Paper jams in the document feeder remain at the top of the list and the causes are varied: half-eaten biscuits, letter openers and other items that shouldn’t be anywhere near a photocopier.

At other times, they’ve found unwanted tenants in some copiers. Mice love copiers as they are a warm and snuggly place for a nest. You can imagine the outcome.

You can, though, take some simple steps to avoid such mishaps by making sure your copier is well looked after.

Your copier’s home

Like you and me, your photocopier wants to live in a comfortable and clean place.

• Ideally, copiers should be in the same room as your server to maintain the surrounding temperature and humidity levels.  However, this isn’t always possible. Therefore, keep your photocopier somewhere that is not too cold or too hot and avoid placing it near windows or sinks
• Dust isn’t as big a problem as it used to be for copiers as new machines are better designed to minimise dust getting into the workings. Still, you should ensure the copier is in a relatively dust-free area.  If dust is unavoidable – such as at building sites or in factories – consider covering the copier with a dust sheet when it’s not in regular use
• At the first sign there may be mice or other unwanted visitors near your copier, make sure you place traps out as soon as possible before they discover their potential, new home

A healthy diet

The only diet a copier likes is dry, clean paper.

• Always check the paper in your paper tray isn’t damp (especially after long weekend or holidays)
• Always remove staples from paper before copying it
• Make sure the paper you’re either copying from or two isn’t dog eared
• Check whether the thickness of the paper you use is compatible with your copier – either refer to the manual or give us a call
• Re-using paper is fine as long as it is in good condition

Staying clean

Always keep coffee and other drinks and food away from a copier – they just don’t mix.

However, at times your copier may need a freshen-up to get rid of marks or dust. In this case, spray a small amount of multi-purpose cleaner onto a soft cloth and wipe the machine. Never use sprays directly on the machine.

Stubborn marks on the glass can be cleaned with a little methylated spirits on a soft cloth.

Regular check-ups

Modern copiers have an inbuilt alert to let you know when they are in need of a general check-up and service.  This service is important to ensure your copier continues to run smoothly.

So when your photocopier tells you it needs a service, don’t leave it too long to call your provider. In the case of some machines, the copier may automatically shut down if the service alert is not heeded soon enough.

See our Handy Hints page other useful tips

Barwon Copying Solutions has taken delivery of  Cube® printers – compact desktop 3D printers which offer big potential.

Boasting a 140x140x140 mm print space and an easy-to-load cartridge, Cube is an excellent entry level printer for companies and individuals wanting to introduce themselves to 3D printing.

Perfect for ages 8 to 80, Cube works straight out of the box with plug-and-use simplicity. It is the only consumer 3D printer that meets IEC 60950 Printer Safety Requirements meaning that it is the only consumer 3D printer safe by at-home use by adults and children.

With a print resolution of 200 microns (or eight millimetres), Cube also provides businesses with an affordable option for entering the growing market of rapid prototyping. It prints both recyclable ABS and compostable PLA plastics.

Cube retails for $1799 (inc GST) and comes with one free plastic cartridge, WiFi connectivity and free software for Mac or Windows.

Find out more

Contact Us

Cube product page 

However, it’s been a few years since you’ve had to find out what’s available and there is a big choice of brands, features and packages now available.

To help out, here are six points to consider when buying a new copier to make sure it is the right choice for you.

1. Calculate how many staff will use the copier

The number of people who will use the copier will help determine the size and print speed of the machine you need. Generally, the bigger the copier, the faster it prints:

• A small office with a team of less than ten people will only need a copier with a print speed of 20 to 40 pages per minute (ppm).
• An office of 20 to 50 people needs a faster copier to avoid long queues waiting at the copier for print jobs to finish. Therefore, you’ll probably need a copier with a print speed of 40 to 55 ppm.
• Larger offices with 50 or more people should consider a machine that can print 60 or more pages per minute.
• If just one or two people are using the copier, smaller desktop options are a good choice but, as outlined below, make sure you consider other needs before finalising your decision.

2. Determine how much printing and copying you are likely to do each month

Obviously, the more people using the copier, the more printing it will do. But sometimes even smaller offices may regularly print large documents.

In this case, consider buying a faster copier. The larger machines usually have bigger paper trays meaning less time spent topping up them.

If you only occasionally print big documents, a smaller machine will suffice.

3. Decide whether you need a colour copier or a black and white

Copiers now come in either full colour or black and white models. Many businesses opt to buy a colour machine and have it defaulted to black and white printing. That way you minimise your running costs but still have colour printing available, if needed.

4. Find out about copy costs

Typically, copier suppliers will provide you with a service contract where you pay for each copy or print done by your machine:

• A double-sided print is charged as two copies
• Black and white print costs should be cheaper than colour.

In return for the copy costs, you should get free replacement toner cartridges or general service call outs during the course of your contract. Check your contract to confirm this.

