| For most law firms, replacing outdated office equipment is not at the top of the priority list. Sure, the printer is slow and the quality isn't great, but it prints. The fax can't handle legal-size paper and jams every other day, but it faxes. The scanner only handles one page at a time and the copier can't do color, but they essentially do their job. |
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| Of course, you know that at some point your office equipment becomes so obsolete that it limits your ability to conduct business and begins costing you time and money. After all, as an attorney, you are in the paper business - generating documents is a major part of how you serve your clients' interests - and your time is extremely valuable. That is why leading attorneys are increasingly turning to multifunction products (MFPs). |
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| MFPs enable you to replace all of your outdated printers, copiers, scanners and fax machines with one intuitive and affordable device. They also offer a number of other benefits to help you win more business, maximize profits and minimize costs. Below are a few questions to ask yourself to determine if your old office equipment is costing you money. |
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1. Does your office have more machines or people? |
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| Add up the number of printers, copiers, and fax machines in your office. If the total is more than one for every ten people, you probably aren't as efficient and productive as you could be. In a 2004 study, IDC found that businesses implementing this 10:1 ratio by strategically deploying MFPs lowered costs an average of 23 percent while improving their productivity and workflow. |
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2. Do you have the functionality you need? |
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| Taking advantage of the advanced features in today's MFPs can help you improve efficiency and effectiveness. For example, instead of faxing that Court Order or Settlement Agreement to opposing counsel, scan-to-email it. What does that mean? Simply put, you scan the document and email it directly from your MFP. Now, with the same effort it takes to send a fax, you automatically digitize the document for storage on your computer, make it possible for the recipient to retrieve the document from anywhere they have email access and give yourself the option of leveraging advanced security features, such as recipient authentication, digital signatures and digital receipts proving that the document has been viewed. |
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3. Are you making effective use of your space? |
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| MFPs take up significantly less space than separate copiers, printers, scanners, and fax machines. For example, HP MFPs can measure as little as 16.4 x 8 x 7.1 inches--small enough to fit conveniently on any desktop. By replacing numerous desktop machines or a floor-model copier with an MFP, you free up valuable office space that can be put to a more productive use. Alternatively, with MFPs being 20 to 40 percent less expensive to operate and utilizing 40 to 50 percent less space than stand-alone machines, you can afford to put the equivalent of a complete document production center on every attorney's desk. |
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4. Is your office equipment reliable? |
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| Nobody wants to be on a first name basis with the copier/fax repair person, especially when you live off billable hours. If your office equipment breaks down frequently, it's only going to get worse as it continues to age. Today's MFPs use digital technology, so they have fewer moving parts and shorter paper paths than older copiers and printers. HP MFPs are also easily networked and managed with HP admin software. As a result, you spend less time worrying about office equipment and more time doing billable work for your clients. |
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5. Do your documents make you look good? |
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| Your documents are a reflection of your professionalism and today's digital technology produces documents that are simply better looking and more consistent than those produced by older copiers and printers. Unlike documents produced on analog copiers, digital copies are always identical and true to the original. Digital copiers and printers also offer the crisp, high-resolution, 2-sided, color output you need to stand out from the crowd and impress your clients. |
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6. Is complexity driving up your costs? |
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| MFPs reduce overall costs by standardizing consumable purchases (toner, ink and paper), lowering IT and repair expenditures and reducing downtime. Having all of the computers in your office networked to a single MFP, managed by a single piece of software and drawing off a single supply of toner and paper can save an enormous amount of time and money. You can even have the MFP monitor its own supply levels and order additional supplies online as they are needed. |
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7. Are you as productive as you could be? |
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| MFPs increase productivity not only by reducing complexity and increasing reliability, but also through superior performance. Print up to 50 pages per minute (ppm). Scan, copy or fax up to 100 pages at a time using the automatic document feeder. No more standing around waiting for printouts or feeding documents into the machine one page at a time. After all, your clients aren't paying you for your office admin skills. |
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For more information |
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