Posted on July 10, 2022

I'm often asked, which machine should be purchased for (office, business type, application) and I will always ask the FIRST crucial question: 'What is your monthly volume for printing and copying COMBINED, and if you also want to scan documents WITHOUT copying them, what is your monthly scan volume going to be? HOW MANY PAGES? Inevitably I'll get a vacant stare, or a brutally honest 'I don't know'. 

Here's how to find out: 

Every machine made today has a page count, and if equipped with scan will also have a 'pages scanned' count. Many will also separate how many were scanned from adf AND glass, and most color machines will also report how many black AND full color pages printed. 'BUT how do find these magical numbers, and then what', you ask?

1. Read your user manual, most counts can be obtained either by printing a report or pressing certain buttons in the control panel menus standing at the machine. Some also have a web admin page which may also show counts.
2. If printed, save these pages for ONE MONTH for an accurate read, or longer if your business and/or usage is seasonal (tax accountant for example).
3. Remind yourself to get another count display/print on the exact date you set (month, quarter, year) and subtract counts in #3 from #2. 

DONE! 

You now know your monthly volumes, and can buy the correct size machine for your needs. Just remember, the cheap machines are usually quite expensive for toners/inks and other supplies you can use or wear out. Worse yet, they are usually not cost effective to repair when they've been used more than they were designed to handle.