It is also worth checking:

• what, if any, increases in charges there could be over the course of the contract
• the length of the contract. Do  you have an option to replace or upgrade the machine in a few years, if  required
• whether the copy costs cover your supplier’s service support costs. If the copy cost seems very low, it may mean you will not receive timely and adequate after-sales service.

5. Decide what extra features you need

Printing, copying and scanning are now standard on most copiers. As a result, the term multi-function device or MFD is widely used to refer to copiers.

There is also a range of other add-ons available to buy but make sure you need these features before committing to them.

For example, if you do a lot of printing, purchasing extra paper trays so that your staff don’t have to waste time constantly reloading the standard trays is probably worthwhile. However, if you only do a minimal amount of printing, extra capacity is not necessary.

Similarly, if you print lots of long reports or documents that need stapling, a staple finisher is a good idea. But if you only print files of three or four pages, your desktop stapler will suffice.

You may not need some features straight away but they could be useful in the future. Always check to ensure the copier you buy can be fitted with the extra features later if need be.

6. ‘In the cloud’ (and other software options)

The latest buzz-phrase in the copier industry is ‘managed print services’. This term tends to refer to a variety of applications from being a fancy way of describing a service contract through to  software packages you load onto your computer network that connect with your copier.

This software can be valuable but make sure the package you buy actually does deliver what it promises.

Types of software available include:

• Security programs with password protection for copying and printing
• The ability to charge for copies
• Storage of documents
• ‘Follow me printing’ – is good for networks if one copier is busy with a long print job, the next job in line will automatically redirect to another copier in your network.

Some of these may be worthwhile but check with your IT specialist to ensure they are compatible with your existing computer network.

To sum up

• Spend time working out what you want out of your copier before plunging into buying a new machine.
• If buying a copier for a large office or department, maybe talk with the people who will use it each day to find out what they need from the copier.
• After getting your quotes, carefully compare them. Ensure each potential supplier is quoting on similar-sized machines with compatible print speeds and features.
• And always read the fine print to make sure there are no surprise increases in ongoing running costs.

We are inviting anyone interested in 3D printing, additive manufacturing or rapid prototyping to join the new Geelong 3D Printing Network on LinkedIn.

The network is a forum for discussing developments and opportunities and to share ideas.  We’re hoping the network will be a focal point for generating innovation in the Geelong region in this exciting new technological area.

To join the network, simply go to the Geelong 3D Printing Network group page on LinkedIn.

As of Monday February 18, we are now located in our new showroom and service centre at 101 Douro Street and can be contacted on 5298 3018.

]]> http://barwoncopiers.com/?feed=rss2&p=896 0 http://barwoncopiers.com/?p=869&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=3d-printing-in-education-information-session http://barwoncopiers.com/?p=869#comments Tue, 18 Dec 2012 02:07:20 +0000 BCS http://barwoncopiers.com/?p=869 Barwon Copying Solutions recently partnered with Newcomb Secondary College and 3D Systems to present our first information session on 3D printers and how they can benefit Geelong region schools.

We took along our 3D Touch and RapMan printers which were a great hit with the participants and ignited a lot of interest in how this technology can become an innovative part of the education system.

We’ve posted some photos from the session on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/barwoncopiers

We plan to hold more sessions in 2013. Email us on admin@barwoncopiers.com.au if you would like to find out more.

If you missed it, here’s a copy of the article:

The new education revolution

With updated features and styling, the new ineo⁺ range offers a choice of seven different copiers which can be individually customised for a small office right through to large departments:

• ineo⁺ 224/284/364 for the small to medium office
• ineo⁺ 454/554 is perfect for the medium to large office
• ineo⁺ 654/754 provides the right stuff for the large department or light production printing.

Standard on all machines are full colour, tiltable touchscreens which can be tailored to individual requirements.

All machines in the new series also support a broad range of media, allowing almost any type of document to be printed in your office.  Gone are the days of having to outsource printing of invitations on thick, high quality paper with the ineo⁺ able to handle paper of up to 300gsm.  Print size ranges from A6 through to SRA3 with an optional banner tray allowing you to also print banners inhouse when needed.

Among the long list of optional extras is Bluetooth, enabling mobile printing to further improve your office’s efficiency.

Eco-friendly features include the ability to avoid unnecessary wastage of natural resources and reduce energy consumption.  The machine itself is mainly made of recycled plastic and the automatic deletion of blank pages avoids unnecessary copying and wasted paper.

Also, still available is the ineo⁺35, a compact but powerful copier just right for a small business or team.

For more information, go to our Multi-function copiers page.

See our advertisement on SEEK for more details

Founded in Germany, DEVELOP copiers  are manufactured by Konica Minolta Business Technologies Inc.

They are now the best selling range of copiers in Europe and for the first time are available locally in Geelong and the south west.

The DEVELOP ineo series copiers offer solutions to meet all office needs from small work groups right through to department-wide multi-function copiers.

You can now combine superior technology with Barwon Copying Solutions’ commitment to outstanding customer service to ensure you office gets the printing support it deserves.

To find out more, visit our Multi-function copiers page.