The Datamax Thinking Blog

You could end up spending more and have productivity suffer in your business if you always opt for the cheapest copier you can find.

We're all price-sensitive as we try to meet our budgets (personally or in business) – what's the best deal? Where can I get it cheaper? Is this a good price?

Too many people think that they'll save money going with the cheapest copier that they “think” might match their needs.

Sometimes, these folks even get lucky and are right (even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and then); experiencing years of reliable service from the cheapest copier they could find. 

In my experience, that's the exception.

There's a difference between “cheap” and “inexpensive” and then “value.” I love to golf. Playing at a local course is entertaining and often cheap. However, there's a world of difference between that experience and playing rounds of golf at St. Andrews in Scotland, one of the oldest golf clubs in the world.

If you're always looking at price, you're often going to miss out on real value – and pay more in the long run. Now, I'm not saying that you need to jump from “cheapest copier I can find” to paying for an expensive, high-speed device with bells and whistles you don't need (or a once in a lifetime trip to a great golf course!).

What I am saying is that value and success and lowest cost aren't the same thing.

Reasons why the least expensive copier probably isn't.

1. Is it the right copier? Copiers come in many sizes, speeds, and mix of capabilities (for security, app-enable enhancements, and more). Focusing on price can lead you to choose a copier that doesn't actually do everything you need it to do. Need to print high-quality color prints no good stock for your marketing campaign? Not on that “best price” copier that can't handle the paper stock or print at a high-enough resolution.
2. If you bought a copier that isn't known for quality, you could end up becoming good friends with your local copier repair company – and spending more on break/fix repairs than if you'd spent a little more for a quality product.
3. Duty cycles. “Duty cycle” is the phrase manufacturers use to describe how many pages per month a copier, printer, or scanner is engineered to handle per month. Higher speeds and duty cycles cost more. If you make the mistake of buying a copier with a duty cycle of 10,000 pages per month, but actually print and copy 20,000 pages per month that machine will break down more frequently and will need to be replaced sooner than if operated at its rated speed.
4. Did you even need to buy a copier? There are advantages to buying and leasing office equipment. Look at both options before deciding which is the right path for your business.
5. You think a copier is a copier is a copier. While true that all copiers today are multifunction devices that print, scan, copy, and fax; they aren't all created equal. There are different capabilities such as paper handling, resolution, finishing options, productivity apps, different output speeds and duty cycles, and more that need to be considered before you just “buy a copier.” The least cost alternative might be the best fit for you. Or you could find that paying slightly more could provide a boost to your overall productivity. Focusing only on price blinds you to opportunities.

On the flip side, it's important not to overbuy either. If you don't need the fastest most advanced copier on the market, you shouldn't buy or lease it. Like Goldilocks, you want the one that's just right for you. Or, to go back to my golf analogy, playing 18 holes of Putt-Putt isn't as satisfying as playing 18 holes on a golf course when that's what you want to do.