Photocopier Technology
Photocopier technology has been improving with each year from the beginning of photocopier history as we know it in 1959 with Rank Xerox although the photocopier machine dates back as far as the eighteenth century in its most basic form. Photocopiers utilize a photosensitive drum to create a latent image by exposing a charged drum to light reflected from an original document using a scanning lamp and a configuration of mirrors.
Copy, Print, Fax and Scanning
Photocopiers have come a long way since their invention and other office equipment have been successfully built into photocopiers since they conventionally have the capabilities of scanners and printers. To turn a photocopier into a printer you need only install an interface between a computer and the copier (print board). A photocopier also scans the original document so can also be used as a scanner if the interconnectivity is built into a photocopier. A photocopier can also be used as a fax machine if a fax kit is fitted and can even send scanned documents as emails via the installation of additional isend kits which convert scanned documents into PDF, GIF or JPEG files for email sending. All of these features can be additional cost options.
Colour, Black and White or Occasional Colour
Colour photocopiers such as the Canon CLC or IRC range are built to copy colour copies constantly where as occasional colour machines such as the Canon ir4570c are intended as black and white machines with the capability of copying colour 30% of the time. If your colour requirements are low then an occasional colour machine will be cheaper and more cost effective for you. Do not buy an occasional colour machine and try to print colour 100% of the time or the machine will malfunction. Each photocopier manufacturer such as Canon, Sharp, Ricoh, Panasonic and Konica Minolta purposely manufacture and market photocopiers according to their intended use and their design and build will reflect the number of copies the copier is designed to print per minute and per month. Black and white machines are typically cheaper to buy than colour for the same speed.
Which Photocopier?
Finding the right photocopier for your office will require you to indentify the features that are important to your company. If you are looking for purely copying functions then which copier you decide on will be largely determined by the number of copies that you need to make daily and whether the copies need to be colour or black and white. Low volume machines are typically machines that print below 30 copies per minute and mid volume machines are typically between 30 and 40 copies per minute. High volume machines operate at 40 copies per minute and can print more than 100 copies per minute or CPM very easily such as with the Canon C1 photocopier or the Canon IR105. The Canon ir1204i is a low volume multifunctional copier capable of scanning, printing, faxing and copying. All additional features such as print, scan, fax and email will normally cost extra if you are comparing the prices of machines of similar copies per minute.
