase "authorized channel" sounds pretty fancy, but all it really means is that the manufacturer's representative receives commission on the sale.  Just like a new car, new copiers lose a lot of value as soon as they "leave the lot."  Generally if you want a brand new copier, your best and most inexpensive option is through a copier leasing program rather than outright buying it.

Refurbished

Refurbished copy machines have been audited, cleaned, tested, and updated by a third party (not the manufacturer).  Most refurbished copiers have been used less than three to six months as rated by their respective manufacturer's recommended monthly usage tables, and come with a "same as brand new" warranty.  Best of all, these copiers are sold at discount levels up to 75% off MSRP.  If you choose this option, just make sure that the company you buy from is as a good reputation and an A-rating with the Better Business Bureau.

Remanufactured

Manufacturers sell refurbished copiers too, but they like to call them re-manufactured, which means the copy machine was refurbished by the manufacturer itself and not a third party. Re-manufacturing means that the manufacturer tested and updated the equipment.  As with the refurbished copiers, these copy machines are usually have less than three months of use, and have been acquired from off-lease contracts, sales demos, short term rentals and/or corporate downsizing.

Used

Used generally refers to a copy machine that is being sold without any repairs, updates, cleaning and limited testing.  When you see a copier sold as used, without a warranty, most likely you're getting it "as-is" and should be aware of the risk you are taking.  Some unscrupulous companies might sell copy machines as "used" that should actually be sold for parts.

For the best deal on a copy machine for your business or office, your best choice may be a re-manufactured or refurbished copier that comes with a warranty.  That way you are spending a lot less money while still benefiting from the protection of a warranty.

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Do Compatible Toners Work For Scanners, Printers, Fax Machines, and Copiers?

The topic of compatible toners is widely talked about and very important to office goers.  Lots of people find compatible toners a much more efficient way of running their office when it comes to meeting all of their printing, scanning, faxing and copying needs.

There are often rumors that the compatible toners are less desirable to use in the office because of the quality but this is not true.  They are tested and made to work and last just as long as original toners.

Before a compatible toner is even made, every part of the toner is tested, inspected and approved.  

They are then tested after they are built and again picked at random off the shelf to be tested as well. 

They are built to work just as well as the original.

The percentage of pigments in the compatible toners is the same and they hold the same quality within the carefully designed formula just as the original toner cartridges are made.

These toners are made from recycled parts that are still good to use.  They are also made from repaired parts to recycle and conserve resources.  This will help you to give back.  You can go green by helping to reduce the amount of waste coming from toner use in communication equipment.

Compatible toners work for all different types of machines.  One might think that they only work when used for a printer.  The truth is, a fax machine, copier and scanner all have the basic internal structure when it comes to toner use so you can use them for all of the machines.

Most fax, copy scanning and printing machines used in the office are all in one machines now. Multi-functional machines have grown to be the most popular office tool, so it has become more of a priority for compatible companies to make sure they are top quality to satisfy all business communication needs.

Top compatible toners are made to fit many different brands.  Whether they are made from original parts, refurbished or re-manufactured parts they have been tested and approved by professionals before they are allowed to go out on the market for sale.

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Printers - A Practical Buyers Guide

Buying a printer can be a complicated business, there are more shapes, sizes and types of printers available to the home and small business user than ever before. Printers have also become specialized for their intended purpose.

It is no longer a case of "a printer is a printer".  Printers are now designed to be good in a particular area rather than a "Jack-of-all trades", which will do everything.

An often overlooked issue, is the very serious consideration of cost of ownership, which is all about of how much it will cost to keep your printer running (see below).  So making that decision on which printer to go for, can be a seriously arduous task, especially if you are keen to buy a printer that is not only affordable to buy, but also cheap to run.

So here is the information that you need to know and consider, that no one tells you about!  We have not expanded on which printer is the best at any given time, because models constantly change and you can find that information in any current glossary PC magazine off the shelf.  Instead, here you will find the good, bad and ugly bits from the different types of printers available so you can make an informed decision yourself.

Laser Printers

Laser printers work in a similar way to photocopiers, except they use a laser instead of a bright light to scan with.  They work by creating an electrostatic image of the page onto a charged photo-receptor, which in turn attracts toner in the shape of an electrostatic charge.  Toner is the material used to make the image (as ink is in an inkjet printer) and is a very fine powder, so laser printers use toner cartridges instead of ink cartridges.

