Comparison of Copiers, Scanners, and Printers for Law Offices

Copier/Scanner/Printer Comparison for Law Offices Selecting Copiers, Scanners and Printers for Different Sized Law Offices One of the harsh realities of modern jurisprudence is the amount of paper that continues to be generated for almost any type of activity undertaken by lawyers today. Notwithstanding the promises of a paperless office that accompanied the introduction of word processing technology in the late 20th century, many modern law offices still use so much paper that trees tremble when lawyers walk through the forest.

In this environment, identifying the most cost effective and appropriate hardware to support the needs of different sized law offices just makes good business sense, because lawyers do not way to pay for bells and whistles they cannot use, but need certain basic features for most of their administrative tasks.

To shed some light on these issues, this study compares and contrasts various major brands of copiers, scanners and printers that are currently available and appropriate for use in both new sole practitioner offices as well as in a medium and large firm.

An analysis of which options and brands are best suited for these differently sized offices based on their respective pros and cons is followed by a discussion of other considerations such as whether maintenance agreements are needed and when an all-in-one-model may be more suitable than three separate units.

Finally, a discussion of additional factors that should be taken into account for these differently sized offices such as the major brands available and their reputations and, of course, the costs and performance associated with each approach is followed by a summary of the research in the conclusion. Review and Discussion Background and Overview.

The administrative needs of a law office generally relate to the type of practice involved, but for the purposes of this analysis, it can be reasonably posited that almost any law office will need or routinely require hard copies of pleadings, online research, voluminous briefs, disclosure data, tax information, letters, memoranda, faxes, phone messages, receipts, and alas, even checks and emails - even when these documents are readily available otherwise.

Indeed, many people consider a letter from a lawyer to be something to be taken very seriously and will keep a copy for the rest of their lives. Lawyers need or want these copies to satisfy legal requirements and to keep their clientele informed, but they also need them to operate their law offices in a businesslike fashion.

Moreover, it is also reasonable to suggest that most lawyers are familiar with the vast array of benefits that accrue to the use of these readily available devices and a veritable smorgasbord of copiers, scanners and printers can be found in almost any law office across the country - and around the world - today. Clearly, some of these devices are better suited for certain sized law offices than others, and these issues are discussed further below. Scanners, Copiers and Printers. Scanners.

As the term implies, scanners are devices that are used to capture an image from a hard copy document, photograph, slide or otherwise and translate it into digital form so that it can be manipulated, stored, analyzed or shared. Depending on the type of practice involved, some law offices may have little need for a scanner on a regular basis while others such as patent specialists find it needed every day.

Depending on the level of need and intended application, then, there are a variety of types of scanners that can be used in different sized offices, including those described in Table 1 below, which are available from the manufacturers indicated. Table 1. Various types of scanners. Scanner Description/Features/Performance Price/Comments Hewlett Packard Scanjet G3010 4800 x 9600-dpi resolution with 48-bit color to scan ganged prints, two-up slides and negatives and create text-based PDFs with links automatically. 99.99 list price. Low cost but good performance makes this suitable for sole practitioner law office.

Microtek ScanMaker i800 / i900 Available in a standard or Pro-configuration (with upgraded software to read the included IT8 targets), the i800 is a legal-sized scanner with a transparency adapter in the lid; however, adapter's lamp moves with the CCD so the illumination remains constant. In addition the 120 and 4x5 film holders use a spring tension design that flattens the film for a sharper scan; 7-second full-bed preview scan time. 599.99 list price. The i900 model features both Hi-Speed USB 2 and FireWire ports.

Support by email or through the Web site is free. Microtek offers one year of complimentary installation support and fee-based advanced troubleshooting, support and consulting through the MLI Consulting Group. The i900 unit also includes a one-year limited warranty. Suitable for medium-size law office. Epson Perfection V700/V750 Scan everything from documents to medium format film; handles reflective material well.

Scan resolution of 6400 dpi optical resolution; dual lens system that automatically selects the lens based on the resolution required; Batch scanning of slides, negatives and medium format film using plastic carriers that slip into place on the scanning bed. Epson sells this scanner in two versions: the $549.99 V700 Photo and the $799.99 V750-M Pro. Full-sized flatbed. Suitable for large law office. Sources: Pasini, 2008. Copiers.

According to the experts at Interaction Media Group, selecting the right copier for any office depends on several factors, such as what purposes the copier will be used for and what volume of copies is projected each month. Space limitations are also a consideration, and many larger copiers continue to occupy an inordinate amount of space. Other considerations include whether photographs and slides will be copied and whether the copier will connected to a network and in what fashion.

In sum, "Once you have answered these questions, you are ready to determine which grade copier will best suit your needs" (How to Buy Copiers/Printers/Scanners, p. 3). Some popular major copier brands suitable for different sized law offices are described further in Table 2 below, which are available from the manufacturer indicated or vendors across the country. Table 2. Various types of copiers.

Copier Description/Features/Performance Price/Comments Sharp AR 168s Copier 16 copies per minute; offers high quality copying, 600 dpi PC Printing, and standard color PC scanning; advanced features include electronic sorting, offset stacking, and smart device sharing. more economical than cartridge-based systems and can reduce total cost of ownership. 669 list price. Suitable for sole practitioner. The Xerox M15i copier 15 copies per minute; automatic document feeder and sorter; also offers powerful features such as two-sided printing, scan-once-print many and electronic collation, color scanning, secure faxing and optional network printing. 850 list price.

