About the Author
Shawn Madden is Vice President of Sales at Doing Better Business and has spent nearly four decades in the office technology industry. He joined DBB when they acquired Van Dyk Business Systems in Pittsburgh and has helped businesses throughout Western Pennsylvania evaluate copier, printer and managed print solutions based on more than just price. His experience gives him a firsthand perspective on what happens after the sale—and why the right equipment, service and support can matter far more than the lowest bid.
Everyone wants a good deal. I do too.
But after more than 40 years in the copier and managed print industry, I’ve learned that the lowest price on a copier proposal doesn’t always mean the lowest cost.
In fact, sometimes it means just the opposite.
If you’re comparing copier quotes, leasing an office copier or evaluating a managed print services agreement, don’t just look at the monthly payment.
Look at what you’re actually getting for that price.
What Does a Copier Really Cost?
The price of the copier is only one part of the equation.
You also need to look at:
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Black-and-white and color cost per page
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Service and maintenance
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Toner and supplies
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Annual price increases
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Minimum print volumes
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Overage charges
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Lease terms
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End-of-lease requirements
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Response times
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Parts availability
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What is — and isn’t — included in the contract
A lower monthly payment doesn’t mean much if you’re paying more somewhere else.
That’s why I think businesses should compare the total cost of ownership, not simply the price of the copier.
Cheap Service Gets Expensive Pretty Quickly
Here’s another cost that doesn’t show up on the proposal: downtime.
If your copier is down and your employees can’t print, scan invoices, process paperwork or get documents to customers, what is that costing your business?
Saving $50 a month doesn’t look quite as good when ten employees are standing around waiting for someone to fix the machine.
Service matters.
How many technicians does the dealer have in your area?
Are they factory trained?
Do they stock parts?
How quickly do they respond?
Can they resolve problems remotely?
And when something goes wrong, does someone actually take ownership of it?
Those things cost money to provide.
They also have tremendous value when you need them.
Make Sure You're Comparing the Same Copier Solution
Sometimes there’s a very simple reason one copier proposal is substantially cheaper.
You’re not comparing the same solution.
Maybe one machine isn’t designed for the same monthly print volume.
Maybe one proposal doesn’t include the same finishing options.
Maybe the service agreement is structured differently.
Maybe the estimated color volume is wrong.
Maybe supplies aren’t included.
Or maybe one dealer is simply selling you less.
An undersized copier can certainly make a proposal cheaper.
It can also become a very expensive mistake over a five-year lease.
The opposite is true too. You shouldn’t pay for equipment and features you don’t need.
The goal should be finding the right copier for the way your organization actually works.
Sometimes the Best Copier Strategy Is Printing Less
This is where I think the conversation has really changed.
A good copier dealer shouldn’t just ask, “What copier do you want?”
We should be asking:
What are you printing?
Why are you printing it?
What are you scanning?
Where are documents going?
Where are employees wasting time?
Could some of those processes be automated?
Could some of those documents become digital?
Sometimes the best way we can reduce a customer’s printing costs isn’t by selling them a cheaper copier.
It’s by helping them print less.
That’s the difference between selling equipment and actually looking at the customer’s business.
What About a Copier Bid That's Dramatically Lower Than Everyone Else?
Question it.
There is a difference between a competitive price and a price that simply doesn’t make sense.
If three qualified copier dealers are relatively close and a fourth proposal is dramatically lower, I would want to know why.
Make sure they’re proposing comparable equipment.
Compare the service requirements.
Compare response times.
Check the print volumes used to calculate the cost.
Look for minimums and annual increases.
Find out what isn’t included.
And make sure every bidder actually met the requirements of the RFP or proposal.
Lowest price doesn’t automatically mean best value.
Sometimes it just means something is different.
Ask a Better Question
Instead of asking:
“Who has the cheapest copier?”
Ask:
“Which solution gives us the lowest total cost while keeping our employees productive?”
Those are very different questions.
At Doing Better Business, we’re perfectly comfortable competing on price.
We know price matters.
But after decades of selling and servicing copiers, printers and managed print environments, we also know what happens after the sale matters just as much.
So if another copier dealer is less expensive, that’s fine.
Just make sure you’re comparing the same equipment, the same service, the same contract terms and the same level of support.
And if you are?
Then choose the lower price.
But if you’re not, don’t confuse cheaper with better value.
Because five years is a long time to live with the cheapest decision.
Comparing Copier Proposals?
Use our free Copier Proposal Comparison Checklist to compare equipment, service, supplies, print volumes, support, and contract terms side by side—including space for three proposals.
Not Sure You're Comparing Apples to Apples?
Bring your copier proposals to Doing Better Business. We’ll help you compare the equipment, service, cost per page, and contract terms so you can understand what you’re really paying for.