Archive for July 2009
Coverage and Your Copier in Colorado Springs
Tags: Color Copier Tips, Color Copiers Colorado Springs, Copier Colorado Springs, Copiers Colorado Springs
Copiers in Colorado Springs: Understanding Coverage Can Save You Cash!
Understanding coverage is something I mentioned in my 5 tips article. It such an important component of understanding your copier costs. Copiers in Colorado Springs are the same price they are everywhere else in the country. However, as a business, school, non-profit, or church you can cut your copier expenses by up to 50% just by taking a look at your average color copy or color print. Industry averages for most copiers is 20% coverage. This is a combined total of 5% from each color.
Seeing non-profits and churches waste donated resources on color prints is sad (and frustrating as a copier sales person). If your prints have a picture that takes up half or more of your page, (depending on the colors and tint), you’re mostly likely using 5 times the toner per copy than you are expecting. A sample page I saw yesterday at a local church was around 180% coverage! If you’re buying supplies, the price per print for that copy is $1.08 instead of the $.12 they thought they were really paying!
Depending on your volume and coverage, outsourcing your color prints to a printer may end up saving you a lot of money (most copier reps will NOT tell you this!). Depending on your specific needs and color usage, a Xerox solid ink MFP with a cost per print plan can bring your color costs down to $.06 a page for any amount of coverage. It’s an amazing program and one we end up recommending for most church and non-profit copier needs. Give us a call for a look at your copier in Colorado Springs. We’ll do a free analysis of your printing/copying needs and give you a detailed soloution to save you from throwing away your cash.
Top 5 Things About Color Your Copier Rep Forgot to Tell You About Color Copiers in Colorado Springs
Tags: Color Copier Colorado Springs, Color Copiers, Color Copiers Colorado Springs, Copier Colorado Springs, Copiers Colorado Springs
Color Copiers Colorado Springs: 5 Tips to Keep in Mind
Buying or leasing a color copier in Colorado Springs should be one of those fairly easy tasks. However, like cars, insurance, or financial planning, there is a lot of information you just don’t know unless you’re in the industry. This blog is about pulling back the curtain on my industry and giving you solid advice about your next purchase of a copier in Colorado Springs.
Color Copiers can either save you lots of money by bringing your color printing/copying in-house, or it can break your monthly budget. Here are 5 tips to consider when purchasing your color copier in Colorado Springs:
1. Understand Coverage. This is how much color you’re actually putting on your prints. The quoted industry average is 20%. I saw a church flyer today that was around 180% color on the page. 20% means that it uses 5% Cyan, 5% Magenta, 5% Yellow, and 5% Black. If your page has very much color on it (at all!), you are very likely well over the 20% average. This makes color copiers very expensive if you’ve purchased one that has high toner costs.
2. The less expensive the color copier, the more expensive the toner and supplies. Don’t just buy it because it’s cheap.
3. Buy a common brand. If you’re purchasing the color copier in Colorado Springs, you want to make sure there is a local tech (who has competition) that can fix your machine quickly.
4. Figure out if leasing or purchasing is better for your needs. Both have their positives and negatives, your next color copier here in Colorado Springs should meet your budget needs.
5. Consider a cost per print plan (like Xerox’s). If you have high-coverage copies and regular monthly print cycles, you’ll end up saving a LOT of money. The key here is keeping your print plan right at your monthly needs so you don’t end up paying for prints you don’t use.
Give us a call for information, color copier advice or a copier quote in Colorado Springs. We are passionate about helping people print and copy smarter and more efficiently. We look forward to talking with you!
Are Copier Costs Squeezing Your Budget?
Tags: Copier Contracts, Copier Plans, Copier Sales, Copiers in Colorado Springs
Are Copiers in The Springs Squeezing You?
Copier costs can get out of hand depending on your copier model or copier contract in Colorado Springs. Most people tend to spend a lot more than they should because they purchased without enough information. I can’t tell you how many people have overbought or overpaid on their copier contract because they only looked at one number: the number their copier sales rep showed them.
The number was probably “all inclusive” with “no overages” and “all maintenance included.” This is a very easy number to understand, but it is filled with margin. Unless your copier rep is a member of your church, office or business in Colorado Springs, you most likely were squeezed out of your hard earned money.
When a plan is sold with “no overages,” it really means is the quote has up to three times more copies than you really make every month. If your average volume is 10,000 monochrome copies, your plan really has 15,000 to 25,000 worth of copier toner figured into your quote. This is why, we at Colorado Springs Copier recommend overages right around your average monthly print volume: Especially for churches and non-profit organizations. With giving down this year, non-profit groups are struggling to make their monthly bills. Having a over priced copier contract they’re committed to makes budgeting even more difficult.
Another part of the plan that can cost you a lot of money is the “maintenance included” option. Maintenance is not generally that expensive, but if it’s “included” in your one number copier lease, you’re most likely overpaying.
