Buying or leasing an A3 color copier is one of the bigger technology decisions your office will make this year. The machine you pick will be in your office for three to seven years, and it will affect your team’s productivity and your monthly budget the entire time.
This guide gives you a clear process for choosing the right copier. No jargon, no sales pitches, just the practical steps that lead to a good decision.
Step 1: Know Your Print Volume
This is the single most important number. Everything else follows from it.
Check the meter on your current copier. Most machines have a counter in the settings menu that shows total pages printed. If you have had the machine for a known number of months, divide the total by the number of months to get your average monthly volume.
If you do not have a current copier or cannot find the meter, estimate based on your team size:
- 1 to 10 people: 1,000 to 5,000 pages/month
- 10 to 25 people: 5,000 to 15,000 pages/month
- 25 to 50 people: 15,000 to 30,000 pages/month
- 50+ people: 30,000+ pages/month
These are rough averages. Some offices print much more or less depending on their industry. A law firm with 10 attorneys might print 15,000 pages a month. A tech startup with 30 people might print 3,000.
Once you know your volume, choose a machine where your number falls in the middle of its recommended monthly volume range. Do not push to the top of the range. Leave room for growth and busy months.
Step 2: Decide What Color Percentage You Need
Most offices print 70% to 90% black-and-white and 10% to 30% color. Your color percentage directly affects your monthly cost because color pages cost 5 to 10 times more than black-and-white pages.
If your color usage is under 10%, you might save money with a separate black-and-white copier and a smaller color device. But for most offices, a single color MFP that handles both is simpler and more cost-effective.
Ask your vendor to show you the cost difference between:
- Printing 20% color at your volume
- Printing 30% color at your volume
The monthly cost difference can be significant. Knowing your actual ratio helps you negotiate a fair page allotment.
Step 3: Match Speed to Your Team Size
Copier speed is measured in pages per minute (ppm). Here is a guide:
- 25 to 35 ppm: Small offices, light use, 5 to 15 users
- 36 to 50 ppm: Mid-size offices, moderate to heavy use, 15 to 35 users
- 51 to 65 ppm: Large offices or departments, heavy use, 35 to 60 users
- 65+ ppm: Very large offices or production environments
Speed affects wait time at the machine. At 30 ppm, a 100-page document takes about 3.5 minutes to print. At 50 ppm, the same job finishes in 2 minutes. At 60 ppm, it takes 1.5 minutes. These differences add up when multiple people queue jobs throughout the day.
For most Madison offices, a machine in the 40 to 50 ppm range offers the best balance of speed and cost.
Step 4: Evaluate Scanning
Scanning has become as important as printing for many offices. Paper files are being digitized. Contracts are scanned and emailed. Medical records, invoices, and legal documents all flow through the scanner.
Key scanning features to evaluate:
- Single-pass duplex scanning: Scans both sides of a page in one pass. This is twice as fast as machines that flip the page. If your office scans more than a few pages a day, this feature is essential.
- Scan speed: Measured in images per minute (ipm). Entry-level machines scan at 60 to 80 ipm. Mid-range machines hit 120 to 160 ipm. High-end machines reach 200 to 240 ipm.
- Document feeder capacity: How many pages can you load at once? Most machines hold 100 to 300 sheets. If you scan large document stacks, higher capacity saves time.
- Scan destinations: Email, network folders, USB, cloud storage (Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox). Make sure the machine supports the workflows your team uses.
- OCR (Optical Character Recognition): Converts scanned documents to searchable PDFs. Most modern machines include basic OCR. Some include advanced OCR that is more accurate with complex layouts.
Step 5: Consider Finishing Options
Finishing options are the accessories that handle your documents after printing:
- Stapling: Inner finishers handle 30 to 50 sheets. External finishers handle 50 to 100 sheets.
- Hole punching: 2-hole or 3-hole. Added as a module to the finisher.
- Saddle-stitch booklets: Folds and staples pages into booklets. Useful for schools, churches, and marketing departments.
- Folding: Z-fold, C-fold, and half-fold for mailers and brochures.
These add to the purchase or lease price. Only add the features you will actually use. You can always add finishing options later if your needs change (though it is cheaper to include them upfront on a lease).
Step 6: Look at Total Cost of Ownership
The sticker price (or monthly lease payment) is just one part of the cost. Total cost of ownership (TCO) includes:
- Machine cost (purchase or lease payment)
- Toner and supplies
- Maintenance and service
- Paper
- Energy consumption
Here is a 5-year TCO comparison for two Kyocera models at 15,000 pages per month (20% color):
Kyocera TASKalfa 3554ci (35 ppm)
- Lease: $225/month x 60 = $13,500
- Overage and paper: approximately $4,500
- 5-year TCO: approximately $18,000
Kyocera TASKalfa 5054ci (50 ppm)
- Lease: $325/month x 60 = $19,500
- Overage and paper: approximately $3,800 (lower per-page cost)
- 5-year TCO: approximately $23,300
The faster machine costs more overall but delivers lower per-page costs. If your volume is growing, the 5054ci may cost less per page over time. If your volume is stable at 15,000, the 3554ci is the better value.
Step 7: Check the Service Agreement
The service agreement is just as important as the machine itself. A copier that breaks down and takes three days to fix costs your office more in lost productivity than the repair itself.
What to look for:
- Response time guarantee: Same-day or next-business-day in the Madison metro area
- Parts availability: Does the vendor stock common parts locally, or do they ship from a regional warehouse?
- Certified technicians: Are the techs factory-trained on the brand you are buying?
- Uptime guarantee: Some vendors guarantee 95% or higher uptime. If they miss it, you get a credit.
- Remote monitoring: Modern copiers can report issues automatically. Your vendor should be aware of problems before you are.
Your Decision Checklist
Before you talk to a vendor, write down:
- Your current monthly print volume (B&W and color separately)
- How many people will use the machine
- Whether you need finishing (stapling, booklets, hole punching)
- Your budget range (monthly or upfront)
- Must-have features (mobile printing, cloud scanning, secure print)
Bring this list to at least two vendors and compare their proposals on total cost of ownership, not just monthly payment.
What to Do Next
If you are in the Madison area, we can help you work through this checklist and put together a recommendation based on your specific needs. Fill out the form on this page or give us a call. No pressure, just numbers and answers.