Black-and-white Copiers Do They Still Fit Your In-plant?

In an era of multifunctional printers and decreasing color costs, does it make sense to hang onto your black-and-white copiers?

By Jeff Smith

Is it still viable to place a black-and-white digital copier in the in-plant environment? It depends on your organization's culture and how jobs get to the in-plant.

I recently had a discussion on this very subject with the manager of a print shop in a large school district. She has had the support of the business and technical operations in her district, allowing her to use Web-based submission and the school network along with connected multifunctional devices.

Her answer to the above question for her environment is a clear "no." However, she pointed out that there is a segment of the in-plant market that doesn't have the resources or the technical support to create a connected environment. For them, the answer may be "yes."

In a further discussion, she said it is very important to upgrade equipment every three to five years to ward off the facilities management (FM) companies that say they can turn around jobs faster and at a lower cost. Make sure you have one multifunctional device, perhaps in the office area and get used to the new technology.

The fact still remains that you want to work with a vendor who is not out to just sell the latest and greatest devices, but a vendor who will take the time to understand your operation and partner with you to implement new technology—at a pace that's right for your organization.

For several years, vendors have been trying to get the cost and speed of color output to be more in line with black-and-white output. It is not uncommon to see a mid-volume digital copier with speed differences of only four to six pages per minute (ppm) between black-and-white and color. In addition, the cost of the color output is often more in line with the black-and-white output.

Though the color output from these devices is considered "business color" and not intended to take the place of high-quality full-color digital copiers, these machines do provide more versatility than your run-of-the-mill black-and-white copiers. Plus, many of these devices also have increased paper supplies—some were observed to have as many as 4,800 sheets on board when a large paper capacity tray was added. They also have finishing features, like saddle-stitched booklet making and two- or three-hole punching.

Why should you consider replacing your monochrome copiers with such new devices? For one thing, not only can they handle your black-and-white output, they can produce short-run business color projects quickly and usually at a lower cost per copy than a full-color copier.

They can also scan hard copy documents at a faster speed than analog copiers, which enhances productivity, as long as scanning speed matches output engine speed.

What of advancements in toner? Many of the leading manufacturers have developed new toners that boost quality while lowering the required temperature of the fusing section. This reduces power consumption while maintaining quality. They may also claim to have smaller particles that will extend the yield of the toner. These new toners are also supposed to be more environmentally friendly.

Validate Vendor Claims

No matter what the vendor claims, ask for validation, such as test results from Buyers Laboratory Inc. or Better Buys for Business. These companies run reliability and productivity tests and provide the results to the manufacturer. As an example, Better Buys for Business recommends you don't assume that high-speed equals heavy duty. Copier manufacturers can take one engine and "tweak" it to increase or decrease speed.

Let's say one manufacturer has a 70-ppm copier that is at the bottom of a family range of 70-ppm to 105-ppm. Another has a 70-ppm copier that is on the top of a family range of 40-ppm to 70-ppm. That engine has been "stretched" to accommodate the increased speed and may be less heavy duty than the other manufacturer's copier. Ask for proof sources of any claims the manufacturer makes as to the productivity of a digital copier.

Lease, Don't Buy

It's a good idea to lease equipment for three years with the option to renew in increments of one year. In some cases it is necessary to extend the initial term to four or five years due to the high cost of the equipment. In any case, these leases will not lock you into ownership of the copier and will allow for upgrading periodically. The industry is changing rapidly; to remain competitive, you must take advantage of the frequent advancements in technology.

A fair market value lease will offer the lowest monthly payment and not demand ownership at the end of the lease. Do not include service in the lease. Do get a quote on the increase in your monthly payment if you decide to add multifunctionality to the copier. Most of these devices are upgradeable, and you need to establish this cost at the beginning of the agreement so there are no surprises if you decide to upgrade down the road.

The bottom line here is, what is right for you and your operation? We have not reached the point of obsolescence in the digital copier market as we did with eight-track tapes. These black-and-white devices are still available and may be the right choice for your in-plant.

The consumer does not change equipment as frequently as the vendor would like, and you must decide at what pace your in-plant will adopt new technology. Look for a "partnering" vendor to help you accomplish your goals.

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Jeffrey A. Smith is the president of Pro Buyers LLC. Pro Buyers provides independent advisory services to organizations looking to install new copiers. For more information about the company, visit:

www.ProBuyersLLC.com