The Datamax Thinking Blog

In-plants are facing heightened competition for filling press capacity, keeping work in-house, and adapting to a changing landscape. There’s little room for leaning on “the way we’ve always done it.”

There’s this old joke about plants and generational groups. “What did the young plant say to the old plant? OK, bloomer.” Jokes aside, there’s relevance to that pun here... plant or in-plant. As the COVID era wanes and parent organizations get back to full speed, and as print/buyer demands continue to evolve, there’s no denying the fact that, for in-plant printers, the times are changing.

How can you guarantee a Return on Investment without overarching control and full visibility of your print environment and end-user activities?

Leaders are routinely tasked with taking the “10,000 foot-view” perspective.

After all, it’s from this vantage point far above that reveals the entire landscape. Without a global view, it’s hard to make decisions and strategic moves that benefit the entire organization. It’s not uncommon in most technology engagements to host strategic, pre-rollout assessments and then actively monitor and control the relevant landscape.

Superintendents, campus IT, and administrative teams must work together to maximize budgets while managing printing proactively to deliver a secure, accessible print environment for everyone on campus. This is where a Print Management solution becomes a valuable asset.

Mark Twain has this funny quote about a teacher’s first day back in the classroom.

“Describing her first day back in grade school after a long absence, a teacher said, ‘It was like trying to hold 35 corks underwater at the same time.’” IT administrators on campus might often feel the same.

There likely won’t be an obvious indicator that it’s time to replace your trusted copier or printer. However, there will be signs.

If your office had one essential worker, it would be your Multifunction Printer/copier.

It works diligently and consistently, without much of a break. It also multi-tasks in unique ways, printing, copying, scanning, faxing, and finishing to help you complete workflows and custom print jobs every single day. Of course, from its initial unboxing to its final resting place in the boneyard (the area of a copier dealer's warehouse where it is eventually stripped for parts), your copier has a  certain life span.

Here are 7 points to consider when evaluating whether to choose a copier dealer or a direct manufacturer.

Discovering the right blend of printers and copiers for your office, from brand to specific model to where these devices are strategically placed, comes with no shortage of options and decisions.  Signing on to a 60+ month lease is a big move, raising the stakes on choosing wisely.

The numbers detailed below will say a lot about the level of service you can expect (and subsequent downtime), capabilities in applying technology to your business needs, and frankly just how well they take care of their clients. 

It's always good to know your numbers.

When you lease or purchase your next copier or printer, you're likely entering into a long-term relationship with a provider; and not all copier companies are created equal.  Beneath conversations about speeds and feeds, lease details, onboarding logistics, and in some cases, gimmicks and slick advertising pitches, there are some hard numbers that cut through the fat and help you make the right decision.

What happens when Zero Trust encounters your print environment?  How do you avoid compromising an otherwise locked-down IT environment? How do you retain the ability to print as needed? 

For a rising number of organizations today, when it comes to security, trust simply cannot be earned without proper approval. No exceptions. Seventy-two percent of organizations are either in the process of adopting Zero Trust Security or have already adopted it, according to Statista.

Resolution should be the target metric for service providers because it reveals a technician’s know-how and the resources available to him or her to get you back up and running as quickly as possible.

Let’s face it, your copier, printer, or Multifunction Printer WILL need service.

Even at the efficiency at which today’s MFPs operate, the need for drum, feed tire, or fuser replacement is essentially inevitable. Anyone who’s purchased appliances, TV/Phone/ Internet Services, or a vehicle knows that the quality of service tied to that product can make (or break) your experience long-term.

Almost all types of “business equipment” new or used that your company buys or finances will qualify for the Section 179 Deduction and/or Bonus Depreciation.

Need a little additional "incentive" to close out your year with the acquisition of office technology? Section 179 and Bonus Depreciation are two components of the 2017 TCJA (Tax Cuts and Jobs Act) that present potential tax savings for your organization if you're in the market for copiers, printers, or other related technology hardware or software.

But you'll need to act fast.  To maximize the current incentive, qualifying equipment must be financed or purchased before January 1, 2023.

Let's face it. Applying the right security settings and ensuring best practices can get complicated fast, but Canon’s Unified Firmware Platform (UFP) simplifies that for you.

Firewalls, VPNs, anti-virus protection... these are all commonplace in today's tumultuous cyber security landscape. It goes without saying that cybersecurity is a top initiative for organizations aiming to protect sensitive information and their reputation.  What about your copiers and printers, and their inherent need for protection? Perhaps less commonplace.