Which copier accessories are really necessary?
How many times do you tell yourself the next time the copier comes up for lease renewal you need to add a certain feature? Now I’ll admit, we’ve entered the age of “it’s already included in the basic machine”, but there are certainly some options that just seem to never get utilized to the point where they justify the cost.
Remember the days when you had to ask for printing and scanning to be a part of the price quote? How about duplexing? Yes, I’m probably dating myself, but there was a time when ala cart meant choosing each and every option available at the moment. Try buying a car today without power windows! It’s the same thing with copier options, it’s just easier for the manufacturer to build it into the base model, and then try to build a retrofit to add it later.
That being the case, let’s look at some of the top offenders as it relates to wasted accessories.
Stapling Finishers:
So many of the requests we get are for “stapling”. I recently removed a copier from a 5 year lease; ownership was looking to save money and abandoned the stapling feature. During the demonstration I was asked what (if any) where the differences from their old machine. When I advised them that they no longer had the capability to staple, it was met with “our old machine could staple?”. Granted, I see the need to sort sets, but it is certainly not necessary to purchase a stapling finisher to achieve those goals. Decide whether you really need, stapling or sorting will suffice.
Fax Kit:
In a recent blog post about the future of faxing, we discussed how although it’s a dying technology, there are still a few industries that rely on fax. There is a better way! Even if faxing is a necessity, you could always opt to “e-Fax”. With this option not only will you save on the fax board, but with this technology no telephone line is actually needed. All transmitting and receiving is done via your network connections.
EFI Fiery:
Now for those of you that are not familiar with this, EFI opens up a whole new world of printing possibilities. If you are in the graphics arts industry needing pre-production quality color output, this is a must! If you are printing business color for presentations, it’s a $12,000 (yes that number is right) PC that makes “pretty” colors.
As we always advise, find a local vendor that can be a partner and trusted advisor to your business. If they take the time to truly understand your needs, they will also be the ones to outfit your business with the correct equipment.
As always, if you require additional information or just need some advice (always free), please feel free to contact us at any time.