Laser Printers have traditionally been the best printing solution for heavy office users as they produce a very high quality black text finish and offer relatively low running costs.  However, laser printers have advanced a great deal recently and their prices have steadily dropped, as a result there are now compact laser printers, multi-function and color laser printers all at very affordable prices.  Laser printers make sense if you need to do a lot of high quality black or color prints, not photos.  The great thing about a color laser printer is that they can print a very good quality color image on standard copier paper, so you do not need to use expensive photo paper for large jobs.  Do check the prices of the consumables before you buy the printer as these can be very expensive for color laser printers.

Laser printers are the best solution for people who are printing in large volumes, that is, in 100's of pages at a time or 1000's of pages per month.  Color lasers also take quite a while to warm up, so are not ideal for printing single pages.

Solid Ink Printers

Solid ink printers use solid wax ink sticks in a "phase-change" process, they work by liquefying wax ink sticks into reservoirs and then squirting the ink onto a transfer drum from where it is cold-fused onto the paper in a single pass.  Solid ink printers are marketed almost exclusively by Tektronix / Xerox and are aimed at larger businesses and high volume color printing.

Solid ink printers used to be cheaper to purchase than similarly specified color lasers and fairly economical to run owing to a low component usage, today it is not necessarily any cheaper than a color laser printer.  Output quality is good but generally not as good as the best color lasers for text and graphics or the best inkjets for photographs.  Print speeds are not as fast as most color lasers.

Dye-Sublimation Printers

Dye-Sublimation printers use heat and solid color dyes to produce lab-quality photographic images. Dye-Sub printers contain a roll of transparent film made up of page-sized panels of color, with cyan, magenta, yellow, and black dye embedded in the film. Print head heating elements vaporize the inks, which adhere to a specially coated paper, as the ink cools it re-solidifies on the paper. Color intensity is controlled by precise variations in temperature.

Dye-sublimation printers lay down color in continuous tones one color at a time instead of dots of ink like an inkjet, because the color is absorbed into the paper rather than sitting on the surface, the output is more photo-realistic, more durable and less vulnerable to fading than other ink technologies.

The downside of Dye-Sub printers is that they are generally more expensive to buy and run, usually limited to photo sized prints only and can only print onto one type of specialized paper as well as being quite slow to print.

Dye-Sublimation printers are best for those who want to link up their digital camera to a purpose built printer and print out the finest quality photos at home without fuss.

Dot Matrix Printers

Dot matrix printers are relatively old fashioned technology today with poor quality print, slow and very noisy output.  This type of printer is no longer used unless you wish to create invoices using the continuous paper with holes on both sides.  The good thing is that they are very cheap to run!

Cost of Ownership

Many printers today are very cheap to buy, but people are sometimes shocked to discover the cost of replacing the consumables (ink or laser cartridges, imaging drums, fuser, oils, specialized papers etc). The cost of replacing the ink can sometimes cost more than the printer itself!  This is one of the most commonly overlooked factors when printers are reviewed and yet one of the most important things to consider before handing over your hard earned cash.  Tests run in 2003 by Which? magazine famously compared the cost of HP's ink with vintage 1985 Dom Perignon.

A Sheffield City Council report aimed at helping schools decide on the best-value printers to buy, calculated total cost of ownership over the lifetime of a printer (not sure how long that is!).  Adding up all the running costs, ink or toner, paper, maintenance and even electricity, SCC worked out that a color inkjet costs approx 38 cents per page to run compared to a color laser which costs approx 7 cents per page. Sheffield City Council advised its schools that if they printed more than three color pages a day (assuming a 40-week academic year) they should buy a laser.

These figures cannot be taken hard and fast due to the many variables involved, but it is generally accepted that the cost per print of a laser printer is cheaper than that of an inkjet, which is in turn cheaper than that of a sub-dye printer.  However, you would have to do a fair amount of color printing to take advantage of the economy cost offered by a laser printer.

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Tips to Set Up a Laser Printer For Your Home Computer

If you have a laser printer for either your home office or home use, there are some ways you have to consider for setting up your printer properly.  If you do not know anything on how to set it up for your home computer, you can follow these practical guides.

Step one: assemble your printer

For assembling your printer, you need to open the box and then find the guide for the quick set up.  Take it out of the box and get all the important parts.  For safety, place it down on a flat surface then assemble the paper tray and install the toners and drums.

Step two: install the drivers

Before connecting it to your computer, it will be better for you to install the driver first; unless the direction says otherwise.  You can do it by following the instruction which is displayed on the screen of your computer.  It is available on the CD, so you have to insert the CD into your computer and follow the instructions it tells you.

