As more and more companies reduce costs on area that greatly reduces waste is document storage.  Due to tax laws and company requirements document storage using digital senders or document scanners has growth greatly in the past few years.  If you need low volume scanner(less than 100 pages per day) then there are plenty of great HP and Canon scanners.  Stay away from Fujitsu (Fuji) low end scanners due to they are very expensive to maintain and Fuji  keeps a lock hold on servicing the units.Their high end scanners are very durably just like the Canon’s and HP high end digital senders.  What’s the best scanner document image for you?

First, determine the sizes of paper you plan to scan and the average daily usage.  If you do not plan to scan more than 250 pages images per day that are either legal or standard size letters then go with a new one from HP. They have many great ones in the price range of $500 to $800 that will work for several years (stay away from the low end ones). The HP Scanjet 5000 or the HP Scanjet 827 are great models for lower end use.  Do not get the lower end ones because the new ones come with a 1 year warranty.  The good thing about HP is that the repair parts are easily obtainable and there are several service options beyond HP themselves. If you plan to continually scan 300 or more pages per day then you will need a more durable machine.

Just like trucks, there are light duty durable trucks and heavy duty tanks. Which one fits you needs depends upon several factors.  This is the are where is good to have somebody who you came ask questions and I do not mean you office supply store clerks. I mean a company who specializes in scanners repairs and maintenance.  first, thing to know is that the Fuji brand is very well know for their quality of scanners. However, they are also the most expensive to maintain because Fuji keeps a strangle hold on the service.  Very few  companies are authorized beyond Fuji can service their machines and the min service call at this time is $450.  So unless you have deep pockets stay away from Fuji digital document scanners.

What digital document scanners senders are recommend the most and best for your needs?  Canon, HP and Kodak digital scanners document imagers senders brands.  In the used refurbished scanners we recommend the Canon brand or the HP digital senders again based upon your speed, paper size and volume needs.  The most repairable digital document scanners units are the HP and Canon brands due to the number of dealers who have access to parts and training.  That does not mean they break down all the time. They do not – they are very durable.  But due to more competition the repair and maintenance of the HP digital scanner senders and Canon scanners are less than the Fuji, Kodak and other brands brands.  Plus, used HP and Canon scanners are available at a reasonable price when compared to Fuji and Kodak brands.

Its not secret that document scanner has been increasing to digitize all documents for storage instead of printing them.  However, many people do not realize, that to prevent scanners repairs problems general maintenance is required. Just like copier printer repairs, scanners use feed rollers, separation pads,  pick up rollers repair to prevent paper jams.

Stand alone scanner repairs costs in many cases far exceed costs to repair similar problem with copier printer scanner all in one devices. Kodak and Fuji scanners are very expensive to maintain due to the companies keeping very tight control on parts and service personal (greatly limiting competition).  Of all the brands HP scanners and digital senders are the least expensive scanner repairs due to lower cost parts.  The scanner service repair main maintenance items that cause the most failures  are the ADF (automatic document feeder) parts. Depending upon your brand and model the ADF kits cost from $70  (HP, Brother, Kyocera, Canon on the lower end) to well over $350 (Fuji, Vissionaire and other brands).  Some maintenance parts, such as Fuji scanner cameras. could cost over thousand dollars!

How should you select a the best digital scanner sender?  First, determine the types of paper, paper sizes and estimate daily or monthly scans. This is very important. Not all digital scanners can handle all sizes of paper, have a large capacity ADF or have the ability to handle several  sizes in one stack. Now determine is you just want to scan the document or actually send (email) it to another site.  All digital scanners brands offer several choices.  Prior to buying one check what service calls costs, how much are maintenance programs

In the past 4 years HP has boosted their line of MFD All  in one laser toner cartridge based devices.  However, HP printer scanner copier machines has exhibited a far greater number of failures especially in the sub $1000 price point.

