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Archive for December, 2008

Give Yourself the Gift that Lasts – Lower Color Printing Costs

December 24th, 2008

It seems with the economy in a stall and people worrying about their jobs now more than ever…  there are some interesting trends happening in the industry.  One thing a lot of people seem to be doing is bringing printshop outsourcing in house.  Sure, it’s more labor, but for the savings…  it seems well worth it.  This may be a good idea, but then again, it may not if you don’t really dig into how color costs are computed.

The first thing to know is that for most color printers (i.e. HP, Lexmark, Konica, Kyocera, Okidata, Ricoh, Xerox, etc…) there is a rated coverage.  This is 20% for color and 5% for Black and white as an industry standard.  When there is a deviation (for example rates some cartridges at 6% coverage….) it will be noted.  Higher coverage means more toner is used….  but it does not necessarily mean more of the page is covered in toner.  For more information on the mechanics of color coverage, please check out a little presentation I put together…

A brochure with 120% coverage may wind up costing twice of what it would have cost to go to a printer where a 50% coverage may be the same.  There are ways to fix these costs, but this is what people seem to be thinking and doing.  Just be careful you are not making a bad scenario worse.

Another temptation people face is purchasing a cheap printer (to keep the budget low), without looking at long term consumable costs.  If you were to but a cheaper color printer, say an HP CP1510 … you would feel good about spending less than $300 for the printer…  How would you feel if you realized you printed 2,500 sheets a month (about a ream a week) using standard office color (20% coverage) and the “super expensive” Xerox 8860 printer would have been $12,500 cheaper for supplies in a 3 year period?  Over $10,000 extra would be spent just because you weren’t informed properly. 

Reasons like these are why it behooves you to consult with us and let us help you reduce your costs on these devices.  We aren’t just answering phones and taking orders here…  we actually consult and SHOW you how to save significant money while INCREASING productivity.

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Why the “Old Way” of Purchasing a Copier is Dying

December 18th, 2008
Xerox WorkCentre 7328

Xerox WorkCentre 7328

There is a process which has become more and more extinct.  I have heard the “old time copier sales guys” talking about when they used to drag a copier into an account and leave it there to be tested before they even qualified the account.  They’d load up a truck and start going door to door until someone would give their copier a try.  Personally, I am quite glad that practice has more or less died.  An important question is, “What killed it?”

There are a number of factors which would make this a bad way to sell (and more importantly for you purchase) a copier.  Here are a few of the main reasons you wouldn’t catch me trying that method.

1)  Copiers are networked and include scanning.  Ech network is different, so these can take a few houts to hook up the right way.  Who’s going to pay the install if there is not a sale?

2) Copiers come in a myriad of options…  Letter/Legal only, Tabloid capable, and the color versions of the same.  Plus there are volume considerations, etc…  you’d probably have to carry 6 – 8 copiers at a time trying that method.

3) Drop ins seem unprofessional.  Most companies prefer to have a phone conversation before they have a physical demo.  This helps to get rid of potential supplies who have little to offer.

4) Color copiers are more sensitive than B&W copiers and color is where the money is.  So, moving the fragile equipment that you want to sell is a bad idea because it will end up being a terrible demo

5) There needs to be an agreement between facilities and IT as far as whose responsibility it is to purchase the copier and whose budget it will be taken from.

There are more reasons, but these are a start.  I would shy away from the rep who wants to bring a machine by without really taking some time to try and understand your needs.

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The Problem of “Underbuying” on a Copier

December 16th, 2008

 

If you have read through these posts at all, you will see a consistent theme where I have warned against the problem of “overbuying” for your needs… with some budgets shrinking, now people are facing the opposite problem more often.  I will have customers here in Denver tell me they are doing 4,000 to 5,000 prints per month and they want to look at a $400 to $600 HP device like this.  Don’t get me wrong, those can have their place, but it certainly is not for the person doing that sort of workload. 

There are several factors that need to be addressed in every copier sale if it is going to serve the needs of the customer as efficiently as possible.

1) What work actually needs to be done?

2) What volume of work needs to be done?

3) What steps are you willing to do to get job done?

4) What is the convenience worth if you are buying add ons?

5) Is the device appropriate for the job at hand?

