How to Choose the Best Copier for Your Law Office

In the fast-paced environment that is a law office, having the right equipment matters. The best copier for a law office supports flawless efficiency while effortlessly meeting the sophisticated needs of a business in the legal industry.

Like other areas of the business world, the legal industry has not been immune to the changes brought about by technology. Although law offices are still legally required to handle physical documents, they must now also interface with digital document processes in order to keep data flowing rapidly and without error.

Choosing the best copier means balancing these needs with the unique compliance requirements placed on law firms. Here are five things to look for when shopping a new photocopier.

1. Compliance and Security

Businesses in the legal industry have strict regulatory compliance requirements which they must follow by law. As law firms often handle highly sensitive data, they may find themselves beholden to a number of regulations. These may include:

Many of these govern how data is stored, transmitted and shared – things which fall under the purview of security. As modern digital copiers have hard drives, they are subject to many of the same security risks as other network-connected devices. The right copier for a law firm contains features which specifically address the security of data passing through this hard drive.

2. Output Speed

Most law firms have demanding print environments, which makes the efficient output of documents crucial. Photocopying is one area which can inadvertently bottleneck an office’s productivity if less than the best device is deployed.

There are two ways in which speed can affect output and productivity: either through slow copying or a lack of processing power for the types of documents a law firm needs to copy. In the former case, a device which outputs fewer than 20 pages per minute will quickly hamstring an office where multiple people are using it. Likewise, because many law firms need to make copies of photographs at high-resolution, a copier with low processing power which cannot handle such data-intense jobs will freeze, crumbling under the duress of the job.

Output speed is more than simply how quickly a copier can produce pages. Consider output in relation to the types of jobs the office will need to handle, how many people will be using the copier and how they will use it.

3. Document Management

Modern law firms leverage complex document management strategies which may stretch across the hardware and software in an office. The copier is one element of that document management process. The right copier for a law firm will be able to integrate well with these other processes to augment the overall productivity of an office.

4. General Capabilities

The best copier for a law office has several additional capabilities beyond what might be expected of an office copier. For example, consider:

  • What paper sizes the copier needs to handle. While most copying will occur at 8.5 by 11 inches (letter size), it may also be necessary to photocopy at legal size, or 8.5 by 14 inches.
  • Photo resolution. Copiers, like printers, often save costs by using more efficient technology. However, that may come at the expense of the ability to print high-resolution photos.
  • Many copiers now have automated features built in to ensure the best quality photocopy. This may include auto settings for page margin and sizes or even features such as auto-duplexing.
  • Additional features. Many modern copiers now come with add-ons that grant the ability to do additional tasks such as stapling or offset stacking. This eliminates the otherwise time-consuming manual labor which keeps employees from focusing solely on their work.

5. Cost-Effectiveness

Like other businesses, law firms need to stay competitive and remaining cost-effective is one way to do so. Document processes like printing and photocopying represent a significant portion of an organization’s expenses. Therefore, choosing not just the right device but the right supplies and strategies will help offset these costs. Consider a copier which:

  • Is EnergyStar certified, which reduces the use of electricity.
  • Is part of a multifunction device to avoid buying separate supplies or consumables.
  • Has ink or paper-saving settings.
  • Integrates with other access control measures which exist in a print environment to reduce the amount of usage.

Choosing the Best Copier for a Law Office

A law firm needs robust document capabilities to support its everyday operations while still remaining compliant to a variety of legal regulations. Therefore, the best copier for a law office balances both of these needs through a combination of power, functionality, and security.

Office Technologies is the premier office technology provider for large and small businesses in Pennsylvania. To get started finding the best copier for your law office, reach out to a technology expert today.