Case in point: HP 2480 all in on color laser printer copier fax scanner.  This very popular machine which came out 2..3 years ago had continually provided headaches for user.  First the scanners starting to fail which required replacing the ADF (automatic document feeder) on top scanner which costs around $217 plus labor to replace. Then the cartridge carousel started to have alignment problems which required adjustment and in several cases the problem repeated. HP has always had color laser printer carousel problems with the HP 2500, 3500, 3600 and the 3700 HP color laser printers.

Remember just a few years ago a good business class hp laser printer non all in one cost around $1100 depending upon the laser printer features. Now HP, Lexmark, Canon, Okidata and other companies are shoveling out laser based all in one for well under $1000 because Brother controlled the low end laser based MFD market and they wanted a piece.

Remember the old wise saying, “You get what you pay for”.   Brother still has  a major portion of the all in one laser based but HP and others has eroded their market.

If you had a limited budget which one is best for you?  Brother still produces the best sub $600 low volume all in one laser based machines.  HP and Okidata come in second in quality. However, if you are looking for a higher end business class laser printer scanner copier with low operating cost them look at the units that are in the $1500 and above range.

How do we know? Advanced Business Computers Inc. is a factory certified Okidata, Lexmark, HP, Brother, and Xerox repair center. Also, we provide warranty service for several of the brands.  One the average over 53 all in one machines laser based printer scanner copier fax are serviced every week by our technicians.  In short through experience since 1988.  Its important to know the history of a toner based laser printer copier equipment model.  Look beyond the product name.  Ask repair companies which laser printer copier scanner machines they recommend.

Over the years HP printers, Lexmark, Canon and other prints have greatly changed their fuser assemblies. I would not call it an laser printer improvement. When you get an 50 printer service error on HP printers,  921 error on Lexmark, SC54xx on Ricoh printers and fixing unit faliure on Canon printers is means the fuser assembly has failed.

The fuser assembly is the part that uses pressure and heat to melt the toner to the actual paper. It consist of gears, bushings,  heat rollers, pressure roller, paper pick fingers and other components, If you have an HP laser printer, Lexmark printer then for the most part you change the entire fuser assembly. If you business class Ricoh, Sharp, Canon, Gestetner, Savin and other copier printer scanners then the fuser assembly is rebuilt then majority of the time.

HP laser printers started to change their fusers to use films instead of Teflon coated rollers in their fuser assemblies.  This decreased the cost to make the machine but increase the failure rate of the laser printers.  Some other companies have followed suit. The HP laser printer fuser repair is a whole unit swap out an if obtain from a quality company should come with a 3 to 6 month warranty or 12,000 to 24,000 page warranty.  If it does not then switch your vendor!

Fuser repairs for copier printer scanners is more time consuming and costly than in straight printers. However, the advantage is then most of the companies still use the hard Teflon coated fuser that has a much great life and printer copier service failures.

Do not look for the cheapest price when replacing the fuser assembly during a HP printer repair or copier repair. Look for the best warranty and mid range price. This is especially important with repairing a copier printer because they are rebuilt which means some companies will try to get away with only a partial rebuild to save money and hurt you in the long run. if you have questions call Advanced Business Computers Inc for printer copier repairs in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and other Florida locations.

What copier scanner or laser printer all in one features do you need for your business equipment.  What is better a desktop HP laser all in one MDF’s or a business class Copystar Kyocera copier printer scanner with tons of standard features that cost more to obtain but less to operate?

Do you know the copier scanner or laser printer features you need?  Do you keno what ADF, DAPF, Duplex, offeset and other terms used to describe the best printer copier choice for you?

Who do you ask for help?  An %8.50 hour store sales stocking clerk who just repeats what they are told or a copier printer service repair technicians who has years of experience every day who repairs copiers and printers for a living?

