When making a choice between two options, sometimes the most challenging part can be finding out what the difference is. That might be what brought you here.
You’re looking for the right copiers and printers for your business, and it’s come down to two popular choices: Konica Minolta and Xerox.
Before we compare the two companies and what they offer your business, let’s overview who they are and some of their business offerings.
We’d also like to be transparent and let you know that Innovative is a Konica Minolta authorized dealer. It’s understandable if you feel there might be some bias here, but our goal is to shoot straight down the middle so you can make the right decision. With that said, let’s get started.
Konica Minolta is a technology company located in Tokyo, Japan. Their line of products includes copiers, printers and other business products and solutions.
Their line of Bizhub copiers is their primary business offering. These multifunction copiers come in black and white and color models.
Xerox is a print and digital documentation company located in Norwalk, Connecticut. They offer a wide variety of printers, printer supplies and scanners.
Their main print offerings for business are their B-series multifunction, VersaLink and AltaLink copiers.
When it comes down to deciding which company you want to buy your copier from, each company will likely sell something that will work for your business. They both offer a similar line of products with comparable features.
These similarities will be hard to distinguish, but they shouldn’t be your primary focus. What’s most important is that you properly utilize the machine you choose.
This might not be the cut-and-dry answer you were looking for, but it’s the most honest answer we have. I say this for a couple of reasons. One is that there isn’t a singular best option for everyone. Each company is different and will require different functionality from their printer.
To sit here and list every type of company, every printer and every printer’s functions would quite frankly, be a big, long mess of technical jargon. Konica Minolta and Xerox have great tools on their respective websites that let you compare their products and find what’s best for your business.
I’m also saying this because the printer and its features are useless if you don’t leverage them properly. You might select a printer with all the security and compliance features necessary for your business, but who manages it?
Is your business able to manage your printers and copiers internally? Do you have an outside company that comes in and manages them? Is that company leveraging your hardware to its fullest extent?
These are questions you’ll want to ask if you haven’t already. In today’s technology-driven world, having someone with a good understanding of the hardware is as important as the hardware itself. What good is a copier with all the newest features if no one knows how to implement them?
Whether you work with a traditional copier company or an MSP, we recommend working with someone who truly understands the current technology of copiers, how your business can get the most out of them, and how they fit within your IT infrastructure.
As is the case with all the products and solutions we offer at Innovative, our integrations run deep. We’ve determined through testing and research that Konica Minolta products are currently the best option for our clients and us because we can get the best use out of them.
With the print management solution PaperCut, we can securely print, limit waste and track printing activity. Through research and training, our team of IT experts can get the most out of PaperCut through the Konica Minolta products we offer.
Don’t be mistaken; this isn’t a sales pitch for PaperCut or Konica Minolta. PaperCut will work just fine on Xerox devices as long as it’s managed properly. What we’re trying to push here is an MSP with your best interest in mind and who will focus on maximizing IT solutions.
One of the reasons we chose Konica is that we can get the most out of it for our clients, but we understand that not everyone will be a good fit for us and the products we offer. We’re here to form mutually beneficial partnerships, so not every company will be the right fit.
Now that you have a better idea of what goes into the printer and copier decision-making process, you’re hopefully closer to deciding what’s best for your business or at least how to get to that conclusion.
These discussions should be a piece of the puzzle that is your broader IT strategy. In today’s technology-driven world, you can’t afford to put IT on the back burner. Printing might seem relatively simple, but it’s more than just brand vs. brand.