I sell copiers. It is a tough job, but someone has to do it. When you are looking for a copier, I am one of the options you would have to fulfill your needs. I have found, often the people purchasing copiers aren't really educated, and it would be nice if everyone knew how to really evaluate their needs more effectively. I know many reps would not be excited if this information was in your hands, but I am happy to get this to you because I am more used to selling printers and I don't like feeling like I am ripping a person off to make a commission. So, without further fanfare, here are some things to be on the lookout for.
10) Someone who talks only of the cost per print on a copier is probably hoping you won't notice the high purchase price. If the conversation is only that of how much a click costs, but the equipment isn't mentioned, be nervous.
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9) Check out how many Preventative Maintenance PM calls a machine needs. If it needs more than 6 in a year, that's bad. There are some which only need 1 call per year. You don't want the machine having a technician there every month if it isn't necessary, do you?
8) Know what you will ACTUALLY use. A stapling feature is nice, but if you use it 10 time a month... is it really worth the extra ,200 in costs?
7) Scan to E mail and other features is becoming more common, you should make sure these come standard.
6) If you make less than 10,000 copies a month, you should spend less than ,000 for a copier... unless you desperately need 11 X 17 paper capability.
5) Just because you like your rep, don't assume they know what their doing from just a visit and a quick analysis. If they don't ask to watch your actual workflow, that's a bad sign.
4) Color copiers, with the exception of super high end ones, are far at color than even a ,000 printer like the Ricoh Sp C410DN or the Xerox 8560. If you need it for high quality graphics, go big or use a separate device. If you go big, you should print more than 5,000 pages a month.
3) Always sign up for your minimum using, at the most, 75% of your average month. Make sure overage charges are in line with the base charges. If they are far higher, negotiate for the same pricing. Trust me, we want to sell the copier and will bend if it is crucial to do so!
2) Do a demo. Are you really going to spend ,000 without seeing it do the kinds of jobs you want to run?
1) When you work out your cost per print, make sure to include any maintenance costs as well as the copier costs. Often you'll find if your volume is under 10,000 pages per month... you would be better served with a copier like the Lexmark X644e or the Xerox 4150 (both in the 45-50 page per minute range) and start at about ,500. The cost per print on these are about $.011 to $.015 per print. If you had a big iron copier because it was $.007 per click, you'd need to make approximately 1,000,000 prints before you made up the difference between the costs of the machines. If you have it for 5 years, that works out to be about 16,500 pages a month. This is why it is good to know how much you are wanting to do and what you want to do.
I hope this helps and please contact me if you need a copier or printers!
Top 10 Things Copier Reps Don't Tell You When You Are Purchasing a Copier