Step three: connect your printer to the computer

After you have already finished your installation, you need to click "start" then "setting."  Then, navigate your cursor to the "Printers and Faxes."  Thereafter, choose "Add Printer" then "Select Local Printer Attached to this Computer."  Then, click "Automatically Detect and Install."  If you cannot find the drivers, choose "Have Disk" then browse it to the CD drive.

Step four: get connected

After you have done all the steps above, you can connect your printer to the computer by using a USB, Bluetooth, parallel cables, or Wi-Fi.  Also, you have to make sure that all of the plugs are connected properly to the right spot.  If you use Bluetooth for connecting the printer to the computer, you have to open up the Bluetooth manager for detecting it.  Instead, you can also use "Add Printer Wizard" and click "Detect a Printer on the Network."

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How to Save Money on Printer Toners and Cartridges

The top printer brands can produce brilliant print standards, but you really need to be on the lookout for savings.  These things can cost big money, particularly for small business printing operations and those who must have top quality, like professional studios and graphic design businesses.  Home users can also find themselves replacing their printer cartridges too often.  Savings are easier to make than you might think.

These brands are the big names in ink and toners:

·        
·         Samsung
·         Brother
·         Epson
·         Lexmark
·         Panasonic
·         Sharp
·         Xerox
·         Konica
·         NEC
·         Toshiba
·         Rico
·         Dell
·         Hewlett Packard

      ·     Canon

Defining costs- The real measure of savings

Retail is really not an appropriate method of purchasing ink cartridges and laser toner for businesses. You're paying the full mark up price, which over time equates to a cost of anything up to 70% above discount prices.

All it's doing is costing you money.  You really need an industry supplier, with a full package on delivery, money back guarantees, and a strong emphasis on customer satisfaction.

Bulk buying makes sense, all the time

Buying bulk printer ink can save a lot of money in a hurry.  If you're working in advertising, marketing, or doing your own basic business print jobs, you can spend a fortune, even if you're only doing black and white fliers and letter drops.

Look at it this way: Every hundred or so of these prints costs you a cartridge.  If you do a few thousand, they cost you hundreds of dollars per run, and the net value has to make up for the cost, just to break even.  With bulk buying, you save hundreds before you even start printing.

Outlay savings

"Outlay" is a word which represents expense, money out of the business, and it also represents a cost against profits.  It's a problem for businesses trying to do high quality print jobs.  For graphic designers, heavy outlay on inks is nothing less than a professional curse.  Advanced prints involve quite a bit of trial and error, and lots of ink.  Your beautiful name brand printer can do the jobs, but can your wallet take the stress?

These are problems well worth avoiding.  It's a basic business principle: "Cut outlays".  The quickest way to do this is with discount purchasing.  70% savings is obviously a good deal, and more importantly, it's money which stays in your business.

Product life savings

The average printer has a product life of about 5 years.  You can save hard cash over that 5 years with a bulk purchase, or even just buying on discount when you need inks.  You save money per cartridge over that entire period.

Say you use a 4 cartridge pack every month or so.  Call it 10 packs per year.  How much would you save? Enough to buy a new printer.  To get the best deals on name brands, always buy discount.

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High Quality Office Equipment - The Secret of a Flourishing Business Operation

It is a simple fact. Sometimes what you don't know, can hurt you a lot, and that is especially true in office applications.  Missing documents, unorganized files, or an unreliable printer, which can often go undetected until you are at risk, can be a huge drag on a business' bottom line; but that is not the real problem.  The real problem is that you do not know exactly whom you can rely on to get the ultimate, reliable office equipment from, and make your day to day operations in the office more efficient and profitable.

One of the biggest problems with combating typical office issues is that there aren't enough eyes to spot every problem and not enough knowledge to keep you updated on the latest trends and technologies. Sometimes, you just know that you are wasting resources.  It could be energy, equipment repair costs, right machines for the job, or a combination of all these things.

Imagine if you did know and suddenly you had a single view into your entire network of facilities. Imagine how much savings you will have if you will be able to reduce energy costs and lessen product loss.  Imagine if suddenly you had better information about your office equipment, so you could be more confident in your decisions every day.

Just imagine, if you can handle all these things, what's there to worry about?

Today's office equipment ranges from simple to complex applications that provide modern entrepreneurs efficiency, less operating costs, and better bottom line results.  That's why the choice of office equipment has become an essential factor in business management.  The way you decide and choose your equipment will have a huge impact on your business' productivity and reliability.  Keep in mind that your customers rely on you and the last thing you need to worry about is your reputation.

