What Is the Break-Fix Repair Model?

Many copier repairs in Las Vegas could have been avoided if those business machines had received preventative maintenance. But is such proactive maintenance always the right choice? The break-fix repair model takes a different approach and suggests that businesses should wait until issues arises before taking action.

Proactive vs. Reactive

Determining which approach is optimal for your business really comes down to whether a proactive or reactive approach to copier repairs will be more cost-effective over the long-term. To determine this, you must consider the cost of the machine, cost of maintenance, cost of repair, failure rate of the particular machine and the effect that you can expect proactive maintenance to have.

Lower Overhead Through a Managed Approach

Generally, managed print services will reduce your overhead. It can make copiers less expensive to maintain, and as those costs lessen, the risk-reward of break-fix seems a lot less appealing. This can be true also if you have an in-house IT staff that can perform maintenance and the like on your copiers.

Complexity of Your Machines

Something else to consider is just how complex your copier machines are. State-of-the-art copiers are highly complex. Not only do they have many moving parts, but they are essentially computers with valuable motherboards, memory modules, solid-state drives and more. With such devices, the break-fix approach is rarely the more cost-effective option long-term because of the cost of the labor, the cost of replacement parts and how total expenses can be exacerbated as problems worsen.

The Small Business Exception

Small businesses can be an exception. Perhaps you are not using a modern, sophisticated copier. Perhaps your copier is much more basic and would not seem out of place for use at home. It is in such scenarios where the break-fix repair model still makes sense. After all, basic copiers have less parts to be replaced, and those parts are generally much less expensive.

How and Why to Recycle Your Toner Cartridges

Managed print services in Las Vegas can lower costs and make printing more productive and efficient. What many companies don’t realize is that MPS can also make your business more environmentally friendly. One way they do that is through the recycling of toner cartridges.

Toner Is a Hazardous Material

What you may not realize is that toner is generally made up of plastic polymers. Inside the cartridge, it’s maintained in a dust-like form and heated prior to being fused with the paper. This material is recognized as a hazardous material, and while a single cartridge may not be a huge deal, it certainly adds up when you consider all of the offices throughout the state that are discarding cartridges regularly.

Other Reasons to Recycle

Toner cartridges can be refilled and reused. In fact, the average cartridge can be used in this manner 15 times. There are more than 1.3 billion cartridges in use across the globe, and estimates suggest that only 30% of them are actually being recycled. Imagine if every cartridge made was reused 15 times. Now, factor in that you need about a gallon of oil for each new cartridge manufactured.

Recycling Through Your MPS Provider

Most MPS providers offer recycling services for all the reusable products that they supply their customers. If you are unsure, contact them. This service is usually provided at no additional cost, and even if the provider does not recycle directly, it may be able to point you in the right direction.

Are There Other Options?

If perhaps you don’t use MPS or your provider is unable to help, there are other options. There are recycling operations in Nevada and throughout the U.S. who do it, and most of them do it at no cost to you. In fact, many provide prepaid labels that you can print out!

Why Is Your New Toner Cartridge Different From the Last?

What happens when that toner replacement arrives and looks different than the cartridge you were using?

Starter Cartridges

Were you using a starter toner cartridge? Manufacturers often sell printers at aggressive prices in the hopes of securing long-term profits from supplies. One way that they reduce those initial costs is by including a low-yield cartridge that is often referred to as a starter. These are generally not sold separately and only with new equipment, so it is not unusual that your replacement would differ.

Branding Changes

Be mindful that most printer manufacturers do not have a unique toner cartridge model for each printer model. Each cartridge model will generally be suitable to at least several printer models and perhaps six or even a dozen. What matters is the cartridge number. If that is correct, then you do not have to worry about changes to the logo, color, size or even the shape.

Off-Brand Toner Cartridges

Manufacturers naturally recommend using toner cartridges made by them. There are off-brand solutions too. Many are quite viable, but off-brand sometimes gets a bad rap due to generic products that are poor quality and actually degrade your machine over time. Check your MPS agreement. Providing you with high-quality off-brand toner cartridges that are less expensive may be how your provider was able to deliver this service at the price it did.

How Long Can You Expect a Copier to Last?

A copier or multifunction printer is an essential business machine for the modern office. Businesses have a decision to make when it comes to leasing versus buying. Both paths have their advantages and disadvantages. As an owner, you’re responsible for maintenance and repairs, but the copier repairs in Las Vegas that businesses have available to them are sophisticated and affordable and can maximize life expectancy. But how long is that?

Duty Cycle

To understand printer lifespan, you need to appreciate the duty cycle, for which practically all commercial printers are rated. A duty cycle, for instance, may be 60,000 pages. Manufacturers will also post a recommended volume, which may be much less than the duty cycle. Generally, the higher the grade of the machine, the closer the duty cycle and recommended volume will be. If you want to maximize lifespan, then you want to be as close to the recommended volume as possible each month.

How Many Years?

This can vary from one brand and model to the next, and you can investigate historic performance for the specific brand and model that you are considering. As a general rule, mid-range models are expected to last five years and high-end models are expected to last 10. Be mindful that this is only viable at the recommended volume. At the duty cycle or higher, the moving parts will wear down much quicker.

Regular Maintenance

The biggest mistake small businesses make is waiting for a problem before scheduling maintenance. Regular maintenance is important to getting the most out of a printer, and experts generally recommend every six months or 300 hours of operation.

Proactive Repairs

Likewise, you generally don’t want to wait for a part to fail to replace it because that puts undue stress on other parts. Being proactive about replacing your machine can have a dramatic effect on how long it lasts.

3 Reasons Las Vegas Managed Print Services Saves Money

When you are tasked with keeping a business afloat, you are responsible for the well-being of that company. Sometimes, you have to take a deep look and find the smaller areas where savings can be found because they can add up. Managed print services in Las Vegas offer a few opportunities to save money while also providing convenience.

Here are three reasons why managed print services save money and time.

One Flat Fee

Different providers of Las Vegas managed print services have different fee structures and service packages they offer, but the outcome is the same in the sense that you save both time and money. It is up to you to negotiate with the provider the flat monthly fee, for example, based on a forecast of your future print needs. If you are not sure if you can forecast your future needs, you can always estimate based on past use.

One Contract

In addition to a flat monthly fee, signing up for Las Vegas managed print services means you will be given one contract that covers all of your printing related needs. From printers to fax machines as well as the paper, printing accessories and parts, as long as you declare them on the contract, they will be covered.

Your service provide will keep track of the health of the machines, toner refills and paper re-stocks. When the machines require maintenance, they will be maintained, and when a machine needs to be replaced, you will be advised.

One Provider

Outsourcing some responsibilities and tasks makes sense for small businesses as well as large enterprises. When you sign up for Las Vegas management print services, you are outsourcing the responsibilities of your printing needs to one provider. This opens up in-house time and resources and allows you to re-focus on something that provides more value to the company.