How do I know what size copier my office needs?

Start from twelve months of actual meter readings, split between black and colour. Choose a device whose recommended monthly print volume comfortably exceeds your monthly average, then confirm it handles the paper sizes and finishing you need.

What is the difference between duty cycle and recommended volume?

Duty cycle is the absolute maximum pages a device can survive in a month. Recommended monthly volume is what it can sustain reliably for its full service life, and is typically 10 to 20 percent of the duty cycle. Always size to the recommended figure.

What copier do I actually need?

What's actually going on

Copiers are specified by monthly volume, speed, paper handling and finishing. Nearly every bad purchase comes from getting the volume wrong in one direction or the other.

Undersized machines fail early because they run permanently past their recommended monthly volume. Oversized machines cost more per month for capacity that is never used.

Speed matters far less than most buyers assume. The first page and the scan path matter far more.

What to do in the next 48 hours

1Get twelve months of meter readings from your current machine or your invoices. That is your real volume, split black and colour.
2Decide whether you genuinely need 11x17, and whether you need stapling, hole punch or booklets. Finishing is what drives price at the top end.
3Count how much of your work is scanning rather than printing. If scanning dominates, prioritise the feeder and the scan workflow, not the print speed.
4Size for the recommended monthly volume, not the maximum duty cycle. The maximum is a survival rating, not an operating target.

The honest tradeoffs

One larger central device is cheaper per page than several small ones, but it is a single point of failure and adds walking distance.
Desktop units are cheap to buy and expensive to run. Under about 2,000 pages a month that is fine; above it, it is not.

Your next step

Rather just talk it through with someone local?

203-777-0011 Or request service

Questions people ask next

How do I know what size copier my office needs?: Start from twelve months of actual meter readings, split between black and colour. Choose a device whose recommended monthly print volume comfortably exceeds your monthly average, then confirm it handles the paper sizes and finishing you need.
What is the difference between duty cycle and recommended volume?: Duty cycle is the absolute maximum pages a device can survive in a month. Recommended monthly volume is what it can sustain reliably for its full service life, and is typically 10 to 20 percent of the duty cycle. Always size to the recommended figure.

More on a copier I have to choose

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