How to Choose the Best Office Copier Machine for Your Business

Trying to find the best office copier machine for you can be tricky. That’s because “best” means something different for everybody, since every business has their own needs and priorities.

To make it easier to sort out what’s right for you, we’re breaking out the top 5 criteria that people are most concerned about when they ask us: “what’s the best office copier machine?” Then we’ll share exactly what to look for to find the best brands or models for each one.

What does the “best” office copier machine mean to you?

Obviously, when choosing a copier you will have specific requirements such as print volume capacity, scanning capabilities, and color vs. black and white printing (just to name a few). However, there will by many options that meet your requirements. So how do you choose the best office copier machine from all of those options? Consider these top 5 criteria.

1. Most popular office copier brand

One way to judge what’s “best” is to look at the most popular brands – the ones most often purchased by businesses like yours. To determine that, you need to look at market share numbers. That’s because products that perform well and make customers happy tend to end up as market leaders.

The firm that measures market share (in the US and worldwide) for copiers and multifunction printers is called IDC. They are the leading global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets.

In IDC’s latest Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker, Canonemerged as the market leader across three categories of office copiers and printers:

Total A3 U.S. Copier/MFP (black & white and color)
Total U.S. A3 Copier/MFP (black & white)
Total U.S. A3 Copier/MFP (color)

(Wondering what an “A3” printer is? That means the machine can print on paper up to 11”x17”, also known as tabloid size.)

2. Award-winning office copier brands and models

Another way to pick out the best office copier machine is to look at which ones are winning reputable industry awards in the printer category you’re interested in.

Check out Buyer’s Lab (BLI) to find out which copier brands and models have won awards. For more than 50 years, BLI has been a trusted resource for unbiased and trustworthy information and test data about the copy and print industry. BLI’s test reports, Pick Awards, and Line of the Year Awards are the most important awards that printer and copier brands, lines, and models can earn.

Once again, Canon ranks highly for all BLI award categories. These are just a few of the awards Canon has received in the past year:

BLI Copier MFP Line of the Year 2018 (third year in a row!)
BLI PaceSetter Award for Outstanding Serviceability 2018-2019
BLI PaceSetter in Ease of Use: Enterprise Devices 2018–2019
Outstanding Printer for Small and Home Offices: Canon imageCLASS LBP214dw/LBP215dw
Outstanding MFP for SMBs: Canon imageCLASS MF525dw
Outstanding Entry-Level 25-ppm Color Copier MFP: Canon imageRUNNER C3025i

You can visit the BLI website to see awards for the brands and models you’re interested in.

3. Most reliable office copier models

Reliability is up at the top of everyone’s list of “best” office copier machine criteria. Nothing else matters if the copier machine jams frequently, breaks down often, and interferes with the work you need to accomplish.

So how do you measure which copier and printer models are most reliable? For starters, you can look at test reports and awards from BLI.

Last year’s BLI test report (where Canon was awarded multifunction printer line of the year for the third consecutive time) concluded the following:

“Each of the 14 current [Canon] models BLI tested tout easily-replaceable components, extraordinarily comprehensive usability, and an astonishing overall misfeed rate of just 1 every 426,000 impressions, making them some of the most productive and reliable machines to pass through our labs to date.”

BLI Lab Test reports for individual printers. BLI tests and reports on the performance of individual printer models. You can look at their reliability rating, which is based on a 2-month, 25,000 impression test. By the way, Canon models always come out flawless, with no misfeeds on any products. If you don’t find a test lab review for a Canon model you’re interested in, contact us at SOS and we may be able to get it for you.

And, there are other numbers you can look at to learn about reliability.

Drum life. The drum is one of the most important parts of the copier. If it breaks, that can be a big expense with significant downtime. Many copier brands have drums that aren’t built to last. Canon, on the other hand, has made drum reliability a priority. That’s why they build drums to last as long as the machine does.

Service technician training. If you machine does need service, how fast can you get service from a highly trained technician? Getting fast, quality service can mean the difference between being down for a few hours and being down for days (or longer). Getting reliability isn’t only about choosing the best office copier machine, it’s also about choosing the best copier service company.

Learn more:

Copier Service in NYC: What Response Time Should You Expect?

How to Evaluate Office Copier Service BEFORE You Buy

4. Fastest office copier models

For some offices, print speed is not all that important. But for others, especially those doing a high volume of printing, a slow copier is a major productivity killer.

If speed is critical for you, look at print speed numbers (expressed in “pages per minute” or PPM) for the models you’re considering.

Canon models are among the fastest, topping out at 145 PPM for black and white printing, and 100 PPM for color printing.

5. Most economical office copier models

Price is going to be a top criteria for many businesses. However, when you’re considering cost, don’t only look at the purchase or lease price. The operating costs during the lifetime of the machine may well be a lot higher than the cost of the hardware, especially if you print a lot of color. If you want to minimize your expenses over the long term, you have to look at operating costs.

To determine that, you need to look at the printing cost per pagefor each of the models you’re considering. You may be surprised to learn that those costs can vary drastically.

Your dealer can show you those numbers, which include toner or ink, parts, and service. Basically everything except the paper. To compare these numbers and get a complete picture of printing costs, you need to look at more than the printer brand and model; you must include the cost of your service contract.

Learn more: Printing Cost Per Page: 4 Ways to Spend Less

Want some help picking the best office copier for your business?

If doing all this research is beginning to sound like a chore you don’t have time for, Superior Office Systems can help. If you’re located in the New York City Metro area, we can spend a few minutes talking through your needs and priorities, and recommend the best office copier for your budget. Request a quote online to get started!