Stop Calling Them Copiers!

Is the word “copier” obsolete? After all, today’s multifunction products (MFPs) do so much more than just copy off the glass. And since most jobs arrive as digital files, isn’t “printer” a better word? Why, then, do people keep calling them “copiers?”

“The term ‘copier’ is becoming a bit outdated,” agrees Paul Albano of Canon USA. But stopping users from uttering the “c” word may prove a bit difficult, he acknowledges.

“These devices began as ‘copiers’ performing a single function,” he notes. “It will certainly be a hard task to rebrand the machine that many have known their whole lives as a ‘copier.’ MFP, while a perfect name to describe the device’s current functions, may take some time before it catches on.”

Those who sell the products have made the switch, notes Jason Dizzine, senior manager, product marketing at Ricoh—just not the users.

“Most of the time the products are referred to as ‘MFPs’ in the industry, but the copy function is still a huge part of the document life cycle,” he says. “In most of these environments the MFPs are referred to as ‘copiers’ by the actual end user.”

“There is no question that the market is transitioning from stand-alone copiers to multifunction devices at an increasing rate each year,” adds Leah Quesada, director of product marketing with the Xerox Office Group. “However, we continue to hear customer feedback that many businesses are still in need of basic copiers.”

So even though “copier” may not be the best word, it isn’t exactly inaccurate.

“In essence, to copy means to reproduce something,” points out Canon’s Albano. “So in reality, people are still copying at the machine and producing reproductions, so the term is not entirely obsolete, and the populous seems content with the name ‘copier’ for now.”