My advice to the church administrator, non-profit director, and office manager is this: ask for a detailed quote from every copier sales group in Colorado Springs. If your copier rep is hesitant about writing a detailed price quote, you should absolutely look for another one. By buying smart, you’ll ease the squeeze on your budget and know you’re being wise with your finances. Give us a call for (a detailed!) quote on your copier contract or copier sales question here in Colorado Springs.
What Customers Should Know About Copiers and Won’t Ask
Tags: Colorado Springs copiers, Copiers in Colorado Springs, purchasing a copier in Colorado Springs
Is Your Head in the Sand About Copiers?
Maybe it is laziness, maybe it’s sloppiness, but more than likely it is just being too busy. How many people really have the time to do accurate and in-depth copier research? Who really wants to? The basic idea most people have is they want a copier in Colorado Springs that is not a hassle and that works well. If you are looking at a copier in Colorado Springs, what are some simple things you could be looking for?
- First, do you need a color copier or a black and white copier? Your answer to this question is worth thousands of dollars.
- Second, do you actually need tabloid capable copying? If you ask “what is tabloid paper (11 X 17), you likely do not.
- What sort of speed requirements do you have?
- What volume do you print and copy a month?
You don’t have to have your head stuck in the sand in regards to your next copier purchase in Colorado Springs. Just a few simple questions thought out can save you thousands of dollars!
Small Copiers for Small Budgets in Colorado Springs
Tags: Budget Copiers, Colorado Springs, Copiers Colorado Springs, Desktop Copiers, Small MFP
Small Copiers for Colorado Springs
I have been getting asked more and more recently to help customers find a high quality color MFP for around $1,000 here in Colorado Springs. While this would be ideal in a slower economy, I don’t think such a device exists. There are “less bad” desktop MFP’s than others, but the cost per print is pretty high on these devices. The one we’ve had the best luck with is the Xerox Phaser 6180 MFP. So, if you need a color MFP in the desktop variety, I would say to go ahead and get the Phaser 6180MFP because it is the best one I’ve found. However, there are some things you need to know about the desktop color copier market (especially the laser models).
First, there are two types: Single Pass and Multi-pass
Single pass is preferreable. Single pass means the paper only has to go through the imaging units once. The multi-pass have to go through once for each color. This is why you will see multi-pass units run about 1/4 the speed in color as they do in black and white. 31/8 or 20/5 or 16/4 are all common BW/Color speeds for multi pass desktop MFP’s. 21/20 would be a more common a “single pass” speed rating.
Second, if you have 3 page (plus) jobs, make sure you get the ADF models, otherwise you’ll have to put one sheet on the glass and then the next one, etc…
Third, is fax included? Most people assume the fax is included on all MFP’s. It is not. When you see a “Starting at” price, it is usually the print/Copy/Scan version-NOT the fax version.
Fourth, the cost per print. This gets more crucial as your volume of prints go up. MFP’s in this class can range from about $.15 to $.40 per print. If you are doing 100 prints or more per month, this cost can be substantial.
Overall, I only reccomed this option for very low color volumes with low projected color needs. If you print over 100 prints per month, and you know you will continue to do so, a larger machine with a contract will save you hundreds over the next couple years. Feel free to give me a call for your Colorado Springs color copier needs. I’ll analyze your exact needs and recommend the right machine for you.
Common Questions on Copiers
Tags: Copier Colorado Springs, Copier Lease, Copier Tips Colorado Springs
Copier Questions
If you’re like most Colorado Springs business, church, or office personnel doing copier research, you are trying to do two things. First, you’re looking for actual product information and second, you’re making sure you’re doing due diligence to assure you’re not getting a bad deal.
This post is designed to help you with the second concern. There are great product reviews boards out there (a friend of mine has The Laser Printer Center site), which can help you get product information.
Here are some basic ways your new copier contract can be good…or taking you to the cleaners:
First, if you include equipment, supplies and maintenance: paying $.02 or less combined per print is AWESOME. Paying $.03 is fairly average, and paying $.04 or more is too much. How can you determine this if you already have a contract? Take your payments, say $380 a month for 15,000 included prints and you’s be able to see this example would be $.0253 per print. This would be in the “Good” range. Aim for being under $.03 with the equipment included (very important!). If you’re over this, you are probably getting taken for a ride.
What are some other ways to guage your copier contract?
If you don’t do tabloid paper (11 X 17), not to be confused with Legal paper (8.5 X 14)… you should not spend more than $5,000 on a copier or $150 a month on a 3 year FMV lease (equipment only). There are excellent options in the $2,500 range. Sales reps who tell you nothing under $5,000 will work for your 3,000 pages a month are more concerned about their commissions than your needs. Tell them to take a hike! Here’s a basic guide to cost per print:
$.01 or better is excellent, $.02 or worse is bad, $.013 is about average for most customers (including the cost of supplies and maintenance–equipment is separate.)
With speeds, everyone’s need is different, however here are two basic guidelines for determining your needs:
1.) 40 Pages or higher for B&W is good; less than 40 pages a minute can be suitable for low volume applications.