So, how do you deal with these problems in the first place? Here's a list of some tips to live by:

1. Evaluate what you need

At any point, every office seems to need almost all of the basic office equipment, like printers, scanners, copiers, shredding machines, etc.  However, not all office equipment is created equal.  With the advent of technology, modern office equipment can provide multi-functional services; that older models don't have.  Hence, it is important that you know specifically what type of services you need before buying one.  For example, do you have a network in your office?  Do you need dedicated printers or workgroup printers that can cater services to anybody from your network?

2. Assess your work spaces

Office equipment, when not thoroughly considered, can eat a lot of space in your area.  Printers with multi-functional devices can consume a huge space in your work area as they are big in size.  It is best that you dedicate a particular space for your office equipment so people will know where to access them.  Creating a clutter in the working area can only trigger more problems and may affect a smoother work flow.

3. Guaranteed services

Even the most advanced technology cannot impede the natural wear and tear of office equipment. That's why it is important that you have reliable services provided by your suppliers or vendors.  So, regardless of the type or model of the machine you will buy, it is best that you have the most complete and all-inclusive range of services and warranty programs to guarantee that your investment is amplified to your utmost fulfillment.

4. Variable financial options

Office equipment is a good investment, but acquiring them in a bad deal will get you nowhere.  Always find a vendor or supplier that can give you feasible and flexible financial options.  Whether you go on a cash purchase, lease, or credit, it is best that you have a handful of preferences to choose from.

Indeed, getting the best office equipment, at the right deal will help you improve your operations and management of your business.  With limited resources and increased pressure for better returns, ensuring that you have the most appropriate and reliable machines is critical to your success.

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What Will Toshiba Printer And Toner Products Do For A Home Office?

Toshiba is a company that is known for having a wide variety of electronics in their company.  They are constantly inventing the next best thing for the world including the next best printer.  They have many different style printers and copiers including smaller ones that are best for the home office.

Toshiba printers and copiers are amazing for the home office because of their quality and low start up and maintenance costs.  You can get a home-style printer or copier that looks chic as ever and fits right onto your desktop in the comfort of your own home while at the same time printing the most official high-quality prints or copies, that you see nowhere else besides a photo lab or from one of those extremely expensive office printers or copiers you see at the 24 hour printing stores.
It's nice to be able to do everything yourself, save money and save time all at once.  Everyone wants to save money, but, what Toshiba has figured out is that people running a company out of their house is probably working extra hard and needs a helping hand in tightening their budget, while not cutting back on quality.

Toshiba's designs are made for you to be able to perfect your most important documents and photographs without being able to tell that it is from a small at home printer or copier.  You can even have other features built in to your printer or copier such as scanning, faxing and duplexing.  Toshiba allows you to do all of these functions while conserving the equipment's resources.  What I mean by that is that it saves you on toner and on power.

The toner for one thing is frugally used in each print which comes out strong and thick looking, but is actually saving ink.  It cuts back a small amount which helps the pigments cling harder to the paper fibers for a longer lasting print and a longer lasting toner cartridge.  The cartridge CAN be recycled however.  It also can be refurbished individually and snapped right back into place.

Say you are really partial to using the Cyan.  That cartridge can be replaced three times over, while you still have the other ones charging through like champs in the machine.  Toshiba makes sure you get your money's worth with their product and allows you to refrain from wasting anything.
Just because you are at home doesn't mean you deserve less.  Your printer/copier will have the same strength as one that you may find in a large professional setting only you'll be getting it for less.

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Tips for Choosing the Right Copiers For Sale

COPIERS FOR SALE

Copiers are machines which make paper duplicates of documents.  They are very useful and have been around for many years.  

Most of the copiers make use of heat fusion, while some models use inkjet technology to make copies.

Types of copiers

• Analog copiers: These are outdated
• Digital copiers: These may be able to print, scan and fax in addition to making copies.
• Types of digital copiers include: Monochrome copiers: these make copies in black only.
• Color copiers: these can make copies of documents in a range of colors.
• All in one copier: these can print, scan and fax.
• Multi functional copiers: these come with a very wide range of functions. Factors to consider in making a choice of copier

In making a purchase of a copier, the following factors will need to be put into consideration:

The amount of paper that can be loaded into the machine at a given time should be considered.  Smaller copiers will be able to able to receive about 100 sheets of paper, while the most advanced models can be loaded with up to 2500 sheets.

The size of the paper used: some models can only accommodate a particular size of paper, while others will accept a large variety of paper sizes.

