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| Buying a Copier or Fax Can Be Downright
Confusing! Purchasing a copier or fax machine for the office can be an onerous task. With the proliferation of brands and models, copy machines are becoming more complex. Copiers today do more than just makes copies. They can double as an office network printer, duplex, staple and sort. Copier toners are less expensive than printer toners so there has been a gradual migration to print everything to the copier. Of all the name brands out there, where does one start reviewing, comparing and price shopping for a copier? The top 3 brands are Canon, Toshiba and Sharp. From there, there are 3rd tier brands worth looking at such as Ricoh and Copystar. Copystar is not a well known brand but it has made significant inroads into the office, and since it is made by a big japanese manufacturer, it's breeding is good. Color Copiers Can be Very Nice to Have Color copiers have become another welcome addition to the office environment. How many times have you wanted to make a color copy but couldn't. Presentation done in color can make the difference between a dull report and a report that can win you kudos. Copiers with color capability have come down in price significantly. We'll be reviewing some of the better color copiers soon. Canon has some models definitely worth looking into. Word about Fax Machines Fax machines appear to have become inexpensive commodities. With the advent of email, faxing has become less important in the work place. Facsimiles were a quinentessential office machine in the 80's and 90's, but as email, and scanners become more powerful and user friendly, fax machines have definitely lost some of its glitter. Fax machines basically translate the paper image into analog signals so that it can be sent via the phone line. Manufacturer's of fax machines are the usual suspects: Panasonic, Brother, Canon, Toshiba, Sharp. Brother appears to have cornered the low end market, selling hundreds of thousands of machines under $150. They appear to own the SOHO market. Question of the Day: How does a copier make those nice duplicate images? High Tech Copier Imaging The same process is used in both xerographic copiers and laser or printers. A charge image is formed on the surface of a photoconductor and this pattern of electric charge attracts a pattern of colored plastic powder. The powder is then transferred to paper and melted into the paper's surface to form a print. The main difference between a copier and a printer is in the source of light used to produce the charge image. In a copier, lenses and mirrors are used to form a real image of the original document on the surface of the photoconductor. Wherever light from the white portions of the document strikes the photoconductor, the photoconductor becomes an electric conductor and charge is able to move. The pattern of light then becomes a pattern of charge--a charge image. In a printer, a laser or an array of light emitting diodes is used to form the pattern of light on the surface of the photoconductor. Wherever the light strikes the photoconductor, charge is again able to move about. Dot by dot or row by row, the charge image takes shape. The pattern of charge that's written on the surface of the photoconductor eventually becomes the printing itself. Copier Buying Points (Factors to Consider) When deciding on a copier, you must know what you need. There are several factors to consider when making a buying decision for a copy machine. Owning a copy machine can mean monthly service costs and a small office shouldn't have to deal with that. You may just want to consider a small Canon personal copier and be done with. For the office that needs faster copying, and if you do more than 100 copies a month, then a more robust copier should be well considered. Copier buying factors and considerations: :: Budget (Price) :: Number of Copies Needed per Month :: Duplexing (Do you need to print on both sides of the paper?) :: Stapling (Do you need to automatically staple pages together?) :: Multiple Sheets (Will you need to print multiple sheets at one time?) You may then want to consider an automatic feeder. :: Reducement and Enlargement. (Will you need to enlarge or reduce the original page?) Question of the Day: How do color copiers work? The Magic of Color Copy Machines They assemble 4 colors, yellow, cyan, magenta, and black together to form the final image. The photoconductor creates charge images using blue, red, green, and white illumination successively and uses those images to form patterns of yellow, cyan, magenta, and black toner particles. These particles are then superimposed to form the final image, which appears full color. Naturally, the photoconductor used in such a complicated machine must be sensitive to the whole visible spectrum of light. Continued >> |