When searching for a copier one of the questions you need to consider is if you want a printer that is capable of tabloid printing. These are copies that are 11’’X17”, or twice as large as a traditional legal sized piece of paper. While only about 3% of printed pages need tabloid printing, most business owners end up with a printer capable of printing A3 sized copies.
Many copier leasing companies push the tabloid copiers because they are more expensive, and business owners generally lean towards them because they are bigger, and look like more powerful machines. Part of this is true, as most tabloid printers have a larger engine inside, making them the better choice for most businesses that are doing a very large volume of prints, over 30,000 copies a month. However, if your company keeps its amount of copies on the lower end of the spectrum, there is often very little incentive to buy the bigger, more expensive machine.
An A4 copier, the type that does not do tabloid printing, will often offer everything that most people need for their business:
- A reliable copier that will consistently work throughout the entirety of the lease
- The ability to do color as well as black and white copies
- Quick copies and a faster warm-up time than A3 copiers
Industry averages say that most people will end up spending an extra 40%, or $7,000, over three years when they buy a tabloid printer instead of an A3 printer that would do exactly what they need it to. Consider what you actually need your copier to do, and if you cannot justify using tabloid prints on a regular basis, then you may want to consider staying away from bigger machines that will cost much more.
