Many companies are cutting corners and trying to lower costs when purchasing the best all- in one copier printer scanner fax office equipment. However, they fail to realize the low cost units are not saving them money or they do not fit their copier printer machine needs.  Beyond HP mid-level printer scanner copiers other brands such as  Kyocera, Sharp, Ricoh, Brother and Copystar offer lower operating costs and longer life. The MX-B201 Sharp is a great alternative.

The big performance in a compact size unit, the Sharp MX-B201D copier printer scanner fax is a great choice.  The Sharp MX-B201D is designed for small offices and work groups delivers features needed for  small office environments who needs documents processed fast.  The 20 page-per-minute copying,  printing and integrated color scanning ensure that your office equipment work needs are met.  It comes standard with a 50-sheet document feeder and duplexing which provides 2-sided scanning for extra efficiency, as well as duplex printing and copying.

The cost-effective Sharp MX-B201, consumable system utilizes a three-component system that’s easy to replace and easy on your wallet.  The toner cartridges have an estimated life of 8,000 pages.  And since business never stands still, the MX-B201D offers flexible options to add Super G3 faxing, networking and web-based management…so you’ll be ready for anything. Plus, they are durable machines when compared to HP printer copier scanners of the same level.

Other brands to consider are the Kyocera FS-1135 which comes standard with copy, printer, scanner and fax which is much more durable than comparable HP copier printer scanner equipment.

HP is trying to become more active in the higher end copier ,market. However they haev greatly fallen short in their equipment and problems.  Basically HP takes a printer and designs a MFD copier printer scanner fax unit around it.  It’s not a from scratch machine originally design as a full business class copier printer.  The cost of the machine are approximately the sames as Ricoh, Sharp, Kyocera or Copystar copier printer scanner fax machine so there is not cost advantage. Hp is trying to leverage their name as the selling point.  However, there are some inherent problems:

here are specifications fro the HP M5035mfp

HP LaserJet M5035 MFP is a copier, printer color scanner, and fax MFD office class device that comes as a desktop to a full size machine with the additional of addition drawers stand unit.

• Handles letter, legal and 11×17 size documents
• 35 ppm copy/print speed
• 50 page ADF
• Superior network connectivity and management
• Embedded LDAP and Kerberos network authentication
• Embedded send to network folder and e-mail

However,  there are problems and one is not solvable – light scanning and copying. HP M5035MFP repair of the lightness problem has not solution. The unit prints great (remember it a MFD designed around a printer) but when it starts developing lightness of scanning HP has not solutions.  Up grading the firmware does not solve the scanning repair problem. Cleaning the and doing HP maintenance on the optics does not solve the problem.  The only solution we haev not tried is replacing the WHOLE adf with the image scanner unit due to excess costs and time. If you need a true full business class copier printer scanner you may want to look elsewhere than HP at the present time. Kyocera, Copystar, sharp and Ricoh are among the best and easiest to service repair.

The Kyocera FS-1135 new MFD come is a durable machine in the sub $1000 range. It comes with all the features may small business need including printer, copying, scanning, fax and low cost of usage. The

FS-1135mfd comes standard network printing, copy and color scanning functions. It’s a highly efficient desktop letter/legal multifunctional printer that’s compact and quiet. The standard document processor feeds reliably and improves your productivity. The Copystar FS1135MFP is designed with ultra reliable ECOSYS technology the 30 ppm FS-1135MFP is a MFP that small business copier scanner printer and work groups can rely on everyday. And with its long life drum, toner and easy to replace toner container you will enjoy a low total cost of ownership compared to typical all in one models.  All in all, the Copystar FS 1135 is a business machine at a bargain price.

Kyocera has always created low operating cost equipment well made and this one is no exception.  The FS-1135mfd provides per page cost of less than $0.01 (one cent)per page including toner and the 100,000page maintenance kit.  Upon testing the unit its compatible with all operation systems tested including Mac computers.  The Kyocera Copystar FS-1135 copier printer scanner quality prints and scans and best of all it comes standard with duplex (two sided printing, scanning).

Over the past few years HP printers scanners copiers have lost ground to various other manufacturers of MFD in the marker. Yes, HP is still the leader due to its large installed base and brand name.  However, the quality of product has greatly diminished specially in the sub 4100 market. Brands such as Samsung, Kyocera, Lexmark and other have slowly taken some market share away from the giant.  Kyocera who is know for phones has been int the copier printer business much longer than HP and offer great products.

One advantage of Kyocera brand or printers copiers or MFD is that the company focuses on equipment quality not on covering all markets.  Instead of offering 20 models of printers they put all their efforts in making a few, 5 to 7 models quality low cost to use models.

In the USA Kyocera is not well know for printers. However, in other parts of the world they are major players.  They do not offer ink based units such as HP deskjets and photosmarts.   Kyocera printers and MFD are all laser banded models designed for business.  Yes, they do offer a lower end sub $650 MFD unit for home business and its a durable unit . However, if you are looking to replace HP MFD for a more durable loner lasting  lower costs business class machine check Kyocera out.

