Hanging On To That Ancient Analog Copier? 3 Benefits Of Digital Copiers You Are Missing Out On

Business Articles

Like most business owners, you don't like to spend more money on office equipment than you have to. So, you may be hanging onto the same old, outdated analog copy machine you purchased years ago just because it still works (sometimes). While you shouldn't spend money when you don't have to, an old, outdated copier may be costing you money, not only on repairs, but because it is likely much more inefficient than today's hi-tech copy machines. Today's copiers also have technology that could be making your life and the lives of your employees easier, which can help all of you increase your productivity. Here are three advantages of digital copiers made in recent years that you can take advantage of when you stop putting off that much-needed copy machine upgrade and how they can benefit you. 

1. Produce More Copies with Less Ink

If you are always in shock when you input the cost of your copier ink into your expense reports, then you can blame your old printer. When using a digital printer and toner, you can produce quality copies that cost only about one-cent per page. A typical analog printer uses between 4 and 5 cents worth of ink to create one black-and-white page. So, you can easily cut your ink/toner expense by at least three-quarters after switching to a digital copier.

If you think a lower cost per page means the prints will be lower quality, that is not true. Digital copiers produce higher resolution images that are actually clearer and crisper than those made by analog copiers. 

2. Integrated Hard Drives

You may have heard that many digital copiers have integrated hard drives, but you may not realize how this will benefit you. Every time you or an employee scans a page to copy or simply places an already printed page on the copier to replicate, the hard drive stores the image (or print). This is a feature that is most beneficial when someone in your office makes a mistake that would otherwise be detrimental to your company without this back-up. 

You can probably already imagine times when this would have come in handy. Has an employee every made copies of a brochure or handout and accidentally handed out not only the copies, but the original as well? In this situation, your analog printer could not help you in any way to recover the original document. With a digital printer, the original document could be easily pulled right off the hard drive and save you or employees from having to re-create the original document (if even possible), that would cost you many hours of labor. 

You can also use this feature to back up almost any document you have that you fear losing some day. Sure, you may have a copy in your computer hard drive, but having a back-up in case a document ever becomes irrecoverable from your computer is priceless. Of course, since your copier will be storing some personal information and documents, make sure to purchase one with security features, such as data encryption and overwriting that you can perform when needed. 

3. Wireless Capabilities That Allow You to Throw out Your Employees' Wasteful Old Printers

Now that you know how much money you can save on every page produced by a digital copier compared to what you spend with your analog printer, you may be be thinking of upgrading your employees' printers to help them print pages more affordably, too. When you purchase a digital copier with wireless capabilities, you can toss out those old printers, and, instead of replacing them with digital ones, simply program them to print pages right on your main digital copier. Yes, any number of computers in your office can use the copier to print, even if it is a large number. 

Then, instead of each computer print-out costing an average of 4 to 5 cents each, they can all cost about a penny each, just like the copies you make. 

While you can often save money by hanging onto old business equipment until it simply doesn't work anymore, hanging onto an old copier too long can cost you money instead of helping you save. A new digital printer cannot only save you from paying for more repairs that old printers often need, but it can help you save on ink used by not only your current copier, but also the printers your employees use. The technology can also save your business when you think you lost an important document, but realize it is backed up on your printer hard drive. 

11 December 2015