As you may already know there are several great copiers to chose from this year. This article is about what to look for purchasing or leasing your next copier. Typically when I am sending a proposal for a quote I ask my customers to determine the number of prints that they actually go through in a month, but who really knows what this number is and why is it so important..
In my experience it's best to speak with the person who purchases the paper and other office supplies. For example one large box of paper holds 10 reams of paper at 500 pages each, that's 5,000 prints. Usually a small business will use between 1 and 4 boxes per month. The reason we try to determine the monthly use as accurately as possible is because the expense to maintain that copier, printer, or fax is based on the use of consumables like toner and drums. These consumables have a short life and and the drums do as well. This is critical when calculating the cost form your copier service provider.
As an industry in general, we quote a cost per "click" or print. I have seen on average .0101 per print for black and white /monochrome copiers and printers and .06-.12cents for color printers and copiers.
An easy way to think of this is as if you're dealing with your cell phone carrier. You can choose different phones made by different manufacturers and chose a service plan that is right for you. Even more similar is the term "Overages" , we've all seen this in the fine print and when you go over the allotted minutes you get hit over the head with large fees for every minute over. In copier leasing and rentals this is also a pitfall. It's to the advantage for your service company to collect overages from you every month, sometimes doubling your monthly bill. !! Ouch! What's worse you can be locked into a 12 month contract before you can even modify that usage.
Simply stated always be as accurate with your monthly estimated use as possible. At Flat Rate Copiers we do not lock any of our clients into service contract, in fact we allow flexibility for seasonal printing and companies that are growing. We don't believe your company should be punished for being successful and subsequently making more prints and copies. Check out our line of products From Ricoh, Canon, Konica Minolta, Sharp and Shindoh.
