A multifunctional printer’s main purpose for your company is to print, copy, scan, fax, and send but did you know they can also do much more.
Whether you need a multifunctional printer for your at-home office or your company office, there are many features and sizes to best fit your business needs. The first step is to look into the needs of your business to further understand which MFP would benefit your company’s ROI (return on investment) and productivity the most comprehensively.
Functions of a Multifunctional Printer
Key features vary between each company (Canon, Xerox, HP, Kyocera, Sharp, Konica and Toshiba) and the MFP printers they have to offer. So, let’s focus on the universal key features these printers can offer you:
Emailing: MFP offers email features that allow you to scan a document and add it as an attachment to your email within seconds. Another option can be scanning the document and email it directly to your Internet service provider (ISP) or the in-house email server your company has. If this feature caught your attention, another feature some MFP offer is a scanning duplexer, allowing you to scan both sides of a document. Increasing your productivity and time.
Data Security: When continuously giving your printer important documents to scan, fax, print, keep in storage; look into the information technology security the printer is using. Whether that’s McAfee or Cisco, a MFP can be breached and can leave your company in a vulnerable position. Make sure your vendor and brand understand security and they are able to assist your company navigate these capabilities.
Wifi: Wifi connection is evolving often and more efficiently in an office than ever! If you or your employees continuously need to print documents from their smartphone, tablet, or laptop be sure your MFP has wifi connection. Whether the printer offers this feature with a USB, mobile or cloud- connection this feature helps you print documents on the go with app-enabled features. Some MFP have upgraded to tablet-like interfaces, providing a touch screen user interface for easier user accessibility to multiple tools on the printer.
Color vs Black & White: Multi-functional printers are available for both color and simple black/white printing. These features will depend on your office needs. If you feel you won’t need to print any color documents, limit your expenses, and choose the black and white version, or ask your vendor to ‘lockout color and enable for authorized users only”.
Estimate Printer Longevity
After evaluating the needs of your office, small or large, another quality to check is the printing output. Judging the quality of the printer’s output can be important especially when choosing a color. Also, consider the longevity estimation of the brand of printer you choose. Multi-functionals vary on lifespan, you’ll want to take a closer look into the brand and vendor. You may realize this is an important operating expense for your business. Making the right choice could be the difference for many happy years of trouble-free printing, scanning, and copying.
Printing service companies, such as DocuProducts, offer a contract option including low toner notified by your printer through our Imageware cloud service. Your company will want to investigate if this is an option when purchasing your multi-functional printer; possibly saving your company time and money in the long-run.
Good luck and do your research before making this investment.
Canon x DocuProducts introduces the imageRUNNER DX Series. Learn more about the key features the imageRUNNER series can provide for your business!
Here at Docuproducts we offer different models of the Canon imageRUNNER series, matching each of our customers’ business needs. Providing high speed scanning, digital speed correction for high quality scans, cloud connecting services functions, different model sizes to fit any office size and more!
Enjoy the video! Call us at 800-769-2900 for further information or feel free to browse our wide selection of Canon imageRunner Series we provide for our customers.
Purchasing your first copier, or needing to upgrade your office printer, can be a big leap for your company. Before purchasing, one should evaluate the wants and needs of their copier to allow the office to have the best ROI (return on investment) for your business. This can eliminate confusion between the latest technology and the actual necessities your company needs in a copier. From a small business to a growing corporate enterprise or a state and local government, you should purchase the copier and/or printer that will be the most efficient for your office’s needs.
A company may ask themselves these questions before purchasing:
Am I purchasing my copier from an Authorized Dealer?
When purchasing your copier from a company, investigating if the dealer is a reliable company should be the first step. Many times it’s easier to purchase a copier for a “low-cost deal”, but is your dealer/supplier reliable? Does your supplier provide Authorized copiers, printers, and supplies with quality and Manufacturer support? This becomes expediently important if a major problem arises! Can your dealer get the Manufacturer on-site or does it become your problem? Quality and reliable printers, copiers, and FAX machines stem from Authorized Dealers that provide options from well-known brands such as Canon, HP, and Kyocera.
Do I need a multifunction printer?
Companies that tend to have a busier office setting may want to look into multifunctional printers and copiers. A multifunctional printer allows you to copy, print, scan, and fax all in one! This could save your company time and money in the long run, allowing your employees to have more time for other tasks. Remember most MFP devices scan at a very highly rated speed eliminating the need for desk-top scanners. Also, Networked Copiers can allow you the ability to scan directly into your companies cloud provider (box, dropbox, Google, Onedrive, etc..) allowing security and one-touch production scanning.
Are their acquisition options (lease, rent, purchase) for my copier?
Purchasing a multifunctional printer can be a huge expense, having the option to rent, lease, or purchase provides cash-flow flexibility for your company. One printer could be great for a period of time, but as your company grows so does technology. A growing company may want the option to lease the latest MFP, with quality features and apps included from their dealer this allows you the flexibility to upgrade as your business changes.
How do I get the supplies after installation for my copier?
A busy business could continuously need supplies. Does your copier come with service local support and maintenance options? Does your dealer have manufacturer support to proactively monitor your device for low-toner alerts? Is your dealer in your local county for reliable maintenance and the quickest supply delivery should you run out.
Does my copier come with a local maintenance service?
Before purchasing your copier, look into their maintenance hours, or review their customer service hours. Does the dealer provide their own surveys after the call? If the dealer has prior reviews, ratings, or provides testimonies from their customers, evaluating them can save you from purchasing from unreliable, or scam-like resellers. Does that dealer have a good customer service rating and satisfied comments from their prior buyers? This can determine a dealer’s goodwill, response time, and patience if you have a question about your purchase, or need minor assistance. When you buy your copier from a locally-owned copier service, you are able to pick up the phone and get someone familiar with your business to assist. Working with an Authorized local dealer will give you more personalized service. You’ll get fast, immediately accessible support with any questions relating to your equipment. When it comes to maintenance, you’ll get local technicians with parts housed locally to get you back up quickly and efficiently. Local dealers with manufacturer support have tools provided by the manufacturer to proactively support your copier and tools to identify problems before you may know they exist. They have tools to diagnose your copier before arrival – this will ensure the technician shows up with the right parts to quickly get you back up and running.
A copier purchase can be a significant expense making a good business decision can equate to years of happy copying, printing, and scanning.