Once these questions are asked, you can look at the 4 componets of cost, 1) The machine, 2) The Maintenance 3) the consumables and 4) The manpower costs and see what is the most appropriate device for the job.

We are happy to help if you need assistance getting these important questions answered for your company.

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Lexmark X658 — Product Review

December 16th, 2008
Lexmark X658de Series

Lexmark X658de Series

Lexmark, International has released a series of new copiers which people in the Denver area should find extremely interesting.  It is the Lexmark X658de, a 55 page per minute copier with standard features like fax, scan to network, color scanning, printing, and can be equipped with mailbox options or a stapler.  Yhis device will be able to replace a lot of the $9,000 to $10,000 copiers out in the field.  The disadvantage this unit does have is that it only prints up to legal sized paper.  If you are using tabloid (11X17), this copier would not be an appropriate fit for you.

As far as cost, a typical company would be looking at payments like this:

36 Months — $117.00

48 Months — $96.00

60 Months — $82.00

Of course, a maintenance and supplies package would need to be added.  You could assume about $.018 per print for the maintenance and supplies.  For example, if you printed 3,000 pages per month, you’d add $54.00 for the maintenance and supplies… So, it is quite possible to have a 55 page per minute copier at under $200.00.

Another interesting componet to the Lexmark X658de is that is comes on a pallet which allows it to be rolled off, and within 5 minutes, you can be making a copy.  As a sales and service company, this is exciting for us because it means there is a lot less labor in configuring this unit when compared to standard copiers.  A lot less time for us means a more affordable experience for you.  If you would like to see one of the Lexmark copiers (or Xerox copiers, or Kyocera copiers) here in Denver, please call to schedule an appointment so we can show you the benefits of each and work with you to find the perfect device for your needs.

Find more information about this copier along with the rest of our product line here

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Don’t Spend too Much on Black and White Copiers…

December 5th, 2008
Xerox Phaser 3635

Xerox Phaser 3635

 

This post is being written for the Black and White Copier buyer, not for the color copier buyer.    Because color is so variable, it’s not going to be addressed in this post…

I was just at a customer’s location, and I shouldn’t be surprised by this, but I always am.  They had a copier there that was simply a desktop copier and got 5,000 pages and maintenance per month on the machine for $335.00. With a little math, that works out to be $.067 per page cost, which is a ridiculously high number.  Had this customer gone with a machine like a Lexmark X654e, they could have spent about $90 per month for the device, $40 per month for maintence and $60 per month for supplies, for a total cost of $190 per month instead of $335.  This is $.038 per print and with the equipment included, this is a very fair number…  They could have gone a bit cheaper, but functionality and daily workflow is still important to this customer.

Are you in a similar situation?  Do you find you make 5,000 copies per month or less and there is a copier rep trying to sell you a machine that is $300 or more and is a 5 year contract?  You do not need to spend this much.  If you are making 25,000 copies a month, that does require a bigger machine so it is not a maintenance nightmare…  If this descibes you — A user printing 10,000 pages a month or less.  Tired of paying over $300 per month for a copier…  then you owe it to yourself to give us a chance to lower your costs substantially and use the technology which has come out in the last 5 years which will dramatically cut expenditures!

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Emulsion Aggregate (EA) Toner – What is it??

December 2nd, 2008

 

There is a new buzz in the printer and copier world in regards to color toner.  It is called “organic” toner by some “emulsion aggregate” toner by others.  What is this and why does it matter to you, the copier buyer here in the Denver area? 

EA toner is essentially chemically grown toner.  It is not the conventional toner which starts as pigminted plastics and is ground down to smaller and smaller particle size.  It is chemically grown, so it is “built up” rather than “ground down.”  It allows for the particles to be smaller which means less toner is needed per page.  This is a more green solution, but also provides a sharper image on the page.

The quality of print is better with EA toner, as is the sharpness of printed lines, the amount of waste is lower, the amount of energy used is lower and the toner is also more gentle on the printer engine.  In just about everyway, this is a superior type of toner for color copies.  If you are looking for a color copier in Denver and want to learn more about EA Toner, please see a .pdf from Xerox which will help explain the benefits in more detail.       ea_toner1.pdf

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