Buying Office Equipment

There are many factors to consider when purchasing or leasing a printer or a copier.  We only address here those relevant to paper use.

General
	Printers and copiers designed for higher capacity (more output per month) usually duplex better than slower ones, so consider having fewer, larger printers and copiers.  You can often save money on the initial cost of the equipment and on operating costs.
	Look for printers, copiers, fax machines, or multi-function devices with good power management features.  The easiest way to do this is to look for the Energy Star label.
	Resources. Look for purchasing guidance and product information from the Federal Energy Management Program's Procurement site, or the EPA Energy Star program's site.
Copiers
	High speed copiers always can make duplex copies, and low speed machines never can.  If you are getting a copier over 20 copies per minute, be sure that you get one with a duplexing unit.  Also try to get a copier that can be set to 'default duplex' and insure that it is installed that way.
	Try to get a copier that has image combination features, and look for how easy it is to switch between different copying modes (1:1, 1:2, 2:1, etc.).
	Some copiers duplex better than others; ask sales people to explain to you why the machine they are offering duplexes better than competing models.
	Low paper jam rates while duplexing is also an attribute to look for.  If you buy many copiers, consider one of the services that tests machines and reports how well they work.  One such service is Buyer's Laboratory.
	Duplex copying is usually slower than single-sided copying; if the speeds are too different, many people will avoid duplexing, so when buying a copier, ask about copying speeds for a variety of modes.
	Some copiers duplex better than others; ask sales people to explain to you why the machine they are offering duplexes better than competing models.
Printers
	High speed computer printers (those above 30 copies per minute) usually have duplexing units as a standard feature, but these are fairly rare in ordinary office settings.  Low speed printers never can make double-sided prints automatically.  The slowest we found of currently available modes is 12 pages per minute.  If you are buying a medium speed printer, it is best to buy the duplexing unit to begin with.  Even if you don't, be sure that you get a model that can have the duplexing unit added later.
	Defaulting to duplex is sometimes set for the printer, applying to all users.  Sometimes each individual printer driver needs to be set to default to duplex.
	Look for printers with faster duplexing speeds.  Something that is difficult to assess is the ease of use of printer drivers, but drivers with an interface that 'hides' duplexing and n-up printing features will discourage people from using them.
	If your office has a computer network, consider replacing several small printers with one large printer that defaults to double-sided output (this avoids the need to have the software work well with duplexing).  You can also try using one smaller, older, printer for single-sided output.
Fax Machines
	Look for faxes with 'duplex faxing' capability.
	If you send or recieve many international or legal-size faxes, look for models that can automatically reduce these on send or recieve to fit on one page.
	Consider a multi-function device (MFD) with fax capability.  A small MFD (less than 10 cpm) may replace a fax and an inkjet printer.  A larger MFD (20 cpm or less) may replace a fax and a printer, and even serve as your office copier.

 
 

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