Either way you need to know what they are talking about. If you are looking for a copier printer all in one for your office get advice from experts and learn the following basic copier and laser printer all in one terms:

Copier Features:

The copier printer all in one industry has changed over the past three years. What use to be options now comes as standard accessories on many copier models whether an desktop HP laser all in one or a business class Kyocera or sharp copier scanner.

Automatic documents feeders (ADF or RADF) – Standard

This sits on the top of the copier printer scanner so that gives you the ability to automatically feed a stack of papers to copy, fax out or scan to computer. Some brands of copiers still call this an option. However, a machine never goes  out the door without this. Usually the feeder allows up to 50 pages (some up to 100 pages) at one time on your digital copier or multi-function printer.

Digital Sorting – Standard

All brands of digital photocopiers all in ones for the past 5 years provide offset digital sorting without using an external optional mailbox finisher.

Digital sorting means each copy, print or fax job is “offset” from the previous one (shifted side to side). This feature does not limit the number of document sets your copier can sort. If you had an optional external mailbox finisher then you are limited to the number of slots.

Duplex – Standard on most units

The duplex unit gives your digital copier the ability to do two sided printing and copying. It’s an option on some brands. However the more recent models (3 years old or less) it’s standard.

Paper Drawers

All business class copier printer scanners come with two paper drawers. The lower end personal copiers usually come with one drawer. Each paper drawer “cassette” handles several size papers from A4 up to 11 x 17.  Most of the current models can handle sizes A4 to Legal. Most mid-range digital copier’s drawers handle paper up to 11 x 17 size pages.

Paper Cassette Drawer Options include:  Additional paper drawers (feeders) up to 3,000 pages on some models of copiers. The typical optional copier paper drawers handle 500 sheets of paper. If you are using heavy paper stock you may need to use a bypass tray on your laser printer copier.

Go Green Power Save

This is a standard feature of most recent model digital copiers scanners.  Due to pressure from governments, end user and marketing professionals, power save mode is here to stay. Basically the color copier printer will put itself in a lower power usage stage waiting for printer copier jobs to process. Once it receives a job it powers back up quickly. This reduces electrical expenses – saves you money.

Faxing option:

Usually this is an option not a standard copier scanner accessory.  This copier all in one option gives you the ability to send and received faxes. Plus, with most brands of photocopiers you get fax to email and fax to computers. If you have a network it will require setup of mail boxes and installation of software of each computer.

Security, Client tracking, and Department Billing

Lawyers are great at this. They charge their clients for every piece of paper produced on the printer copier scanner. One way they track the actual number of pages produce is through the digital photocopiers security measures. Most machines have the ability to assign access codes.

You can assign a copier access code for each employee, client or department. Once setup you have to input a security code before a job will print or copy on the all in one. At the end of the billing period just print an access report to get the total pages copied or printed by each access code.

Not Sure What You need?

Ask questions!

If your sales person is all hype and no meat then go someplace else.  Color printer copier features and options are designed for a specific purpose.

Do not assume the digital copier scanner will do what you want. Ask for the specification sheet. Want more information contact me through our blog at Advanced Business Computers Inc.  If you need help determining the best copier or printer then go to the copier printer scanner help form.

All rights reserved Copyright Advanced Business Computers, Inc. 2009

Equipment is getting more complicated and the choices are increasing.  The merging of the traditional printer and copier machines has presented companies with hard decisions.  What is the best manufacturer for the money? Lowest printer copier cost? Best copier scanner options and functionality? Most durable printer copier?  Canon copier, Toshiba copier, Minolta, Ricoh, Gestetner, Xerox, HP, Sharp, Lanier, Copystar, Lexmark, Brother?

Now compound the many brands of copiers and laser printers with copier sales companies that only specialize in one or two brands and it’s clear to see why companies have problems with selecting the right equipment or getting in the wrong lease.

If you get your equipment from a company which specializes in one brand of laser printer or copier scanner all in one take care.  If you work directly with the copier manufacturer be double aware! Why? Because you will receive a bias view.