The speed at which copies are made: the speed could be as low as 10 copies per minute, or as high as 100 copies per minute.

Toner: this is for digital copiers. The monochrome copiers use only one toner cartridge, while color copiers will require several toner cartridges for the different basic colors.

Memory: the latest models have some memory features, which makes them work more efficiently.

Extra capabilities: some of these features include scanning, faxing, networking capabilities, emailing, security features, image editing.

What are some companies that manufacture copiers for sale?

• Konica Minolta: this company offers a wide range of digital copiers
• Sharp: they manufacture multi functional copiers with a wide range of capabilities.
• Toshiba: manufactures a wide range of copiers for office use.
• Xerox: machines made by this manufacturer are noted for their durability.
• Ricoh: produces a wide range of digital copiers.

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How to Buy the Right Copier

Definitions

Business class copiers-Not sold in office club stores.  Sold by knowledgeable and reputable dealers. Designed for higher volumes and dependability.

Office club copiers & personal copiers -Sold in office club stores i.e. Office Depot, Office Max and Costco... For personal and low volume customers.

Cost of Equipment

The cost of a copier can be quite expensive.  Just shopping for price and buying one on cost alone can be misleading and can end up being more expensive in the long run.  This is especially true if you make thousands of copies per month.  You could be paying three times the amount of the price of the copier in toner and supply costs.  It doesn't matter if you are buying one for a business or for personal use.  The first thing you should do is research the cost per copy.

Volume and Cost per Copy

When purchasing a copier you must first research your monthly copy volume.  This is the first step in choosing which copier is right for you.  One easy way to determine this is to think of how many reams of paper you use per month.  Each ream is 500 sheets of paper.  Just multiply that by the amount of reams that you use and you have a fairly accurate assessment of your "copies per month."  The reason you must know this is because it helps you determine you're "cost per copy."  This is how much it will cost you every time you press the copy button.  Now, you take the price of the toner and divide that into the estimated yield and you have your cost per copy.  Example: The toner cost is $100.00 and the yield is 10,000 copies.  Your cost per copy is.01 cents per copy.  Office club type copier supplies are almost always more expensive than a business class type copier.

Service and Repair, Service contracts

Most copier service companies, (not affiliated with office clubs) will not provide you an onsite service contract on an office club copier.  This is because they don't sell them.  Office club stores will normally offer extended warranties but coverage may not be complete.  For example, they might not cover the toner or they won't cover on-site service.  I have had customers call me and tell me that they had to ship the machine off to have it repaired and that they didn't even get the same machine back afterwards. They received a replacement machine.

Many times a business class copier service contract that covers parts, service, and toner and supplies (everything except paper) is less expensive than the toner costs on a personal copier.

Automatic Document Feeder and Feed Systems

Document Feeders

An automatic document feeder is the feeder that automatically feeds your original documents one at a time, so you don't have to stand there and lift the lid each time you have a stack of originals to be copied.  Not all document feeders are created equally.  There are many different mechanisms that feed, separate and eject the originals on all of the makes and models of copiers.  Business type copiers have much better mechanisms than personal type copiers.  When you are in business and you make lots of copies and sets of copies it is frustrating when you can not count on this feature to work dependably.

The most common problems are multi-feeding and jamming problems.  Multi-feeding is when the feeder pulls in more than one original at a time.  Most of the time the copier will not let you know this happened.  It will not show a jam and you may not realize it did this, until you are in the middle of your very important meeting and you have some missing pages.  Paper jamming is another problem where it doesn't pull the paper through correctly and jams.  This is also very frustrating.

Feed Systems

Feed systems are the rollers and mechanisms that pull in your copy paper to make copies.  Paper jams are the most frustrating thing that a person can have with a copier.  Office club type copiers have inferior systems that feed the paper in and as you make larger copier runs the dependability is much less than a business type copier.  I am speaking of my experience of over thirty years in the industry with copiers on both document feeders and feed systems, but there are exceptions and some personal copiers work just fine.

Quality and Longevity

Quality of the copies being made has really improved over the years especially since the digital evolution.  There really is not much difference in copy quality.  I have seen personal copiers that have just as good resolution and copy quality as a very expensive business copier.  That said, when it comes to the quality of manufacturing, sturdiness and just plain quality of the equipment you can see a big difference.

Business type copiers are built to last.  It really depends on your copy volume as to how long each machine will last.  Business copiers are built to last the monthly duty cycles that the manufacturer has designated.  Though sometimes, I feel that they over estimate these amounts.  There are applications where a personal copier will need to be replaced in only one year next to a business type copier that will last seven to ten years, really!

