What is this A4 everyone is talking about?

Since I started in the office technology business in 2004, 99% of the copiers & printers I have sold had the ability to do 11 x 17 copying, printing & scanning. Needless to say, I was surprised when I read a study from an industry publication that stated that a mere 3% of all documents printed in the world are printed on 11 x 17 (A3) sized paper. Now that I think of it, that makes sense. The majority of the printing I generate is for orders or proposals, and nearly all of those are printed on 8 1/2 x 11 (Letter) sized paper.

Then I started to think to myself, "When do I actually print on 11 x 17?" The answer: Only when I have need to show a client a very large amount of information on one sheet of paper. Many of the spreadsheets I create to present data to my clients are printed on 8 1/2 x 14 (A4) paper.

Now, you may ask, "Why does it matter what size paper I print on?" Here's why: a traditional 50ppm Lanier A3 multifunction copier will typically hit the street for around $12-$15,000, while a Lexmark A4 55ppm multifunction printer will go out the door for LESS THAN $6,000. Did that get your attention? Yes, you can get a faster machine with all of the same features (minus certain finishing options) for less than half of what a traditional A3 machine would cost.

Is this too good to be true? Yes, and no. For the general office environment that generates most of its output via printing, does only occassional copying & does not need to print on 11 x 17, an A4 product is a PERFECT fit. For a Plano private school that runs mostly copies, I would recommend a Lanier MFP 1000% of the time. The traditional copier-based MFPs simply have faster, higher quality, more robust document feeders than the A4 printer-based systems. Additionally, if your office needs to only do basic black & white or color scanning, and the quality of the image does not have to be outstanding, a Lexmark A4 MFP would be a great fit. On the other hand, if your office needs to scan photographs & business documents that present a professional image to your clients, a Lanier MFP is the only way to go.

The key is give & take. If your priority is to be able to perform the most basic of business functions from your MFP, either product will work out fine for you, so I would recommend a Lexmark A4 MFP due to the lower Total Cost of Ownership & the fact that you can get everything you need & more for less.

If you have any questions about which product might be right for you, please Contact Me, and I will do my best to recommend the correct solution for you, even if it means pointing you in the direction of my competition.

The 1st Plano Copier Blog Post

Thank you for taking the time to stop by my blog. My name is Nathan. I am 29 years old. And, admittedly, I am a massive copier dork. Don't believe me? Do you know what kind of copier is used in any of your favorite TV shows? On NBC's "The Office", Pam can be seen making copies from time to time on a Panasonic copier.

I started this blog as a means to connect with I.T. professionals, facilities directors & other key influencers & decision-makers in my sales territory. I market the latest office technology products from Ricoh, Lanier, Lexmark in a burgeoning sales territory in North Texas that includes Plano, Carrollton, Richardson, North Dallas, McKinney & Allen, in addition to some of the smaller surrounding cities. Most companies that I meet with on a daily basis refer to my products as copiers, printers, multifunction devices, MFPs, amongst other names.

The fact of the matter is that I market products that modern businesses could not operate without. These products are more than just copiers & printers. While everyone knows how to Scan to Email/Folder, many businesses do not know that technology is available that allow you to convert image files to text, Scan to Excel, Scan to Word, & even scan TEXT documents that are immediately converted to WAV (audio) files. In other words, users can safely review content from quarterly reports, proposals & other critical business documents while listening to them on CD from the comfort of their car.

Obviously, I am an obvious office technology geek, & this initial blog does not contain much content, but I look forward to posting content in the near future that can serve as an online resource for companies of all sizes in the D/FW area. For additional information on the products & services I represent, please visit my website: http://www.nathanmaust.com/ or feel free to send me an email.

I look forward to sharing more information with you in the near future.