The case for digital copiers

As you begin to shop around for a copier, you will need to decide if you want an analog or digital machine.

Cost The price differential between digital and analog copiers is growing smaller. In fact, many leading manufacturers are no longer producing analog machines. However, if you don't require the techno bells and whistles of a digital model and just need a basic machine to copy text, check out analog prices.

Quality Both technologies can produce exceptional quality copies. But if you are reproducing graphs or blueprints and are looking for fine line delineation, or are often copying photographs, digital can capture the necessary detail better than analog.

Hardware Although digital machines have fewer moving parts to breakdown, these parts can be significantly more expensive to repair and replace. Analog copier machine owners have one major complaint. With all those extra moving parts an analog copier is noisy. If you crave a quieter work environment, go with digital. Digital copier technology allows reducing and enlarging copies on a much larger scale, up to 200, to 400 or even 800 percent compared to the usual 141 percent for an analog.device. On some models you can vertically or horizontally reduce or enlarge independently from each other.

Versatility Most digital color copiers have the flexibility to function as a full-color printer and in some models, a full color scanner, with the addition of a raster image processor or color server. With these type of add-ons your copier can grow as your needs become more complex.