If a vendor only represent Canon or Sharp copiers how will you know if you should get a Gestetner, Kyocera, HP or Ricoh may be better.  So what should you do? Which is the best copier printer for you?

Do some basic best copier or laser printer research online using the buyer’s lab reports.  Bertl printer or copier scanner report.  Bli best copier ratings.  Or even Better For Business best copier award report.

Look for awards by unbiased sources and low failure rates. If the model is brand new; wait a few months so the copier company has time to get the bugs out.  Do not assume that a BIG NAME means the best copier or printer choice.

Did you know the Lanier / Gestetner/ Ricoh / Savin are  the same company?  Mita / CopyStar / Kyocera too! Did you know HP laser printers are actually Canon based? So what name is better when they are the same? some copier brands are better than others.  The biggest names are usually not the best copiers – they just know how to SELL you better.

It’s a challenge to make an educated best copier selection. Be careful.  Ask questions. Get referrals. Check the service record of the copier service or printer company you choose.

Check you current copier lease.  When is your printer copier lease up for renewal?  Does it offer a lump sum or 1$ buy-out clause at the end of the lease?  What is the current value of the digital copier or laser printer?  What is the estimated life of the copier/printer?  Most of these questions are simple to determine with a few keystrokes on the Internet.

Get all the answer before you commit.   Ask questions about the maintenance program or what the copier lease includes. Look at the terms.  Know you page counts and be very careful not to fail in the low ball tactics of some copier printer leasing companies.

Call to get a competitive quote or to get an unbiased report on the copier.  Feel free to call Advanced Business Computers Inc any time you have a questions concerning printer copiers,  copier scanners fax or other all in one office equipment.

Yesterday a client called to repair and HP 3800 printer. It needed a fuser assembly which is a wear and tear part (a part that is used up a bit every time you print a page).  Between labor and the part it cost them $483 to repair the color printer with a value of less than $500 on the used market.

The HP factory certified technician recommended the replacement of the printer instead of repair due to the age and the high operating costs.  They were offered several models of HP, Lexmark and others which would increase productivity plus save them $2,573 per year in direct business costs.

In addition, they would not have to spend a dollar of working capital. what did they do?  They decided to repair.

Why?  Because of “Status Quo”.  The printer has worked well so why change? In some cases this works. But not in this case.

Why save money, increase productivity and enhance their corporate image when they could just stay the same?

Many people and companies fall into the trap of keeping “status Quo”.

People tend to get comfortable and overlook the fact that business practices change. Printer, Copier and fax Technology advances. New ideas can reduce their overhead. Instead many managers would rather keep the “Status Quo” than think beyond what they are doing now.

The a previous article discussed new models of printers and the associated costs.  Many companies would say “well if it’s not HP or Dell then I do not want to know about it”.

This is the same type of thinking that turned IBM into a household name because of the personal computers in the early 80’s.  However, how many people now own a true IBM machine. Why the change?

Why is Dell now the PC leader when just a few years ago it was Gateway?  And before that Hewlett Packard who is number two now?  Simple – people started to realize that they need change due to benefits and costs – they broke out of “status quo”.

Have you broken out of “status quo” lately? When was the last time you took a hard look at other brands and ideas which are outside of your comfort zone?  Progressive and growing companies stay ahead of their competitors. They look at new technology advantages which is an important factor in every business.

Change will happen. The difference is whether you will be part of change and reap the benefits. Look at new ideas and brands.  Review costs and increased benefits of new technology.

Call us now for more ideas and programs that would greatly benefit your company.  Yes, it may take a little bit of your time. However, if you don’t do it your competitors will!  Get new ideas, benefits and business edge.  Challenge “status quo”.  Advanced yourself and your business.

If you have may questions please feel free to contact us.  See our website for additional information. Feel free to call us or request help through our website or post a response here.

According the GSA, company’s printers, fax machines and copiers cost  “on the average $1000 per employee per year or more.”   According to Xerox, company’s copier printer environment costs an average of 3% of a company’s TOTAL GROSS revenue.