Kyocera printer line up starts at $299 and goes up. In contrast HP has printers laser printers for as low as $125. the difference is in the quality of product and the lower cost of usage. Kyocera beats HP hands  down in both areas.   Kyocera’s lowest end MFD (copier printer , scanner) the FS-1028  (FS-128 model with fax) start at $599. Its maintenance kit last 200,000 pages and the toner costs keeps your per page costs below 1.5 cents!

Over the past three years the refurbished used printer copier scanner office equipment has exploded. Companies haev realized that  business class equipment, full size floor  printer copiers,  than costs thousands of dollars new are designed for many years of use and millions of copies.  companies learned that quality refurbished printer copier scanners 3..4 years old have many years of life left in them and they cost 50% less than new ones with the same features.  However, the trick is knowing which brands and models to select.  It may surprise you that the biggest names are the less desirable ones to obtain used or refurbished.

First, what is a refurbished machine? There are two types: dealer select and standard refurbished. Dealer select refurbished copier printer scanners are LOW page count machines (less than 300,000 pages on them), completely refurbished with all fresh maintenance items and 2 to 5 years old. Dealer select recondition printer copiers  models are int he $1900 to $3500 range in cost depending upon features and speed.

Standard used refurbished machines are older models, usually higher page counts and most of the time less reliable units. These models are int he $500 to $1200 range in cost.  These are the models dealers just want to get rid of at just about any price.  These are not off lease recent model office equipment.   You will see many of these when companies have going out of business sales. They have a very limited life span due to parts being discontinued  and higher copier printer maintenance costs.

Most reputable now one man shows (companies with only one or two employees ) dealers do not deal in the older used models that are not dealer select. However, its still a buyer be ware on used re conditional copier printers.  One way to make sure you are getting a recent model machine is to check on line. Or better yet haev the seller show you the serial number with manufacture date of the office equipment.  Beware of any piece of equipment that has no serial number sticker with date! If you are not sure ask here or send and email to Advanced Business Computers Inc.  for a quick response to your questions about a particular model.

Determine whether to buy a new verses refurbished send copier depends upon your demands. Digital copiers are the most economical way to copier documents at high speeds. Plus, you get the advantage of a wide variety of standard options not available on standard printers.  Multifunction copiers consist of copy, printer, scanner and network. Most have digital copiers printers have options including faxing, stapling, large capacity drawers, stackers and collation.

Before you make you purchase of a multifunction copier printer scanner know you your estimated monthly usage.  Big price stickers on new digital copier’s printers make many buyers to consider refurbished use machine. With the number of business failing today the used market is hotter than used digital copier printers could be a smart idea for companies of all sizes or people looking to reduce costs while getting a true multi-function copier printer scanner equipment.

When selecting a used machine ask about warranties and age of the machine. As a general rule do not get a machine older than 5 years or one with over two months duty cycle. Make sure the copier printer scanner was recently serviced and obtain a copy of the service error log from the machine.  Do not assume that a used machine is a great deal because of its name or price. Many of he best name copier printer scanners, such as Canon, Xerox and Toshiba have very very low resale value. If you need assistance contact Advanced Business Computers Inc for more information or post a question on this blog.

Today economic environment is a driving force in the used refurbished printer copier scanner market. Companies are seeking ways to greatly reduce monthly expenses and they have realized replacing a used copier printer with a new one every 3 to 5 years is not sound business practice. Ricoh, a well know name in the copier business, is one of  the more popular brand due to the ease of repair and the number of Ricoh repair facilities in just about every city.

Ricoh, also know as Savin, Lanier,and  Gestetner (all same machines but different names) are reliable and low cost to operate copier printers.  Obtaining a recent model Ricoh or Lanier copier printer over buying a new one from Canon, Toshiba or other brand will greatly reduce you monthly costs.  First of all, recent model (3..4 years old) refurbished used copier printers scanners usually save you 50% to 67%  of the cot of a new one which equates to 50% to 67% off your monthly payments.

Secondly, Ricoh is one of the better manufacturers that keeps producing parts fro many many years after the equipment is discontinued.  Getting parts for Ricoh, Lanier, Saving copier printers that are 10 to 14 years old is not a problem.  Plus, many compatible copier printer parts are available in the market to keep you costs down.  As in all business class (floor units) copier printer we highly recommend service agreements if you produce over 4,000 pages per month.  Used Ricoh, Lanier, Gestetner and Savin copier printers are just like cars, they need regular maintenance to give you years of quality service.  If you plant o buy a used machine not refurbished form a copier printer service center then get a technician to check the used copier printer scanner before you buy it.  The technician can give you a detailed history on the machine including when it needs maintenance which could cost you hundreds of dollars depending upon your used refurbished Ricoh model.

