It used to be that offices had fax machines, copiers, and printers. Copiers are the ones who make copies, fax machines sent faxes, the printers printed and digital technology has changed all of that. Copiers are no longer just plain copiers, they are now machines that can do it all like print, copy, scan, email, fax, send to archive and much more.
So what is an A3 printer? An A3 is an international paper size that may be better known as 11 x 17 inches in the United States. From the beginning, most copiers have been able to feed 11 x 17 inches of paper size. The digital machines that have grown out of the copier industry still support the 11 x 17 paper size. But do most businesses care?
A recent survey of office users reveals that of all the reasons why people use a black and white shared A3 multifunction printer or MFP, 11 x 17 inches of paper capacity is a factor of just 5.6%. In fact, 11 x 17 inches of paper only represents 5% of all office paper sold in the United States. Most of that is used in production environments, and in the average general office environment, only about 3% of all pages printed are on 11 x 17 inches of paper.
So why are A3 printers so popular? The popularity of A3 printers is not a function of their support for 11 x 17 printing. Rather, it is because they are made to be sold and serviced by professional copier leasing services. These professionals work to make sure that the printer is running at all times, and that its features are connected to the rest of your IT infrastructure.
Unlike purchasing an A4 or 8.5 x 11 capable printer or a big box store, these copier leasing services want to get to know you. They are very good at keeping that relationship alive by giving exceptional service over the long term. But that is not all. When the right class A3 MFP is matched to your actual total printing volume and provided under a service plan that includes supplies, hardware, and service, it provides a better printing cost overall than a less expensive A4 laser printer. While A4 laser printers are not expensive these days, their cost per page is not so affordable.
There is definitely a need for A4 laser printers but when it comes to helping a concentrated group of office workers whose jobs include a lot of printing. An A3 MFP tends to be the better bargain serviced by a professional copier leasing service. Most offices are best served with a mix of A4 laser devices and A3 MFPs to serve massive print volumes and other functions like fax, scan, email.
If you want to, or you are already printing documents like spreadsheets, schematics, menus or booklets that need printing of Ledger paper then you will only be able to look at the A3 product line as an option. Even if the paper size is not a problem, an A3 product may still be the right one for you. A3 printers are larger and often come with more advanced features on the higher-end products. Due to the size and added features of the product, the upfront cost of an A3 product is usually more than an A4 product; but the cost of supplies and cost of operation over time is usually lower.
A3 is the European equivalent of an 11 x 17 inches paper. When it is used in context with printers, A4 models are able to print on Letter and Legal-sized paper, while A3 models are able to print the larger-sized Tabloid paper. When you are shopping for printers, make sure that you know what paper types you need to print on in your office.
If you need copiers for your office, you can opt for a copier lease. Copier leasing in Indianapolis can help you get the copier that you want for your office, you can contact copier leasing services in Indianapolis for details.