Conclusion

Buying a copier can be expensive, but buying the wrong copier can be a waste of money.  By doing your research ahead of time you can save money and use your copier for many years with fewer problems. Finding a dependable company to service your machine is just as important as buying the right machine.

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10 Ways To Extend The Life Of Your Printer

With so many moving parts and opportunities for paper jams, it's a wonder that many printers last as long as they do.  Especially since, on average, support pros devote precious little time to working on printers.  It's too bad, because costly repair bills can add up quickly, and replacing printers before their time is an expensive endeavor.  While supporting printers is hardly glamorous, a little effort will lengthen any printer's lifespan.  Use these tips for any type of printer you support.  Just keep in mind that consulting the printer's owner's manual is always a good idea before embarking on any major printer maintenance procedure.

#1: Clean the inside of your printer

As simple as it may sound, one of the best preventive maintenance tasks you can perform is to keep your printer's insides as clean as possible.  It's easy to do, if you look for excess paper dust or other debris whenever you open up your printer.  At least once a month - or more often, if your users print a lot - use a can of compressed air to blow the dust and debris out of the printer.

#2: Refrain from using bent, torn, or used paper

Damaged paper can cause paper jams.  Any time a paper jam occurs, there's a possibility that something else on the printer can break.  To prevent jams and other problems, always use new paper that isn't bent, torn, or damaged in any way.

#3: Use high-quality paper

As a cost-saving measure, many organizations purchase medium- to low-grade paper to use in their printers.  However, this type of paper can also cause paper jams.  Although a decent brand of 20lb paper should suffice for most printing jobs, to make your printing shine, you should use at least 24lb paper.  To help you determine exactly what type of paper you should use in your printer, most printer manufacturers publish minimum paper standards.  If your paper doesn't meet these specifications, the vendor won't provide warranty support until you use the proper type of paper.  Review the documentation that came with the printer or visit the manufacturer's Web site to learn the paper specifications.

#4: Store paper in a low-humidity environment

High environmental humidity can cause paper to stick together, leading to paper jams and paper feed errors.  This is especially true for low-end printers or DeskJet printers, whose paper-feed mechanisms are not as finely tuned to separate pages in the paper tray.  To prevent multiple pages from sticking together and feeding at the same time, store your paper in a cool, low-humidity environment and locate your printer in a low-humidity environment.

#5: Use high-quality labels

Whenever a printer is used for making labels, always supply it with high-quality label stock.  This is even more important than using high-quality paper because cheap labels can completely ruin printer parts, such as a platen or fuser.  When cheap labels are sent through a fuser or around a roller, they can peel off of the backing paper and become affixed to the first surface they come in contact with.  This wreaks havoc with printer parts because you either have to peel the labels off, which can be an enormous task, or you're forced to replace the part.  In the case of fusers, the cost of such a repair can be several hundred dollars.  High-quality labels, on the other hand, do not come off quite so easily, so you can use them with less fear of damaging the printer.

#6: Use the straightest paper path for labels

When printing on label stock, eliminate as many bends in the paper path as possible.  For example, use the manual feed tray, which allows the labels to feed directly into the printer without bending. If the printer has an additional paper exit path that eliminates the labels passing around another roller, you should use it.  Reducing the number of rollers that label stock passes around will reduce the possibility of a label peeling off the backing paper and sticking to something inside of the printer.

#7: Replace old and worn rollers

Worn feed rollers are another cause of paper jams.  When the rollers have come to the end of their useful life, they'll have a glazed and/or slippery surface that lets the paper slip off.  This can either prevent the paper from being picked up in the paper tray or cause the paper to feed incorrectly while in the paper path.  In laser printers, rollers normally have a life expectancy that is as long as the printer maintenance kit's.  Therefore, if you change the rollers when you change the maintenance kit, you shouldn't have too many problems with feed rollers.  However, DeskJet and other types of printers don't normally require a tune-up like laser printers do, so you won't need to change the feed rollers on a regular basis.  Often, the manufacturer will offer a kit you can use to rough up the surface of a roller, so it will reliably pick up paper again.  These kits include a very stiff Scotch-brite pad and a program that causes the feed roller to run against the pad so the surface of the roller is roughed up.  If your printer's manufacturer doesn't offer such a kit, you can do the job yourself with a small file. If you do, be sure to rough up the roller surface evenly.

