Archives for March 2014

A Copier Guide? What’s that??

March 31, 2014 by copiercorner

By now, you may have come to terms with the fact that you have no clue how to choose the new office machine you so desperately need. You’ve browsed the web, spoken to a few know-it-alls, but to no avail. What on earth is the duty cycle? And how do you know how to work out what volume you need??

You may want to check out our Specs for Dummies to help you out. But if you’re still at a loss, you’re in luck. Your answers are on the way, in the Copier Guide by CopyFaxes, soon to be released.

What’s that you want to know..??

Here you go!

4 Signs That You Need To Invest In A New Printer

March 16, 2014 by copiercorner

Ready to pull your hair out because of an old printer? Whether it wouldn’t print that paper you worked on all through the night, or you didn’t have that vital printout you needed for your presentation, you know that you need to do something about that machine already. So, do you call in the service guy? Or is it time to buy yourself a new printer?

Here are some tell tale signs that its time to say goodbye to your old printer:

1. When there are smears and bleeds all over your printouts, and splats of ink cover your documents, its time for a newer model. Don’t ruin your hard work because of an old printer. Splats of ink do not make for a very professional-looking project.

2. All printers make some noise before and during the printing process. But if your machine is thumping away and it sounds like you have a drummer sitting on your desk, you may want to start doing some research for a new printer. Excessive movement is also not normal – your printer should stay sitting right where you put it.

3. Are you having a hard time finding the driver to install your printer? Can’t find the replacement toner or ink? When your printer model gets really old, retailers stop selling the consumables and they are difficult to get hold of. And when you do find what you are looking for, you will pay a lot to keep that old printer running. This is a sure sign that you need an upgrade, and your new printer will probably be cheaper to run

4. New model printers are packed with convenience features so that you can print easily from any device without even turning on your computer. If printing starts to feel like a hassle and you wish for easier ways to get things done, replace that old model with something new so that printing is as easy as it should be – 2014 style.

Don’t wait till your printer really goes before looking for something new. Make sure to start researching with enough time to make a decision and get it delivered before you are stuck with no printer at all.

Which is it?! Maximum Monthly Duty Cycle or Recommended Monthly Print Volume?

March 3, 2014 by copiercorner

Have you wondered about the terms “maximum monthly duty cycle” or “recommended monthly print volume” when studying the specs of a copier machine or printer? Did it ever surprise you how one particular machine could have a maximum monthly duty cycle of 10,000 pages with a recommended monthly print volume of just 250 pages??

Read on to gain a better understanding of what this all means to you…

In general, the Maximum Monthly Duty Cycle is the maximum number of pages a device could deliver in a month. The Recommended Monthly Print Volume would be the amount to print to keep your machine in optimal condition.

Don’t go by Maximum Monthly Page Volume Regularly

A great way to understand this is by comparing these numbers to the speedometer on a car. A speedometer may go up to 160 mph. This means that in theory, it’s possible for this car to drive at 160 mph. However, this is not the recommended speed for the car to drive at on a daily basis. Your car is
unlikely to have a very long life if used in this way. In the same vein, your machine can approach the maximum monthly duty cycle on an occasional basis, but you would not want to run it at that rate continuously, just as you wouldn’t want your car to run at the highest possible speed on a daily basis.
Putting your machine to work at its maximum monthly volume would result in it needing very frequent service visits. However, if an occasion arises and you want to use your machine as much as you can without breaking it, that’s where the maximum monthly duty cycle number should be considered. Take that number and divide it by 30 (the number of days in a month) e.g 10,000 divided by 30 = 333. So occasionally, your machine should be able to handle the workload of 333 pages in one single day without falling apart. But by no means should it be used as heavily every day!

Go by Recommended Monthly Print Volume Instead

The Recommended Monthly Page Volume is the number that needs to be considered most when deciding which machine is most suitable for you. By using your device daily according to this number, that should keep it at its optimum functionality.

Conclusion

If a product runs out of its optimum zone every now and then, no problems should be anticipated. However, if it is consistently operated above that zone, or close to the maximum duty cycle, it will more than likely need lots of maintenance help. In order to be satisfied with your purchase, go for office machines with a recommended monthly print volume that matches your needs!