Tips For Saving Money On Copier Expenses When Your Company Has A Small Budget

Even if you have a small office with just a few employees, you'll need some sort of copier. While you might have complex color documents printed by a printing service, there will still be times you need copies made for internal use. Buying a copier is a big decision, since they can be costly. Here are some tips for buying and using a copier when you have a small budget.

Buy A Printer That Also Copies

If your budget is tight and you don't make many copies, you can buy a printer that scans and copies, too. A scanner is a useful office tool, but it's something you don't want to use for large copying jobs because it isn't cost-effective. As long as you keep your needs small and have large jobs sent to a printer for making copies, then your office might get by with an affordable and versatile printer.

Make Only Black-And-White Copies

Although printing in color is a nice option, a color copier costs more to purchase and to operate. Black ink is less expensive, so consider outsourcing color printing if it's necessary and just buy a black and white printer. However, if you do want a color copier for the convenience of making all of your copies in the office, then keep the setting on black and white or grayscale all of the time, and only switch to color when you must print in color. Otherwise, you'll use the color ink cartridge to create black ink and use up the expensive ink much quicker for no reason.

Consider Leasing

If you can't afford a nice color copier like your office needs, then consider leasing one to start. You'll pay less initially so you can get the printer sooner. The downside is you won't be paying to own the copier, but the upside is you'll have someone to service it and manage problems if they arise. Leasing could be a good solution if your company is stable and you can afford the costs, which include use of the machine and maintenance.

Monitor Staff Usage

Once you have your copier installed, you want to save money on ink and paper to keep your costs low. One way is to assign login credentials to employees so the copier only works when a staff member is logged in. This helps you monitor how much paper each person uses so you can cut down on personal use of your copier. If your employees know you're monitoring paper, then they may be less likely to copy things unnecessarily. An alternative is to copy a page to a PDF file and send it to the cloud to be read from devices at a meeting. Another thing you can do is to require double-sided printing to save on paper. You can also buy inexpensive, thin paper for office use and save the deluxe paper for copies given to clients.

A multifunctional copier is an important addition to your office whether you make a lot of copies or just a few, especially if you need to make copies for clients. Whatever type of copier you buy, be sure all of your employees understand how to use it so they can use it most efficiently to avoid wasting ink and paper. To learn more about copiers, contact a company like Webster Integrated Technologies Corporation-WIT CORP.