2.) Higher than 60 pages a minute is a bit of an overkill for customers doing less than 20,000 pages a month.
For your color copiers, here are some general ranges for your Letter/Legal needs:
A great deal is $.06 or less,
An average price is $.08,
$.10 or more per print should only happen in 1 of 2 cases… super high end color (graphic designers, for instance on tabloid paper) or if you have very low volume (500 pages per month or less).
Give me a call with your copier questions and needs here in Colorado Springs.
Making Your Copier Work With Your Budget
Tags: Budgeting for your Copier, Color, Copier, Copiers Colorado Springs, Copiers in Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs Copier Information
As I continue writing these posts, you will most likely see a consistent theme of me warning against “overbuying” for your needs. With some budgets shrinking, people are facing the opposite problem more often. I will have customers here in Colorado Springs tell me they are doing 5,000 prints per month and they want to look at a $400 to $600 HP device the HP LaserJet M2727NF MFP. Don’t get me wrong, these MFP’s do have their place, but it’s certainly not for the person doing that kind of volume! There are several factors that need to be addressed in every copier sale if it is going to serve the customer in the most efficient way.
First, what work actually needs to be done? Second, what volume of work needs to be done? Third, what steps are you willing to do to get job done? Fourth, what is the convenience worth if you are buying add ons? Fifth, is the device appropriate for your job? That’s a lot of information you need to address, but if you do, it will help narrow your search field before you even talk to a copier rep. Now, lets look at the next step:
Now that these questions are answered, you can look at the 4 components of copier cost,
1) The machine
2) The Maintenance
3) The consumables
4) The personnel costs (and what is the most appropriate device for the job).
All four of these are very pertinent copier questions, and I highly recommend having any copier sales person who calls you spell them out. We are happy to help you answer all of these questions and quote you the best copier for your specific needs. Give us a call here in Colorado Springs!
Recession Printing: How to Save (or Spend) a Bundle on Color
Tags: Color, Color Copier Colorado Springs, Color Copies, Color Copy
Color Copier Colorado Springs
Even with a new administration and lots of stimulus cash out there, the economy is still in a stall. People are worrying about their jobs now more than ever, and this is causing some interesting trends in the copier and printer industry. One big trend is that of businesses and churches bringing printshop outsourcing “in house.” It is more labor, but for the possible savings, it can be a huge money saver. Bringing your printing in house may be a good idea. However, it may not if you don’t fully understand how color costs are computed.
The first thing to be aware of is that for most color printers/copiers (i.e. Lexmark, HP, Kyocera, Konica, Ricoh, Okidata, Xerox, etc…) there is a rated coverage. This is 20% for color and 5% for Black and white as an industry standard. When there are deviations (for example Kyocera rates some cartridges for 6% coverage) it will be noted on the spec sheet. Higher coverage means more toner is used on your print. However, this does not necessarily mean more of the page is covered in toner.
A brochure with 120% coverage may wind up costing twice of what it would have cost to go to a printer. However a 50% coverage brochure may be the same cost as your print shop. There are ways to get per-print charges no matter what your coverage, but you need to assess your average coverage per color print…or you could make a bad scenario worse.
The second thing people face is purchasing a less expensive printer (to keep the budget low), without looking at long term consumable costs. If you buy a cheaper color printer, say an HP CP1510, you would feel great about spending less than $300 for the printer. However, if you are printing 2,500 sheets a month (about a ream a week) using standard office color (20% coverage), at the end of three years, you would have spent more than $12,500 than you should have. The “super expensive” Xerox 8860 printer would have worked out to be $12,500 less expensive over that 36 month period? You might have wasted over $10,000 just because you didn’t have all the information before you purcased your machine.
Reasons like these are why having a consultation with us can help you radically reduce your costs on these devices. We actually consult and show you how to save significant money while INCREASING productivity. Feel free to give us a call with questions or quote requests.
Colorado Springs Copier: Who We Are
Tags: Colorado Springs Copier, Copiers Colorado Springs, Copiers in Colorado Springs, IntroductionThis is my sales blog on copiers, color copiers, and MFP devices for the Colorado Springs Area. My goal is to provide you with quality, useful information. I figure if I shoot straight and give you useful advice and insider tips, you’re probably going to call me first for good advice and a quote on your next copier. The information here is to the best of my knowledge, and as an industry veteran, I think you should pick up some useful tips. Like car sales, there’s a lot of margin in the imaging business, and with that margin, a lot of people end up over-paying and getting burned because someone wanted to make a quick sale.
My goal is to get and keep your business through honest advice about your copier and printing needs. I want you to be around in 5 years because I plan to be. The tips I’m giving you will ultimately help you do a couple of things. First, they’ll help you find the best copier or MFP for you. Second, they will help you recognize plans that are over-priced or less than straight forward in your copier rep’s sales pitch. I hope you enjoy the information, and I look forward to working with you in the future. Give me a call for a quote or advice–for either one, you’ll get my best.
Colorado Springs Copier
Colorado Springs Copier