Suitable for medium-sized law office. Xerox M128 Copier Virtually unlimited scan and program ahead while the device is busy printing; features Smart paper trays that sense paper size and automatically match the requirements of the input; powerful fax features include high-speed modem, JBIG compression, speed dials and group dials. Fax 2-sided documents automatically and also print incoming faxes 2-sided. The Xerox M128 Copier also features a large, easy to use touch screen graphical interface and integrated control panel provides convenient access to all advanced features. 5199 list price.

Suitable for large law office. Sources: Direct Source Copiers, 2008. Printers. Like copiers and scanners, the needs of the given law office will dictate what type of printer is most suitable. It can be generally assumed, though, that faster is better, quality is important and reliability is key for any printer selected for use in a law office setting.

Although laser jet printers are less expensive than their laser counterparts, they are typically slower and the costs of ink replacements can be prohibitive if a great deal of printing is done routinely. Therefore, like the copier requirements, the number of pages anticipated being printed each month will also be a major factor in any printer selection as well as whether color printing is required. One of the most popular brands of printers today is offered by Dell Computer.

A representative sampling of their line of printers suitable for different size law offices is shown in Table 3 below. Table 3. Various types of printers. Printer Description/Features/Performance Price/Comments Dell 968w All in One Wireless Printer Max Printing Resolution: 4800 x 1200 dpi (color); Document & Media Handling Details: ADF - 50 sheets; Input tray - 150 sheets; Output tray - 100 sheets. 169.00 list price. Dell Multifunction Monochrome Laser Printer 1815dn Max Printing Resolution: Up to 600 x 600 dpi; Optical Resolution: 600 x 1200 dpi; Standard Media Capacity: 250 sheets. 399.00 list price.

Dell Color Laser Printer 3110cn Max Resolution (Color): 600 dpi x 600 dpi; Max Resolution (B&W)); 600 dpi x 600 dpi; Max Media Capacity: 950 sheets. 439.00 list price. Source: Dell Computer, 2008. All-in-One Copiers/Printers/Scanners. The question as to whether an all-in-one machine or three separate units is most appropriate depends in large part on the needs of the law office.

Nevertheless, these combination approaches appear to offer a number of advantages over thee separate units, particularly for a sole practitioner or medium-sized law firm that might not require scanning on a regular basis but would need a reliable printer and copier routinely.

Further, although whenever one device tries to accomplish more than one "thing," one of those "things" typically suffers; however, innovations in recent years have made these all-in-one approaches competitive with stand-alone units and occupy a concomitantly smaller footprint in a crowded law office but these devices will still likely underperform their separate unit counterparts. As one authority emphasizes, "All-in-one devices are typically smaller desktop units that have relatively low speed and volume capacity" (Need All in One Copiers?, 2008, p. 3).

Some popular major brand all-in-one machines are described further in Table 4 below. Table 4. Popular all-in-one copier/printer/scanner (fax) machines. Copier/Printer/Scanner (Fax) Description/Features/Performance Price/Comments Sharp AR-208D Copier / Printer/Scanner Desktop model with 20-page-per-minute copying / printing and integrated color PC scanning; 50-sheet document feeder provides standard 2-sided scanning for extra efficiency, as well as duplex printing and copying. Converts black & white and color documents into digital files that can be shared, archived, or e-mailed; 2 MB memory, holds up to 120 pages. 799.00 from Copyfaxes Inc.

Also offers flexible options to add Super G3 faxing, networking and web-based management. Most appropriate for sole practitioner. Ricoh Aficio MP 1600 SPF Copier/Printer/Scanner/Fax 16-ppm, drum unit, Standard Ethernet 10/100 Base T, 11" X 17" Maximum Paper Size, Auto Paper Selection, Auto Reduce/Enlarge, Auto Start, Auto Tray Switching, Black & White Scanning, Embedded Scan-to-Email, Image Rotation, Network TWAIN Scanning, Scan-to-Folder. 1,462.99 from Copyfaxes Inc. Comes standard with network printer, scanner and fax machine ready out of the box. Suitable for medium-sized law offices.

Copystar CS-2550 Copier/Printer/Scanner Desktop Digital Multifunctional with Standard Network Print and Interface. Standard 300 Sheet Paper Drawer and 50 Sheet MPT. Optional 50 Sheet Document Processor, Duplex, Paper Handling and Internal Finisher. Optional Scanning and Fax/Network Fax. 25-page per minute, 600 dpi, monochrome laser printer/copier with 64MB of standard memory (expandable to 190MB) and a 300 MHz PowerPC 750 CXR processor. PCL6, KPDL3 (PostScript Level 3 emulation) and four other printer emulations are supported. 2,499.99 from Neximaging.com. Comes with drum developer. The CS-2550 features environmentally friendly and low cost per page printing.

Additional enhancements are available, such as a finisher, scanner, fax, separator and more. Suitable for large law offices; may require more than one unit. Sources: As indicated. Maintenance Agreements. The need for a maintenance agreement again depends on the law office. A large law office with a substantial capital investment in copiers, scanners and printers will likely need a maintenance agreement to ensure they avoid significant amounts of downtime and have ready access to technical support when it is needed.

By sharp contrast, a new sole practitioner may be able to get along just fine with the basic equipment that typically comes with a computer package today,.