#8: Close the manual feed tray when not in use

If the printer uses a manual feed tray for printing labels or legal-size documents, make sure that it's always closed when not in use.  A quick turn of a chair or an accidental slip could cause a user to bump into the protruding tray and break it.  Although it may be a slight inconvenience to keep unfolding the tray, it's much safer in its stored position.

#9: Use care when replacing parts

Since printers are made of breakable materials like plastic, you should use care when assembling or repairing them.  This is especially true when working with covers and cases because the small plastic tabs that hold them in place are easy to break off.  If you find yourself exerting a great deal of force when reassembling a printer, you should probably back off and take another look at how the parts fit together.  The chances are good that the angle you're using to put the parts together is wrong or the parts don't fit together the way you thought they did.

#10: Purchase a service manual

If you'd like to know more about repairing your particular model of printer, you can buy a service manual from the manufacturer.  These manuals provide extensive troubleshooting tips, subassembly diagrams, and other useful repair information.  When it comes time to make repairs on your printer, the service manual will make your job much easier.  Depending on the type of repair you're doing, you may even be able to read step-by-step instructions for solving your particular problem.

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What To Look For When Selecting A High Quality, Fast, And Reliable Copier

If you are looking for a high quality, fast, and reliable copier for your office, the first thing you want to do is set a budget.  If your budget is on the low side, as most of our budgets are these days, you will want to consider a refurbished copy machine over new copiers.  Read on to learn why, and how else to find a high quality, fast, and reliable copier for your office.

Just like cars that lose value as soon as they leave the lot, a copier significantly decreases in resale value as soon as it is sold for the first time.  Although most refurbished copy machines are less than three months old and come from short term rentals, off lease contracts, sales demos and corporate downsizing, they can cost up to 75% less than a brand new copier - even though it performs exactly the same.  If you want the most value for your dollar, you should definitely choose a used copier.

Now, let's get to the main topic of the article: how to choose a high quality, fast, and reliable copier.  The first thing to do is to look for high quality brand names, such as Xerox, Ricoh, Toshiba, Konica Minolta, Kyocera, or Canon copy machines.  These are the top brands in their industry, and most come with some kind of limited or extended warranty when you buy one.  If you are interested in purchasing a refurbished copier, you can still find a top brand, and most will come with a warranty as well.

As far as speed and reliability in a copier: most copy machines are pretty much on par with one another when it comes to the speed that they make copies at.  Just make sure you choose a current model of a name brand copier with a warranty, and you should be able to guarantee that your copies are always fast, reliable, and high quality.  If you choose to go with a refurbished copier, make sure you find out what the company does as part of the refurbishing process.  Also make sure that your copier comes with a "same as new" 90 day complete parts and labor warranty.

Once again, if you are looking for a high quality, fast, and reliable copier for your office, we cannot stress enough that you should look for a refurbished copier before buying a brand new copier.  It will provide your office with the productivity it requires for many years but won't come with the elevated costs of a brand new copy machine.

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Troubleshooting Your Non-Printing Printer - Five Things to Check

Has your printer stopped printing?  This always seems to happen as you try to print the boarding pass for your Caribbean cruise.  Please try these five checks first before you kill your printer.

Several things can fix printing.  Some are easy simple checks and others are more complicated.  This article presents the five things you can do to repair printing.  After that, you are free to get a hammer, take out your frustration on your device, and buy a new cheaper one.  We begin here first, with the simple easy checks and then progress to the more complex issues to resolve.

Check 1: Printing devices must be powered-on to print.  Please make sure that the power is turned on and that the power-on light is lighted.  At this time it is best to make sure that all cables are plugged into the device and that there are no error light indicators on.   A quick check of the paper tray and paper hopper is in order as well.  These should have a sufficient supply of fresh paper in them.

Check 2: Please make sure that you are using the printer you are expecting.  To verify this when using Microsoft® Word, please click on the upper left menu item "File" and then "Print" from the drop down menu.  This reveals the printing panel to the right of the drop-down menu.  In the printing panel on the upper left is the print button.  Immediately below that, the printer is identified.  If the name of this device is not the printer you are expecting to use, there is a triangle pointing down on the right-hand side.  Clicking on this triangle reveals a drop-down list of printers to which your computer can send the document for printing.  Please make sure you have selected the printer that you expect.  There are similar selections other computer programs that permit you to verify and to select the printer you wish to use.

You can print on a different printer as a test.   When the document prints on the other printer, your printer has the problem.   This helps you identify precisely where the problem is, either hardware or software components.

