ADF

Also known as Automatic Document Feeder. An attachment to an office product (most likely a copier or facsimile) that will automatically "feed" a group of originals into a machine for duplication or faxing.

What it means for your office:

An Automatic Document Feeder can improve office productivity dramatically. For example, imagine that both a client and their lawyer need a copy of a 40 page contract. You can place the original 40 page document on the ADF and let it do all the work. It will go through and let your machine copy the documents at full speed without any supervision or checking up.

 

Analog Copier

The traditional office copier that scans an original and prints out a copy.

What it means for your office:

An analog copier is the general picture that you get in your head when you imagine a copier. It can act as a workhorse but it will most likely not connect with a computer and its lifetime may not be as long as a comparable digital machine.

 

Color Output

The ability to copy or print in color.

What it means for your office:

Simply put, color catches people's attention. People retain 25% more of a color flyer than a black-and-white one. If you want a potential customer to take more notice of a mailing or flyer, do it in color.
Tip: Reds, blues, and browns attract the most attention. Notice the colors in our site!

 

Computer Interface

Describes a connection to a personal computer. Some digital products offer a way of connecting the office machine to a computer.

What it means for your office:

A product that offers a computer interface is a boon to any computerized office. A computer interface general means that the product can act as a printer or even scanner. That means you can save an original and print it out any time, without ever having to look for the hard copy or waiting for a copier to scan it. Most digital machines offer a computer interface.

 

CPM

Also known as Copies Per Minute. This is the number of copies or pages a copier or printer can output in a single minute.

What it means for your office:

This is one of the key feature to look for when purchasing a new office product. A high cpm means you spend less time waiting for the output and more time being productive.

 

Digital Copier

A digital copier is essentially a mutlifunctional machine. It acts as a traditional copier, but offers the convenience of digital scanning. Digital scanning allows the copier to scan once and print the same original many times.

What it means for your office:

What's the big difference between digital copiers and analog copiers? The main difference lies in the scanning mechanism. A digital copier will scan an original and store it in memory to print multiple copies, where as an analog copier must scan the original each time it prints a copy. This means digital machines will have less wear and tear on the scanning mechanism and therefore have a longer lifetime. Some digital machines offer networking capabilities. This means that if your office is networked, Susan can print from her office, Dan can make a copy, and Andrew can fax a document, all at the same time!

 

Duplex

Duplexing allows a machine to print on both sides of a copy, essentially make double sided copies. A duplexor is a physical attachment to a machine that adds the duplexing feature to the machine. Some office machines have duplexing built in, others require a duplexor, while others simply don't offer this option. Be sure to check the machine specifications for this option.

What it means for your office:

If making two-sided copies is essential to your business, a machine offering duplexing is a must. It is also a great way to save paper and money. In a high volume office why print on only one side of the paper when you can print on both?

 

Monthly Volume

This is the standard, expected number of copies a machine can output in a single month.

What it means for your office:

Although not really a buzz word, this is an important detail to look for when searching for a office machine. If your office demands a high volume copier, it is essential that you use a copier that can handle a large number of copies. Using a copier with a low monthly volume to produce too many copies can significantly shorten the lifetime of your machine and even increase it's operating costs.

 

Multifunctional Machines

Mutlifunctional machines can perform more than one operation. Multifunctional machines put facsimile, printing, scanning, and copying features in one machine.

What it means for your office:

With a multifunctional machine, you can perform all of office functional with one product. Scanning, printing, copying, and faxing documents can all be done from a single product. Generally, multifunctional machines have become synonymous with digital copiers.

 

Networkable

(more generally, networking) Networking describes a method to interconnect personal computers and office produts including printers and digital copiers. Generally, networking describes a system using an ethernet network with either 10-BaseT or 10-Base2 as the most common interfaces.

What it means for your office:

A networkable office machine is a must for any networked office. With a company that has muliple department and many offices, a single networkable machine can be purchased and used by the entire company or if need be, a single department.

 

Paper Sizes

The size (dimension) of paper that a machine can output.

What it means for your office:

If you just make standard document copies, then a copier accepting a maximum of 8 1/2" x 11" sized paper will do perfectly fine. On the other hand, if you plan on creating multiple page newsletters or booklets to keep your clients up-to-date and informed, your office machine will need to handle 11" x 17" paper.

 

Sorter

A sorter allows a office machine to collate and group copies depending on specifications set by the user.

What it means for your office:

A sorter is another great time saving option available with some analog and digital copiers. Imagine that you have to print 16 copies of a 10 page document for you meeting in ten minutes. If your machine has an Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) and a sorter, you can just put the original 10 pages in the ADF and let the sorter handle correctly stapling the documents. Now imagine having this meeting every week and how much time you would save with a sorter and a ADF.

 

Zooming

The ability to print a version of the original in different sizes.

What it means for your office:

Although zooming may seem obvious, not all office products offer this option. If resizing documents is a must in your office, be sure to check for this option in the machine description.

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