How to Choose the Best Copier for Your Business

I get it. The copier, printer, multifunction device — the “paper-eating coffee table” in your office — is the necessary evil you have to deal with every three to five years, and of course, whenever it doesn’t work. It’s the thing you want nothing to do with but can’t live without.

That said, a copier lease can feel like a commitment. It’s long and mostly permanent. There are good days and bad. So in order to get the most out of your copier lease, you need to start by picking the right partner — which is actually twofold. You need the right device: the right functionality, durability, size, power requirements, and price. And you need the right copier service provider for that device — one with the technical expertise, commitment to customer service, reliability, and competitive pricing.

Here’s what to look for as you choose both. We’ll start with the service provider, because this is where you can get the most bang for your buck.

Find the Best Copier Service Provider

Your service provider will typically be the same company that sells you your copier — not always, but most of the time. For this reason, pay close attention to how your provider treats you during the sales process.

Are they consultative in their approach? Are they looking for problems with document workflows in your business and matching the solution to the problem, or are they just trying to sell you a machine? Are they guiding you through the contract process, or are they looking for a quick signature?

This matters because any company that views you as a transaction is less likely to be concerned about your experience on the backend of the sale when customer service comes into play. A company that takes a consultative approach to helping you choose your device is more likely to have helped you choose the right one — and that’s the first step in avoiding long-term problems. A device that can’t handle your volume, doesn’t integrate well with your systems, or lacks critical functionality can be more like a paperweight than an enhancer of your business processes.

Next, understand how the service provider is going to service your device. How many technicians have trained on your specific device? That has obvious implications for how quickly you receive service when things go wrong. What is the guaranteed response time? The industry standard is four business hours to have a technician on-site. Will you have the same technician every time — are techs assigned to territories, or could you be receiving service from someone three counties away?

Are those technicians authorized and certified on your device? If not, this could have implications for your warranty. Is preventative maintenance automatically scheduled? Preventative maintenance is key to maintaining high uptimes. And finally: are there any guarantees the provider offers related to service uptime and response time?

What Should a Service Plan Cost?

Typically, a copier service plan is based on how many pages you print. The provider will charge one cost per page for every black-and-white page printed and usually a significantly higher price for every color page. This covers both prints and copies.

Some companies also charge for scans — ask specifically about that. With your cost per page, you’ll typically receive all toner, parts, maintenance, and repair. Make sure to find out whether staples, freight, and networking are included, because those items are often charged separately. Depending on the copier, your rate can range from $0.004 to $0.03 per black-and-white page and from $0.04 to $0.15 per color page.

The cost per page is dictated by the efficiency of the machine. Generally, the larger and more capable the machine, the lower the cost per page. A production device rated for 200,000 color pages per month will have a much lower service cost than a 10-year-old desktop inkjet you bought on sale at a local office supply store.

This is why getting the right machine upfront matters so much. You might pay a little less for a less efficient device, but you may get hit with excessive service costs that more than offset the savings.

Choosing the Right Copier

There are plenty of things to consider when trying to choose the best copier. You have a variety of brands, several different options and accessories, and a wide price range to sort through. The most important question to start with is:

“What am I trying to do with this device?”

Sure, you’re trying to print, scan, and copy — but do you need to fax? Some organizations still require fax capability, particularly in healthcare and financial services. Do you need automatic stapling? Hole punch? Are you making booklets? Do you need to scan to email, a network folder, cloud applications, or somewhere else? Do you need to account for prints and copies by employee, client, or department?

These are just a few of the questions you need to answer before choosing a copier. Determine what problem you’re trying to solve, then work back from there to identify the software and accessories you need to solve it most efficiently.

Brand nuances are worth investigating as well. Canon and Kyocera tend to offer strong reliability and low service rates. HP offers best-in-class security features that are particularly valuable in healthcare and financial services. Kyocera’s HyPAS platform delivers one of the most complete sets of workflow automation applications available. Xerox and Canon are recognized for superior imaging and color quality. Most brands will have similar prices for comparable machines, but there can be meaningful differences in some cases — especially at the production end of the market.

The Bottom Line

Choosing a provider and a device comes down to a thorough discovery process:

• First, determine what problems you’re trying to solve.
• Second, apply a solution or set of solutions to those problems.
• Then, look at pricing across brands and models.
• Include service in the total cost of ownership calculation — not just the hardware lease payment.

Having a provider that is brand-agnostic and can consult with you throughout the process will streamline the decision and find you the best fit at the best price. A good provider can guide you through the nuances of each brand, the pros and cons of different financing arrangements, the benefits of diverse service plan structures, and the installation process.

A company that can guide you through the installation process is particularly valuable when ending a lease on a current piece of equipment. Lease agreements are often extremely specific about how, when, and where devices must be returned to the leasing company or service provider — and missing those details can be expensive.