Find a Digital Copier Solution for Your Office

Don’t pay an arm and a leg for your office copier

Today, let's face it - most businesses are on a limited budget. After the recent economic downturn, many companies have tightened their belts and have been forced to make serious cutbacks in order to keep their doors open.

When it comes to purchasing necessary office machinery, a business owner must become a savvy consumer to find the best market price available, guaranteeing more bang for their buck. If you're on the lookout for the most affordable copy machine for your company, it helps to dig deeper and do your research to compare leading products before making a big purchase.

What is the average copy machine cost?

In order for a business to determine the average cost of a copy machine to meet their needs, it's critical to start by calculating monthly copy volume. This can be achieved by reviewing copy records of the past 12 months to determine the monthly average.

After matching regular copy volume with the necessary speed, a business can narrow down their criteria to choose a low, mid, or high range copier with the appropriate monthly volume, ranging from less than 8,000 copies per month for low-speed use up to 75,000 copies per month for commercial use.

For small business use, a compact copy machine at a low volume can cost anywhere from $500-$1500. This type of machine can be used to copy letter and legal paper, as well as envelopes and labels. A small volume digital office copier can also be linked directly with an office computer network for better functionality.

For a higher copy volume and speed, a business may choose a multifunction copier that can cost up to $2,000. This type of copier will bring with it several additional features to improve workplace productivity, including document scanning and internal faxing.

Last but not least, a large office with high-volume copy needs can benefit from a commercial copier that can produce up to 200,000 documents a month without an issue. For a copier of this size, a substantial investment is required, ranging from $10,000-$40,000.

How to cut costs when purchasing an office copy machine

To keep a copier purchase affordable, consider these helpful tips:

• Train staff well to prevent copier repair issues. Once every staff member understands how to properly use a copy machine, run-of-the-mill problems will be less likely to occur that may warrant maintenance, including paper jams or an improperly cleaned machine.
• Focus on preventative maintenance. Business owners are urged to read their copier manual from cover to cover to stick to a regular maintenance schedule; this will extend the lifespan of a machine to maximize an investment.
• Consult professionals for copier repair. At the first sign of a problem, it's critical to contact a professional repair person who can fix the issue properly the first time to avoid spending more money on repairs than necessary.

Shopping competitively for an affordable office copier is the first step in the right direction to keep costs to a minimum. From there, it literally pays to properly use and maintain a copier in the workplace to extend the life of a machine and prevent any user errors that could cause damage.