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.