Buying a Multifunction Copier 201 - Industry Awareness, What To Consider Before You Buy
Consider a Document Assessment Test
What are you spending on print? Many vendors now have the ability to come on-site and perform a document assessment test. This will help you better understand where your volumes and costs are coming from internally. Basic tests are easy to perform, and won't take very long , simply allow the test taker to hook in a USB device to any network computer and within a few minutes it will start returning data. This test will only return information pertaining to networked print devices, however, some vendors offer a more comprehensive study that can grab information from parallel and USB print devices as well for a fee.
Growth In Print Volumes
83% of documents are being printed compared to 17% of those being copied. Why is this important? Because if you're using InkJet or Laser Printers you could be paying dearly. With the growth of e-mail, and internet, most people are clicking and printing more than ever. Desktop devices can cost up to 80% more than newer, more efficient multi-function systems. The document assessment test will help you better understand your "state of the office" and help guide you accordingly. The latest technology can implement user restrictions and allocate volume to appropriate devices. For example, if Joe decides to print 20 copies of a Word document to his desktop printer a dialog box will pop-up and say "Your job has printed to the multifunction device because your job is over 10 copies."
If You Are Considering Color
It's not secret that color printing is higher than black and white. However asking a few questions to your vendor and/or researching about the product can really help.
1. Color Permissions - Can you control who prints and how many?
2. Cost Efficient - How much is the premium to black and white printing? How is color cost calculated?
3. Productivity - Will this slow down the machine's performance? If so, will in impact user productivity?
4. Security - What are the standard security features on the machine to prevent unauthorized usage?
What's Available Beyond Traditional Hardware Features ?
Some of these will be covered in depth in later chapters, but the bottom line is to know what is available.
1. Scanning
2. Document Storage
3. Archiving and Retrieval
4. Faxing or Fax Server
5. Accounting
6. Custom Applications
Security
Ask about certifications regarding security on your equipment. The industry standard is NIAP, ask for it if you're at all concerned about your machine getting compromised. It has been documented that hackers have been able to come in through networks and stealing private information by way of a vulnerable multifunction device.
|
