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Colour Considerations

Due to the widespread advances in copier technology, colour printing and copying is no longer out of monetary reach for average office, and with the enhanced presentation of documents that it provides, this is certainly a worthwhile consideration. Although colour is more expensive on consumables and in terms of ink pricing, many advanced copiers do offer mono and colour simultaneously. It is possible to disable colour if you do not need colour now but want it in the future.

 

Why colour is becoming more popular

Colour copiers come under what is becoming known as the ‘colour revolution, a recent significant development), and are now quickly becoming more affordable.

Until recently, buying a colour copier or printer would have cost around 20% to 30% more than an equivelant same-speed machine in black-and-white. However, the margin in price difference is decreasing quickly. A colour toner will always add to running costs, however with a hybrid or colour-capable machine this is only so when colour is used. Organisations of all sectors and sizes are now increasingly buying or leasing a new copier with colour capability, and reaping the inherent benefits â€" the simple impact of colour over simple black and white, enhanced professionalism in campaigns and corporate image, saving of money and time and of course the convenience of in-house colour printing.

 

The cost of colour

Because not all businesses need to use colour all the time and could not justify the purchase and running costs of a one-pass dedicated graphic colour system, Canon and Toshiba both manufacture what are described as hybrid colour-capable or colour-enabled machines: colour is only used as required. Basically, only use black toner for black and white printing.

Many businesses have indeed found this to be the ideal solution for their workplace. Their printing is mainly black and white, yet the option of colour has proven especially useful for colour graphs, datasheets, coversheets, headings, proposals, presentations and logos. When colour is only used occasionally, a colour machine's black and white printing will cost no more than with a mono-only copier.

If indeed you are a business with a very small but definite need for colour copying, and alternative option from colour-capable digital printer is a black and white digital printer complemented by a smaller multifunctional all-in-one colour printer. To decide this you should consider the human effort involved where both machines are necessary for a single print job.

 

How colour photocopiers work

All colour copiers are digital and work similarly to a computer scanner connected to a laser printer, except of course it is one machine. The copier scans the original copy then transfers this information through laser technology to a charged image drum. Colour toner adheres to the charged areas of the drum before being transferred to paper. The final step, as with a laser printer, is to heat the toner on the page and hence fuse a permanent image onto the copy.

High-end models apply all four colours in a single application. Low-end machines take four passes of the same image, rolling the paper around the drum four times to apply each colour. While low-end technology is less expensive, it also makes for slower copying speeds.

 

Professional Full Colour Option

If your business does or plans to regularly out-source larger amounts of colour copying, perhaps for sales brochures, fliers, business cards, promotional prose, or other business projects, then there is the chance that you may actually save money by purchasing a dedicated colour copier that is capable of printing in full calibrated colour. Such machines are more typically used in graphics design environments for print proofing and where printing or copying needs are for high quality, versatility with media and consistent colour reproduction.

 

Editing Features

Standard features integrated into digital colour copiers include border erasing, image centering, colour adjustment, and colour balancing.

Other printers (such as the Canon imagePress C1) are able to print consistent high quality colour on 64-256g/m2, coated, uncoated and textured media. These machines use an advanced fusing process where the texture is not ironed out, and hence images are also able to appear shiny on glossy paper, and matt on plain paper.