There are four primary considerations when buying a copier: 1) is how many copies you will be producing monthly, 2) what features you require, 3) space and machine size requirements, and 4) how soon you will outgrow the machine.
There are three basic grades or classes of photocopy machines.
The PC Grade Copier: Most PC grade machines are designed to produce a maximum of 500 to 1,500 copies monthly. Note that in buying a PC Grade machine, the convenience of a new small PC grade copier may soon be over shadowed by the lack of features, capacity, high cost per copy, and lack of available on-site service.
The Business Grade Copier: This is the most common grade of machine. Features and machine size will vary. They can range from a simple desktop model to a large stand-alone machine. Business grade machines are generally recognized by a low cost per copy. Common features are R/E, ADF, and sorter. These machines are designed to produce from 1 up to 50,000 copies monthly. New purchase prices can range from $2,000 to $15,000.
The Commercial Grade Copier: The commercial grade copier will generally include many of the full system features and produce 50 plus copies per minute. Differences that separate this type of machine verses the business grade machine are 1) monthly copy volume, 2) lower maintenance (generally required only every 100,000 copies) with service costing no more than business grade copiers, and 3) low cost per copy. The minus to this type of machine is the slightly larger size over business grade. New purchase prices can range from $25,000 to $40,000.
Buying A Pre-Owned Copier
Purchasing a pre-owned copier will help you avoid an immediate 40-60% drop in resale value, which happens the moment you take delivery of a brand new photocopier. With thousands of well-maintained copiers coming "Off Lease" and or being repossessed monthly, purchasing a pre-owned copier maybe your best choice.
No matter what copier you select, it will not be worth very much when it breaks down and a breakdown at some point is inevitable. So be sure to minimize disruption and frustration by finding a good dealer to service your machine - and that should begin at the time of purchase.
