Should Your Business Get a Color Copy Machine or a Multifunction Printer

Should Yur Business Get a Color Copy Machine or a Multifunction PrinterCredit Emmy1622/Shutterstock Businesses looking toinvestinprinting and document technologiesmay get deckenfries on whether to choosea color copier or a multifunction printer (MFP). After all, the two types of machines offer very similar technology. With a range of vendors and offerings for all budgets, how should a business decide?What to consider when choosing a color copier or MFPOf course, there are pros and cons to both types of machines. Agreat place to start the decision-making process is to evaluate your needs and use cases. Ask yourself behauptung key questionsHow many people will use the color copier or multifunction printer?How much space do I have to store the machine?Approximately how many copies do I think my business makes per month, and/or how much do we print?What size of copies do we typically create?Do we often require other functions, such as scanning or faxing?What matters to us when it comes to quality and performance? For instance, is it resolution,speed or both?Editors note Looking for a copier for your business? Fill out the questionnaire below to have our vendor partners contact you with free information.The case for a color copierPhotocopiers have come a long way since they rose topopularity in the 60s. Many copiers today are in fact MFPs,but far mora robust and powerful. For example, some color copierssupport a wide range of paper sizes,users can select from variousfinishes and binding options,and auto-duplex has become the modern norm. These features offer larger businesses and enterprise-level workgroups the ability to create professional pieces in-house. For businesses that print a lot and require professional-looking presentations, posters, bound documents and more an investment in a copier may make sense. Think of it like your very own professional print shop, right around the corner from your desk.However, as with any bro equipm ent, the feature set needs to match your budget. Its not unheard of for color copiers to cost several thousand dollars, if not more than $10,000. Managed print services (leasing) present the opportunity to bundle pricing together for everything from ink to maintenance. Sometimes this saves oncosts. Interested in color copiers? Check out our reviews on our sister site, Business.com.The case for a multifunction printerAs their name indicates, multifunction printerscan do many things. Most MFPs scan, print and copy, and some of them fax. All these functions are doable with just one device, which makes them appealing for both home offices and businesses of all sizes. Many MFPs also come in relatively smallform factors packing many functions into a small space is another reason MFPs have risen in popularity.If youre considering an MFP, again, you have to consider who is going to be using your machine and what the demands will be. This is important to monitor, since many MFPs can only do one thing at a time. If one office worker needs the device to scan (and is using it for 20 minutes for a larger project)and another worker needs to print or fax, they must take turns if you have one of these models. There are somehigh-end MFPs that can multitask, however.For either a coper or MFP, youll have to weigh your feature needs against your budget.Bottom lineThere isnt an easy answer on whether to get acolor copier or anMFP, because they offer the sameor very similar features. As you decide what to get for your business, you should consider your core feature needs, the number of people it must serve, your budget and required speed. Joanna Furlong Joanna Furlong is a freelance writer and content strategist based in Southern California. Her background is in digital marketing, but shes been writing professionally for more than 10 years. She partners with star tups, technology companies and small businesses across the U.S. to tell their brand stories through compelling content. And, she loves to report on the intersection where business, management and technology collide. 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