This will be a brief straight to the point article concerning the best ink base printer for your needs.  first, from a repair stand point there is no question to which brand is most repairable and that is  Brother band. Why? Two reasons:  All the parts are available for the  Brother brand printers scanners copiers fax machines .  If you have a Epson , Canon,  or HP printer ink base machine you will find that there are not parts beyond the print heads and encoder stripe. When you call HP they will upgrade you for a fee if your HP printer copier scanner is out of warranty  or swap your printer while under warranty. second: Brother may times will extend your warranty FREE of charge is you call them and complain a it.

HP, Epson, canon and other brands will not.If you are a day over you are out of luck. However, with Brother is you have a image quality problem and you unit is a few months out of warranty they will 80% of the time repair the printer copier scanner mfc it for free! Now on the flip side of the issue may of the inkbased machines are very inexpensive so many people do not care once the warranty is over whether the manufacturer of the printer copier scanner will repair the unit or not.

the image quality of all the inkbased printers scanners copiers have greatly improved over the years. All brands offer good photo quality output.  I suggest that you tests several brands with your won image. Take a USB drive to the office store and have them test print your photo on 3 to 5 machines.  Try Brother, HP, Canon, Kodak and Epson brands and look at the ink costs too. Again remember all printers need repair eventually. If the unit is a low cost one then that may to be a problem. But if you are buying a higher end printer copier then repair maintenance is important. When comparing inks costs the yield is very important.  How many prints will it last? Estimate the per page cost and them make your selection.

With all the companies going out of busy its become a free for all in the user copier printer scanner fax markets.  We consistently get calls from companies who have purchased used copier printers machine from companies going out of business or at auctions that lasted a few days and then started to haev problems.  When purchasing a used or reconditioned copier printer scanner fax whether Canon, Ricoh, Sharp, Kyocera or other brand you need to thoroughly test the unit.   Better yet hire a certified service technician to check ti out first before parting with your hard earned money.

One of the more common problems we are starting to see lately is the system rest of the factory configured calibrations and even the serial numbers. on many brands of printer copier scanners fax MFD machines a service technician can reset the factory ONLY calibrations settings. These settings control the laser strength, density calibration and even house the serial numbers.  Once these are reset they can not be recovered or properly recalibrate because these calibration settings were done at the time of the manufacturer of the copier printer using specialized equipment not available in the field. can you tell if the settings haev been changed?  Yes and not

If you print the configuration or service log history you may notice an entry stating that the system was reset. Or if you print the used reconditioned copier printer configuration or service page and notice no serial number then you know somebody tampered with the counters, and factory only settings.  Purchasing a used copier printer fax is just like purchasing a used car. You want to know the true past history and usage. It’s better to have a service technician review the copier printer scanner used or refurbished equipment before you buy to prevent costly repair maintenance after a few days or weeks after purchase.

What can go wrong when the settings are reset? Plenty – first image quality when you replace the developer or drum unit. Second – lose of functionality of the unit that requires activation codes to use the fax, scanner or printer features.  Inability to get a maintenance agreement because the serial number and history is wiped out.  Used refurbished printer copier scanner office equipment will greatly reduce your overall cost but selecting one that was reset can be a costly mistake.

There is always a debate whether to obtain a new full size copier printer scanner fax instead of a refurbished one. When you look in the lower end of the marked (Sub $1000 machines) it usually best to obtain a new copier printer or one that has less than 1 month duty cycle of pages. The duty cycle is defined as the maximum number of pages that the manufacturer the user should stay below each month.  Many new HP printers that are in the $1000 and above range have duty cycles of 200,000 pages or more.  The general rule of thumb is not to buy a used recondition HP printer copier scanner fax or any other brand that has more than 1.5 months of duty cycle so it will still have 5..7 years of very useful life.

If a used recondition HP 5035MFP, which is HP’s highest end black/white current model copier printer scanner, has over 340,000 pages then find another one. The HP 5035mfp is useful life designed for 4,000,000 (4 million pages) or more so we are talking about less than 10% of usage. Currently, the new HP 5035mfpxs cost $5,999.99 web pricing. However, you can obtain a quality use on for as little as $1995. That’s a giant savings!  The HP 5035MFPxs comes with the works: copier, printer, scanner, fax, stapler, 4+ drawers and rolling cabinet. Its designed for a small company of 5 to 12 people or a department level machine for large corporations.

Used recondition HP printer copier scanners of this durability will give you years of useful life. You may want to considered a printer maintenance program that includes everything except paper.  Printsolv and other PMS (print management systems) frees up your time by taking care of all supplies, repairs, parts and if you choose your vendor well it doe sit automatically so you do not need to chase for repairs or the supplies. If your are located in Florida  call Advanced Business Computers Inc. in Miami Florida for complete details and how to get the equipment at no cost when you select the Printsolv program. Currently they haev used reconditioned HP 5035mfp and other bands for quick delivery.