Benefits

Cost Effectiveness

Modern digital devices are highly efficient, more economical with toner and consumables and require less maintenance and emergency attention.

If a multifunctional approach is adopted, (i.e. a device handling more than one type of work), capital costs and outlays can be significantly reduced.

Increased production speed, less wastage, reduced downtime and consumable needs improve the overall cost effectiveness of the given solution.

Multi-functionality

In office equipment terms this means "more than one function from a device".

Multifunctional benefits include:

• A single device can incorporate – photocopiers, printers, facsimiles and scanners
• Simplified maintenance arrangements
• Simplified consumable requirements
• Single power point and a reduction in electricity costs
• Reduction in office pollution
• Simplified staff training on a single device

Networkability

The modern device can be connected to your computer system whether you have a standalone pc or a vast network.

Networking advantages include:

• Photocopier based printers increase speed and productivity, reduce the average cost per A4 page from approx 3.5p excluding maintenance to under 1.0p per A4 page including maintenance
• Small printers scattered across a network can be replaced with one larger high quality device
• Networked facsimile machines provide all the flexibility of a conventional stand-alone fax with the option of transmitting the document straight from your computer screen
• Networked scanning devices can send documents to retrievable archive files, across the network to another computer or as email
• Increased operation speed

Productivity

A combination of longer life components and improved process techniques results in modern devices producing much higher levels of productivity than previously available.

Documents can be scanned at higher speeds and resolutions and finishers no longer need to reduce the design speed. Automatic double-siding has seen a significant increase in speed and can even be the same as when producing single sided work.

For example

In 1998 –
A 50 copy per minute photocopier would only produce 50 per minute when copying a large quantity from one original.

If a document feeder or sorter were added, the copy speed would drop to around 40 per minute.

When using automatic double-siding, copy speeds could drop to 25 per minute.

In 2010 –
A 50 copy per minute digital copier will maintain a full 50 per minute even when collating.

When using automatic double-siding, the copy speed will be approx 48 per minute.

The modern digital device is smaller than its analogue predecessor and will produce much less noise.

Reliability

Reliability is one of the most important issues today. As more documentation is produced in shorter time spans "uptime" is of paramount importance.

Today's digital devices make the most use of modern technology and developments requiring less attention and maintenance than conventional analogue equipment.

Digital devices use less "mechanical" processes in the production and handling of documents and so are less likely to have hardware problems.

Example
Older analogue devices: The automatic double-siding unit stored paper in a reservoir before producing the second side. This laid hot paper next to cold causing condensation and subsequently paper jams.

Today's digital devices: Automatic double siding now produces both sides of a piece of paper before proceeding to the next sheet vastly increasing productivity and fewer paper jams.

Digital devices monitor the copy/print process by internal processors ensuring quality and an economic use of consumables.

Upgradeability

Previously, when additional facilities were required, it was expected that the whole device would need to be changed. Very often the lifespan of a product was dictated by its abilities rather than its wear and age.

Today's modern devices are designed with change and "upgrade" in mind. Rather than replace the entire device it is now common practice to add additional modules to enhance the original specification, and to extend the product's useful life.

For example:
A "stand alone" photocopier can become a high speed, low running cost network printer. Later it can become a high capacity facsimile machine and then a high speed scanner for document archiving and document email.

A "stand alone" facsimile can become the office printer as well, with the addition of a print board and additional paper supplies.