Leading Photocopier Manufacturers
Rank Xerox manufactured the first modern photocopier in the late fifties and consequently, photocopiers have been synonymous with the term "Xerox" machines ever since. Today's most popular photocopier manufacturers include: Canon, Sharp, Ricoh, Panasonic and Konica Minolta.
These companies have decades of experience building photocopiers of all sizes: from those intended for small office or home office (SOHO) capable of copying between 10 and 25 copies per minute, up to high end photocopiers able to comfortably copy more than 100 copies a minute. Finding the right photocopier to suit your businesses specific requirements is a tricky and sometimes daunting process however by using photocopier reviews, recommendations and comparison services can help you to find the perfect photocopier at a competitive price.
Photocopier Reviews
1. Rank Xerox machines are well-designed and engineered copiers with a host of features and connectivity options.
2. Canon photocopiers are industry leading in terms of quality and durability and both Canon and Rank Xerox readily supply parts for easy maintenance and repair.
3. Sharp, Ricoh and Panasonic all have international reputations for the quality and durability of their photocopiers, and choosing which copier to buy often depends on the cost and maintenance package offered by a specific dealer.
Copier Speed and Functionality
Although it's possible to buy a brand new photocopier for under £1,000, at that price you're likely to get an entry level machine not intended for high commercial usage. Small photocopiers often come shipped with multi-functionality: these are known as MFP (multifunctional photocopiers) and are capable of scanning, printing and faxing on a very small scale.
Higher end photocopiers are often priced according to their speed and sophisticated features, with many machines available as basic high volume copiers printing 50 to 100 copies a minute with the option of additional bolt-on devices to increase.
A basic 35 copies-per-minute machine such as the Canon ir3570 can cost in the region of £4,000 and £6,000 from reputable Canon dealers in the UK. Add additional functions such as network printing, scanning and email and the price can increase by a few thousands depending on the dealer in question.
Photocopier Dealers and Maintenance
Finding the best UK photocopier dealer is an important part of choosing the right copier for your business. Always ask a potential supplier how many engineers they have and whether those are in-house or third party engineers and be sure to take a look at reviews of photocopier suppliers for testimonials from previous customers.
Always use firms with manufacturer-trained, in-house engineers as this will save time when service calls are required. Manufacturers are constantly improving the firmware (the combination of hardware and software) for their photocopiers and only authorized dealers with trained engineers are provided with the official firmware or software updates and mechanical retrofit parts.
Finding the Top Photocopier Dealers
Knowing the potential problems of not using authorized photocopier dealers will arm you with enough knowledge to choose the right one. Remember: a good maintenance contract executed by experienced service personnel is worth paying more for because a badly serviced photocopier will disrupt your business and make your operations a nightmare.
All photocopiers breakdown and jam, but making sure that you have a maintenance contract with a respectable service call response time - of within a few hours - is key to the success of your in-office operation. For example, print shops make all of their money from photocopying, if their machines go offline for a few hours they can lose thousands in profits.
