Paying Attention To The Printed Page

Choosing A Copier For A Home-Based Business

A home-based company is the epitome of a small business, but it does not mean that its needs aren't similar to larger companies. Like any other business, home-based businesses have to keep track of invoices, records, and other important documents, which can make a copy machine an important office tool. If you're a small business owner and you are interested in a copier, learn what you should look for.

Multi-Functionality

A high-powered copy machine can quickly become a sizeable investment. As a small business owner, you might have a hard time finding or justifying such a large purchase. However, you can make the investment make more sense and get more for your money by only looking at multi-functional models. Ideally, you want a system that can copy, print, scan, and fax. This type of setup is a money saver, space saver, and makes completing multi-process tasks easier. 

Feature Options

Yes, it's important to look for a multi-functional system, but as a home-based business, you don't need to go overboard with the features. A feature-heavy copier is likely way more powerful than the types of tasks you need to complete in your home office. For example, you probably don't need a printer with a high output rate, as you don't have a team of employees who need to produce hundreds of copies a day. A system with basic-level features will probably be satisfactory, but do your research.

Non-Color Copies

As a home-based business, you can probably get by with a copier that does not produce color copies. A copier that can produce color images is often a larger investment. Unless you plan to use the copier to mass produce colorful marketing materials, such as tri-folds, you will end up paying for an upgrade that you don't necessarily need. For the average document, black ink is often good enough. 

Warm-Up Speed

Unlike a larger office, you might only use your copier system once a day or a few times a week. Due to less use, you want to find a system with a fairly quick warm-up feature. Some large copiers can take several minutes to warm up after they have been in an idle position for a while. In a small office where the copier is often idle, the added wait every time you need to copy or print can become a major nuisance. Look for a model with a short warm-up time. 

A good copy machine can make your time spent in the office more efficient, so it's definitely worth investing in a new machine. For more information, contact a store that offers copier sales.


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