Find the Right Copy Printers in Anchorage Alaska

Any large purchase for a business should be done with careful consideration. You should take the time to think over all your options, compare the choices available to you, consider your specific needs, and discuss your budgetary restraints. While it may seem like a relatively mundane purchase, buying a new copy printer in Anchorage, AK, for your business should receive the exact same amount of consideration. With a wide variety of models, features, and price points available to you, navigating this selection process can feel overwhelming. That’s why we’ve put together a step-by-step guide to walk you through every stage of finding the right copy printer for your business. 

Step 1: Assessing Your Business’s Needs

Before you begin shopping for a copier, take the time to assess your business’s specific needs. Consider all of the following factors during this stage:

• Volume of Printing and Copying: How many pages does your business print and copy each month? If you have an office with high print and copy volume, you’ll need a more robust machine. For smaller offices with lower demand, a more compact device may be more than enough.

• Type of Printing: Do you need color printing, or will a simple black-and-white printer do? Color copiers are more expensive but they’re essential for businesses that produce marketing materials or documents with lots of colored images.

• Functionality Requirements: Does your office need an all-in-one copier that also prints, scans, and faxes? Multifunction devices can streamline operations by combining several devices into one; while they will cost more than a single-function device, they’re typically cheaper than buying separate machines for each function. (And, of course, 1 machine will take up less space.)

• Connectivity Options: Consider whether or not you need wireless printing, printing from the cloud, and mobile device connectivity. Even if you’re not currently relying on these functions, you should weigh the benefits of having this kind of feature for your workers to use.

• Security Features: If your business deals with any sensitive information, look for copiers that have security features like user authentication, encryption, and data overwriting functions.
  

Step 2: Establishing a Budget

Considering your budget is an important factor in any big business decision, and choosing a copier is no different. Copiers come in a wide range of prices, so it’s important to set your budget before you start shopping (though it may be worth looking at the current prices on the market if you’re not even sure where to begin with setting your budget). Keep in mind that you need to consider not only the initial purchase price, but the ongoing maintenance and supply costs as well. You should also weigh the option of leasing versus buying, as the former might help you get a higher-quality machine on a smaller budget, while the latter will cost a bit less in the long run.

A very basic office copier can cost just a few hundred dollars, but won’t have a lot of functions or have a very high output. High-end commercial models, on the other hand, can have all the bells and whistles with unbeatable print speed, but may exceed $10,000 to purchase.

Step 3: Comparing Copier Features

When comparing different copier models, it’s important to pay attention to the key features they offer. Here are a few points of comparison to keep in mind:

• Print Speed: A copier’s speed is extremely important for high-volume businesses, as it reduces bottlenecking at the printer during daily work functions. Print speed is measured in PPM, or pages per minute. Small offices are likely okay with 20 to 30 PPM, while larger businesses might need a printer that provides over 50 PPM.

• Print Quality: Print quality is measured in dots per inch, or DPI. A higher DPI means a sharper image and clearer text. Standard office copiers usually have a DPI of 600 x 600, while a high-end model designed for printing lots of images can offer 1200 x 1200 or even higher.

• Paper Capacity and Sizes: If your business prints large reports, legal documents, or any other specialized documents, you need to ensure any copier you buy can handle those varying paper sizes and types. A basic model is likely to only handle basic office paper.

• Automatic Document Feeder and Duplexing: These 2 features are essential for efficient scanning and double-sided printing. They both save you time when printing and copying large documents, while also reducing your paper consumption.

Step 4: Researching Copier Brands

At this point, you should have a good idea of what you want and need from an office copier. Now, it’s time to find something on the market that matches those wants and needs. The first step to that is finding a brand you feel comfortable with. There are many printer brands on the market, both large and small, so you should take the time to research them and gain a basic understanding of what they’re best known for. For example, Canon is known for reliability and high-quality printing, while Xerox is best noted for its cutting-edge technology and security features.

Once you’ve found a brand that’s right for you, you can look into the individual models they sell to find the right one for your needs. With a checklist of your wants and needs in hand, matching a brand’s printer models to your office’s printing needs should be a cinch.

Step 5: Deciding Where to Buy

Now you know what you want to buy, but where do you buy it? You don’t necessarily need to order it directly from the manufacturer. It’s often easier and more convenient to find an authorized dealer in your area. Here at Arctic Office Products, we are an authorized dealer of many different business printers in Anchorage, AK. Give us a call or stop by our showroom to find the ideal copier and printer for your company.