Check 3: Please verify that the documents waiting to print are not stopped and held up in the print queue.  When a printer encounters any problem printing a document, it just stops printing.   Any document that is subsequently sent to the printer cannot be printed until the previous document is completely printed.

Printers print one document at a time.  This is similar to cows crossing a stream.  If the first cow comes to the stream and does not cross, all remaining cows wait in line to cross the stream behind the first cow.  If the first cow does cross the stream, the other cows follow.  When one of the other cows refuses to cross the stream, the cows following it stop and do not cross the stream.

Similarly, printers print all documents in the order that they are sent to the printer.  If the ink runs out, if there is a paper the error, or if there is some other malfunction that stops a document from printing, that document and all remaining documents will stop printing.  After the error is corrected, the document may or may not automatically start printing.  Sometimes you must restart the document printing for that document and subsequent documents to print.

The printer document waiting line on Windows 7® is found by clicking on the "Start" button and opening "Devices and Printers".  In the "Devices and Printers" window you select the printer you are using. Clicking the right mouse button opens a pop-up menu from which you select "See what's printing". This opens the printer queue.  If there are no documents listed, then Windows® believes that all documents have been sent to the printer and printed.

Sometimes a printer is set to work offline. In this event nothing can print because the device is offline. When a printer icon is colored light gray, the printer is likely set offline.  In the "See what's printing" window, clicking on the "Printer" menu item produces a drop down menu.  The "Use Printer Offline" selection appears about three lines from the bottom of this menu.  Since Windows 7® is context sensitive and displays only the possible menu selections appropriate, the "Use Printer Offline" menu selection is often not visible.  To place the device online, please un-check the "Use Printer Offline" menu item.

Check 4: Many printing problems are caused by the loss of connection between the computer and the printer.  To check the printer connection on Windows 7® you again click on the "Start" button and open "Devices and Printers".  In the devices and printers window you select the printer you are using, click the right mouse button to open a pop-up menu, and you select "Printer properties".  The printer properties window should open on the "General" tab.  In the lower right should be the "Print Test Page" button. Clicking on this button is a quick way to test whether the computer is connected to the printer.  It should immediately print a test page on the printer.  If it does not print a test page, then the link to the printer may not be functioning properly.

To verify the computer's connection to the printer you select the "Ports" tab.  The "Ports" tab identifies the port that connects the computer to the printer.  When the printer is connected by a USB cable to the computer, the port label identifies a USB port.  Sometimes unplugging a USB cable and plugging it into a different USB port re-establishes the connection between the computer and the printer.

Driver programs connecting Windows to the printer port may not be functioning properly with Windows.  In this case reinstalling the latest printer driver programs can resolve this issue.  The driver programs must typically match exactly the version of Windows on the computer.  Often separate driver programs are used for the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows®.  The latest driver programs are found at the printer manufacturer's website.

If the printer is a network printer, a standard TCP/IP port is checked.  A TCP/IP port connection can be broken when the incorrect printer IP address is used.  To reconnect the printer to the computer, make sure that the IP address on the computer is the same as the IP address assigned to the printer.  When the printer is a wireless printer, verifying the connection becomes more difficult.  Similar to any other network connected printer, a wireless printer must have the IP address match the address used by the TCP/IP port on the computer.

Sometimes the printer may be identified by name and not by IP address.  If the name is correct, a test page should print on the printer.  When a test page does not print, the most direct resolution of the problem may be re-installation of the printer.  This would require the original printer installation CDs or a download of the installation software from the printer manufacturer's website.

Check 5: Wireless printers often lose their connections to the network.  This can be verified by going to the printer and selecting from the printer menus a print out of the network configuration.  An alternate test is to use a different computer to print a test page to the wireless printer.

When a wireless printer has lost its connection to the network, the simplest and most direct solution may be to reinstall the wireless printer on the network.  This again would require an installation CD or a download of the installation software from the manufacturer's website.  Wireless printer installation differs from manufacturer to manufacturer.  Some printers require an active USB connection into the printer to complete wireless network installation.  Other printers can be installed without such a USB connection.  Wireless installation requires knowing the network key or password.  Sometimes the latest Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) security must be used for the printer to connect into the wireless network.  The older Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) does not permit some printers to connect to the network properly.

Performing these five checks should at the very least identify where the problem lies.  You should be able to then zero-in on the root of the problem.

If a printing problem is caused by physical damage, it is sometimes, but not all times, not cost-effective to repair the printer.  In this case it is best to get out a big hammer and take out all your pent-up frustration on the device.  Next go to the store and buy a newer, faster, and better one.

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