BUYING A PHOTOCOPIER FOR A SMALL BUSINESS

November 18th, 2010 § 74 comments

Cash flow, productivity, risk, return … these are all really BIG issues for small businesses, and so when it comes to capital expenditure on office equipment – getting it right is vital.

Ensuring that the equipment is appropriate for the required function is all –important and there are many other practical considerations. It’s all very well buying expensive software or a multifunction printer/photocopier only to find that they’re not compatible with your needs. For a small business, a mistake can be very costly as margins are generally under pressure and resources are limited. And that’s all very well to say – but when management resources are often stretched to the limit, there isn’t always the luxury of time to do all the necessary research and groundwork.

So when it comes to purchasing a new copier, fax machine, printer, scanner etc – these few hints may help. Each business will have its own set of reasons for the purchase of new equipment, but taking the time to go through a structured buying plan in the short-term will save time and money in the long-term.

· Understand what your current and your future requirements for the office equipment are . Do you require colour or monochrome printing? Other considerations include printing volumes, scan and fax needs, print or copier speed (12 – 14 pages per minute is standard on most copiers although more pricey models can go up to speeds of 16 ppm or higher), scan resolutions, duplexing (printing on both sides of the page), collating and paper handling (eg transparencies, multiple paper supply trays, different paper weights and sizes, envelopes etc).

· Do you intend producing quality full-colour documents for marketing, sales and presentation purposes?

· Are you hoping to improve cost-efficiencies by doing printing in-house instead of outsourcing?

· Do you need the new machine to multitask? Some machines call themselves multi functional, but they are only able to perform one task at a time.

· Do you want the device to operate wirelessly and what are your networking requirements?

· The device has to be functional and easy to use. Is it user-friendly, is much training required and how many people will need to be familiar with its operation?

· Volume and speed are also important as you don’t want to compromise productivity by having people standing around waiting for the photocopier to complete lengthy jobs.

· Maintenance requirements (how often will it need to be serviced and can some of the maintenance be done in-house?).

· Does your business require document management functions? Investing in software for the electronic management, capture, storage and organisation of files and data can be a key success driver for a small business.

· Equipment peripherals eg copier cartridges.

Small businesses usually operate out of small premises, often with several people working in quite a confined area which brings into consideration other aspects of office equipment such as noise levels (need minimal disturbance), size, design (does it suit the office decor etc?). The world’s smallest and quietest multifunction laser printer is manufactured by Samsung, with market research indicating that the Samsung CLP-300 series was the best selling colour laser printer in Australia, say Perth copier and document management solutions supplier, Adscopiers.

Technological advances have meant that there can be very little difference in cost between a stand-alone photocopier and a multifunction machine. When it comes to small businesses and office equipment, the right choice can be a key success factor in growing the business.

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