The Datamax Thinking Blog

Educating, collaborating, and sparking ideas for maximizing the technology that matters.


Why It’s So Hard to Get a Straight Answer on Copier Price

The top 10 questions a sales rep should ask you before they EVER give you a price – or recommendation.

There is nothing more unsatisfying than a salesperson who cannot give you a price when you ask them how much something is going to cost. Their reluctance may even cause you to doubt them. Believe me when I say it, they are actually doing you a favor.

Sure, any salesperson can throw out a number just to make you happy, but in the long run, the true cost of office equipment depends on many things. Sure, you can:

Topics: Multifunction Copier Did you know? Digital Copiers Office Equipment Partnering Technology Support

Dozens of Business Productivity Tips – Our 11 Best and Most Popular Blogs of 2017

You have a lot of options on the market when you make a technology purchase. The best solution for your business isn't determined solely by the price, the feature set, or how fast the vendor gets it to your doorstep.

Every year, I learn more about copiers, document management, workflow, and, increasingly, managed IT topics.

I do my best to pass on what I learn to you.

Here are the 11 most popular posts in 2017. They cover a range of topics:

Read on for insights into those topics – and more – to get yourself ready for 2018! 

Topics: Scanning Information Technology Technology Multifunction Copier Did you know? Managed Network Services Security Digital Copiers Digital Security Productivity Tips and Tools Healthcare Solutions Office Equipment Legal Solutions Network Management Document Workflow Document Security IT Consulting Business Continuity Disaster Recovery

The 6 Things You Should Never Do When It Comes to Cybersecurity

Security isn’t always top of mind, especially when it comes to your employees. Make sure you and your employees aren’t doing any of these six things.

We’ve all had that “kick yourself” moment after something you had a second thought about tragically comes to fruition. We know it could have been prevented, and it was just plain stupid not to have taken the simple steps needed to prevent the mistake.

We take a lot for granted as humans, especially when it comes to securing our data. In fact, did you know that in your office right now it’s likely that 40% of your employees have their passwords stored on their devices in a Word document? Almost half! Not so secure right? 

Despite all the cyber security threats you hear about in the news, the simple fact is that the people within your business are far more of a threat than any software application that you are using. If you’ve ever had second thoughts about your company’s cybersecurity, take a few minutes to check yourself and make sure that you are NOT doing any of the following:

Topics: Information Technology Did you know? Managed Network Services Digital Security Healthcare Solutions Legal Solutions Network Management IT Consulting Technology Pain Microsoft Gold Partner Network Security

Canon Comes Out on Top for Law Firm Copiers

Research shows that law firms love Canon copiers.

You see a lot of natural combinations out there. Chocolate and peanut butter, steak and eggs, and wine and cheese are a few classic pairings. What doesn't fall so easily into place are the services that support a major business investment, such as your production printer and your digital copier.  

The pre-sales process goes smoothly, but you often find yourself left hanging after you sign on the dotted line. At Datamax, we put a lot of resources into the after-sales support process. Our technical support team works together with the top manufacturers, such as Canon, to learn everything they need to know for high-quality support. Our dedication to after-sales support has earned us recognition from Canon's Association of Technical Service Professionals (ATSP). 

Topics: Insider Canon Color Copier Multifunction Copier Did you know? Digital Copiers Automation Legal Solutions Canon USA

Most Popular Datamax Arkansas Posts in 2016

In case you missed these (or want to refresh your memory), here are the six most popular blog posts from 2016. Thanks for reading and I'll see you next year!

I hope you're enjoying your holidays – and thanks for stopping by our blog.

In case you missed these (or want to refresh your memory), here are the six most popular blog posts from 2016. Thanks for reading and I'll see you next year!

Click the titles to read the post.

Topics: Insider Solutions Did you know?

The Hidden Cost of a Cheap Photocopier

If you focus on the number on the price tag more than what the photocopier can actually do for you, you'll end up paying more in the long run.

You have to operate with a budget professionally and personally. The same questions come up no matter what you're buying. How much should it cost, where can you find the best deals, and is there a more affordable way to get it?

Many people jump right to the cheapest copier they can find. They think it might match their needs, but their decision is purely price driven. Sometimes they luck out and get the right model with good build quality. Years from now, they're calling the copier "old reliable" and patting themselves on the back for their money-saving move.

However, this is not the case for most people.

Topics: Printing Solutions Multifunction Copier Did you know? Productivity Tips and Tools Office Equipment

Did You Know: Your Copier Can Scan to the Cloud

Using your copier to scan to the cloud is straightforward (the specifics WILL be different for different models and manufacturers, but the basic steps are similar).

You’ve heard of “the cloud,” even if you don’t follow technology at all you’ve most likely heard someone use this term. Usually when it’s mentioned it’s with a touch of reverence and a hint that the cloud will solve your technology challenges, which (when used correctly) cloud services really can bring huge business and personal productivity improvements.

The cloud essentially means that instead of your information/documents or your application (like iTunes, Office 365, or personal productivity tool Evernote) “living” on a your computing device (smartphone, laptop, PC, or tablet), they “live” on a third-party hosted platform and you can access the cloud service via the Internet. As with anything IT-related, the cloud becomes more complicated the deeper you dig into it. If you’re interested, this Cloud Computing 101 article is a good starting point for more detail.

Topics: Scanning Did you know? Office Equipment Cloud

Did you know you can scan to email?

If you only need to scan and email that document to one person, one time, you can save yourself a few steps by scanning to email.

Sometimes, you receive physical pieces of paper that you need to send to someone electronically. Let’s explore how many people accomplish this (and end up wasting a lot of time). They scan their paper to save it to their designated spot on the company server. Then they have to go back to their desks and open a new email, find the document, attach it, then send the email. Sometimes, that file is not needed after it is emailed and sits on your server, forgotten, taking up space and cluttering up the server. 

Topics: Did you know? Productivity Tips and Tools

Did you know there IS an app for that on your copier?

Most companies don’t realize that there’s an "app for that" on their copier.

Everything and everyone in an office needs to be as productive as possible. Did you know you could extend the productivity benefits of your copier with an App?

Most companies don’t realize that there’s an "app for that" on their copier. Take a look at your multifunctional printer (MFP) and visit the apps screen. If you have a Canon copier then you can literally download an app from the Apple App Store. If you visit the Document Distribution and Management page on the Canon Copiers website, you can see the types of apps supported by color copiers, black and white copiers, and production printing systems. 

Topics: Canon Color Copier Did you know? Apps