Every dollar you save in your copier printer scanner increases your company’s profit.  Budgets for toner cartridge  supplies are growing by 20-40% per year;  Dataquest, IDC and CAP Ventures have all concluded that copier printer scanner page volumes are growing at a compound annual growth rate of roughly 8%. Printer cost is increasing not decreasing and the majority of the company’s do not have controls in place. PrintSolv print management solves this problem

Wait, it’s important to know the facts about print management before you tackle your print related costs.

True Print Management is the way your companies copier printer scanner equipment are acquired, maintained, supplied and distributed. It is not an equipment lease program. The problem is that many copier printer leasing and service companies are yelling Print Management when they are actually in the business of pushing (selling you) equipment. To them copier printer scanner print management is just another “catch word” just like the word “Digital” was a few years ago.

And here is the most important factor. . . .

“True Print Management is cost avoidance, cost reduction,  copier printer equipment management and scanner maintenance. It is not buying, leasing or equipment centralizing program.”  It’s a Pro-active not Re-active program.

Buying vs. PrintSolv Copier Printer Scanner Management Solution

Here are 7 reasons to consider PrintSolv verse purchasing equipment:

(1) It keeps your cash free to help your business grow instead of tying it up in expensive printers copiers and scanner equipment. Your business needs cash to survive.  Every time you tie it up in capital equipment, you limit your cash available for marketing, inventory and other useful purposes. Why constrain your company’s growth?

(2) Your company gets to write off the complete program amount fast instead of slowly depreciating the copier, printer or fax equipment over a bunch of years. The US government classifies most office equipment as five year or longer equipment.  This means you have to depreciate over a long period if you own the equipment.  The Advanced Business Computers Inc. programs give you the ability to write it 100% at the time of the expense.  This lowers the taxes and simplifies your accounting!

(3) Concerns of printer, copier and scanner obsolescence is no longer a factor.  Technology moves so fast that computer, copier, printer and fax machine companies are introducing new equipment and discontinuing others daily.

Hewlett Packard stated that they will introduce new printers at least once every 6 months.  You no longer have the luxury to think that the equipment you buy today will do the things you want it to do 3 years from now.

(4) The PrintSolv Solution has been designed to address the four cornerstones of business copier printer management in today’s cost conscience environment: process and performance improvements, cost containment, cost avoidance, and cost savings. The program is the most strategic approach to print management available in the marketplace today.

(5) This gives you the a method to manage your copier printers scanners equipment and obtain equipment you NEED (if any) instead of just equipment you can afford due to cash on hand and budget concerns.

How many times have you a printer or copier just based on price instead of what you need to grow your business?  Does cash on hand limit your purchasing abilities?  Would a faster printer or more efficient copier scanner get you more business or reduce your direct overhead costs (labor, outside printing, etc.)?

(6) If you need new equipment then you have a choice. The PrintSolv solution is very much independent of any particular brand and represents an independent solution to controlling costs and managing print environments

(7) The solutions will cost you no more than any other service provider in the market, but we provide you with more than our competitors can ever provide, including the kind of meaningful data on your company’s print environment that enable very real return-on-investment decisions. And yes, it is highly likely that we will be able to save you money as well, both short-term and long-term savings.

Plus, the programs provide a hedge against inflation.  Instead of using today’s dollars, spread the cost out with tomorrow’s cheaper dollars.

Call and ask for. . .

“What Tricks Copier printer Leasing Companies Play and Do Not Want YOU To Know”

(the DIRTY little secrets that makes them rich and legally steal money from You!)

How do you think Xerox, Canon,. Sharp, Ricoh and Minolta became so big? That’s right get the 100% Free report! Request it through our website or ask for it in the comment area!

If you have may questions please feel free to contact us.  See our website for additional information. Feel free to call us or request help through our blog or go ahead to our website or call us for a quick response.