The Benefits of Digital Copiers Over Their Analog Counterparts
Johannes Gutenberg and his printing press made printing affordable and available to common folk outside of the clergy. His type of printing remained the standard until the 20th century.
Modern day printers have a long history of advancements. It all started in 1939 with the invention of a Xerox printing process. This type of dry printing that was the building block for modern-day laser printers.
With all technology, there is also a drive to move forward and make better products. That is why the digital copier far outweighs the value of analog copiers.
Read on to learn the benefits of digital copiers for your business.
How Digital and Analog Copiers Work
To understand the benefits of digital copiers, we first have to understand how both digital and analog copiers work.
An analog copier relies on a mirror inside the copier to project the desired image onto a drum. The drum acts like a balloon, you can charge it with static electricity.
That static attracts the fine powder of the toner onto a sheet of paper that is also charged with static electricity. The tiny toner dust particles fuse to the paper when they roll off the drum.
Then the copier pushes out the final product. A photocopier is an example of an analog copier.
Digital copiers work differently. These copiers use a scanner to make a digital copy of the document. Lasers make an impression of the desired layout and imprint it onto the drum. Toner is again applied to the drum and fused to the paper.
The main differences between digital and analog copiers are the way in which they receive an image. Analog copiers rely on a mirror to transfer the image to the drum.
Analog copiers are basically taking a picture of an image and printing it. that’s why analog copiers may output grainy or smudged printouts.
Digital copiers use internal memory and lasers to make a high-quality replica of the image. These printers are reproducing a digital image. Often, the copy could pass as the original.
Benefits of Digital Copiers
Now, let’s look at the benefits of digital copiers in greater detail.
Size
Analog printers have historically been large machines that took up quite a lot of space in an office. One of the advantages of digital technology is that digital printers require a fraction of the space.
This means that digital printers can be used in a variety of home and office settings without compromising work-space.
Quality
We mentioned this one already, but it bears repeating. The difference in quality between an analog and a digital printout is stark.
If you’ve ever made a photocopy of a photocopy, you know how quickly the quality can degrade with each reproduction. A digital copier will output a new replica of the original instead of making a copy of it.
This makes all the difference in the sharpness and brightness of the final product.
Cost
The upfront, in-store cost of a digital copier will almost always be higher than an analog printer. But, digital copiers cost less over the long run.
For one thing, digital copiers have fewer parts that could break and require maintenance. Fewer parts mean fewer new parts you’ll need to buy in the future. Also, maintenance and repairs will be less expensive with fewer parts.
A digital printer’s toner typically gives a high page yield. In other words, you can print more pages on one toner cartridge compared to the toner for an analog copier.
The cost per page is a measurement of how much each printed page costs you. To find this number, simply divide the cost of the ink toner by the page yield.
Learn more about how to estimate a printer’s cost per page.
Better Functionality
As digital copiers use an internal memory it is possible to transfer images to other digital devices. Analog copiers are unable to do this. They can just do 1 thing: make a copy of a physical document.
Digital copiers have multiple functions that can serve you well. They can send documents via email or fax. You can connect this machine to your network to have a high-quality network printer and scanner.
This means that you just need 1 machine to do the job of 3. If you are able to rid yourself of various duplicate machines you save money.
Improved Efficiency
Due to the multi-functionality of digital copies, workflow efficiency in your office will increase. Your staff will not need to line up at the photocopier in the copy room.
Instead, employees can print, staple, fold and fax right from their desktop computer. That means they can keep working and pick up their papers when they have time.
Making the switch to an in-house digital copier also reduces (or eliminates) the need for outsourcing print jobs. This can save your team time and save you money.
Smaller Carbon Footprint
Many digital copiers bear the Energy Star logo. this means that those printers have passed third-party testing and are considered more green than the national average.
Digital printers go into sleep mode to conserve power when they are not in use. The toner cartridges after often made from recycled parts. And because you are able to print more pages per cartridge, that is also good for the environment.
Plus, digital printers are smaller. that is less plastic needed to make them and less plastic that may end up in the landfill.
When considering which digital copier to choose, take a look at the eco option available to see how you can do your part to keep our planet healthy.
Check out this list of places you can donate your office copier when you no longer need it.
Bottom Line on Digital Copiers
We hope you found this article about the benefits of digital copiers helpful. As digital technology continues to advance, digital printers will continue to offer more functions and produce increasingly high-quality copies.
Next, learn how to choose the right office copier for your needs.
