04 May Print, copy, scan and fax all in one device
Did you know that between 7% and 15% of your business revenue is spent on paperwork – creating it, managing it and storing it?
If you want to minimise that overhead, you need managed print services that cost less and increase productivity. Welcome to the world of multifunctional devices.
What do multifunctional devices do?
Multifunctional devices are digital print engines that can scan, print, copy and fax. Some are networked and offer new features like scan-to-email and scan-to-folder. Others offer dual mono and colour capability.
Space saving
Space is an expensive commodity. A single multifunctional device has a quarter the footprint of four separate standalone devices. With the cost of city space as high as £350 a square meter, a multifunction device can save you £10,000 over a three-year life.
Great value
A multifunctional device typically costs only 25% more than a single function copier or printer and far less than four separate devices. Because it’s modular, it’s a great idea to buy a device that will grow with your business. For example, you might only require a copier function now but it can be upgraded to add print, scan and fax functionality when required. Likewise many paper handling and finishing options can be added after purchase.
Saves on running costs
Savings can also be realised in running costs. Your multifunctional device will have a single service contract and only one set of consumables to buy.
For the greatest savings, look for a multifunctional device with a digital laser engine. These have low-cost ‘click’ service agreements, which mean toner, drums etc. and servicing are included in a single price, based on the number of pages you produce. This is much more cost-efficient than paying for servicing and consumables separately.
Increases productivity
With a multifunctional device, you’ll dramatically improve your office productivity. Choose a device with paper handling options and you’ll be able to feed paper from different trays and to sort and staple automatically, saving you time and giving you a highly professional-looking document.
New functionality
Scanning is a cheaper option than faxing and it enables you to email high resolution documents from the device itself. Network scanning is an integral feature of many multifunctional devices, enabling your documents to be scanned and sent directly to email or FTP server. However, it’s a good idea to have a fax option in your multifunctional device as you may still need to send and receive documents like orders and despatch notes. A multifunctional device with a fax capability can help reduce document costs with faxes printed at the same low click price as a standard copy or print.
Improving the quality of your output
The quality of your documents is critical to your reputation – a colour document says more about your business than a flat black image. Some manufacturers now offer colour capable multifunctional devices incorporating all the functionality of a mono device. If you’re looking for a colour device, check the colour output speed. To maintain office productivity, it should be as near as possible to the mono output speed.
Works seamlessly
A true multifunctional device integrates all features seamlessly. All functions are controlled through a copier style operation panel and finishing options selected at the device or from a print driver. As a rule of thumb, everything the copier can do, the printer can do too. This includes finishing. With an optional finisher, multifunctional devices can deliver professional looking booklets, magazines and reports in-house, saving the expense of using external printers and speeding up the process.
Manages your documents
Storing documents manually can be a waste of space, not to mention inefficient and open to human error. A good multifunctional device can help revolutionise how you store your documents. You can quickly convert documents to digital data then, using scan-to-email or scan-to-folder, they can be stored on PC or even in the memory of the multifunctional device itself.
Innovation from Sharp
Sharp are leaders in the office equipment market offering you a range of 20 innovative, multifunctional printers. All are guaranteed to increase your productivity and reduce document costs.
We can help you choose the right multifunctional device for your business.
